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Pete Miller is a fascinating musical act, combining simplistic instrumentals kept at a brisk and enjoyable atmosphere with beautiful storytelling. Being able to weave a story that keeps the listener’s interest is key when it comes to sparse music of the kind Pete Miller makes. Thus, we’ve decided to put his latest single, “The Raven and the Dove,” through our full review process. So, what do we think about it now that we’ve given it the time of day?
Musically, Pete Miller keeps things as simple and low-key as possible. The song is entirely composed around acoustic guitars, making it sound grounded and putting a focus on the vocal performance. It’s a clever approach to a song like this, especially one where the story being told is the true highlight. Of course, this also puts a lot of pressure on the story and vocals to properly land.
We’re happy to announce that when it comes to impact, the song lands perfectly. Pete Miller puts on a fantastic tale, with writing that lives up to any sort of expectation you could have. He doesn’t wax too poetic, choosing instead to be more straightforward with his ideas. However, everything is described in an incredibly artistic way, grabbing your attention while also driving the point home beautifully.
Pete Miller’s vocals also do a lot of heavy lifting in this single, as you’d probably expect. His delivery is slightly demure, but changes as the song carries on. It rises and falls as the song’s story beats move forward, staying consistent but also dynamically shifting as needed. What this results in is an engaging tale with a story-teller who hooks you in effortlessly. There’s no strain or over-dramatization here, it’s just good old fashioned stories in a comfy mood.
In terms of production, things are kept mostly untouched. It’s warm and enjoyable, but it’s best that these types of songs don’t get overproduced, lest they lose their grounded, simple touch. “The Raven and the Dove” excels at this homely feeling, with the mood of the song gently buoying along.
All in all, we found “The Raven and the Dove” to be an enjoyable song, one that really plays to Pete Miller’s strengths as a performer. As we said at the beginning of this review, an artist’s ability to unfold a story to their listener is key in songs like this, and we’re happy to see that Pete understands this perfectly. We’re eager to see what other stories he has in store for us in the future.
