photo by Caroline Alden; photo courtesy of Danielle Miraglia

Album Review of Danielle M and the Glory Junkies: All My Heroes Are Ghosts

I have referred to Danielle Miraglia’s musical style as blues-rock (when electric) or blues-folk (when acoustic), but it’s always very clearly, identifiably Danielle Miraglia. She’s one of the few Boston-area musicians who play as often as she wants without diminishing her draw. You’ve seen her reviewed frequently in this Blog, including her last album, Glory Junkies, and last summer’s annual Front Street Concerts gig (an annual concert that always sells out early).

Stylistically, there are pieces of classic rock, old-school blues, modern song-driven pop-rock, and a several additional influences in Danielle’s music. Her live covers generally include Janis Joplin, the Rolling Stones, and Prince, and for a while her standard concert-closer was a raucous rendition of Tom Waits’ “2:19.” Piece those together, add a vocal delivery style that combines power, grit, and smirk, and sprinkle in some of the Boston area’s marquee musicians (Danielle, herself, included), and an album like All My Heroes Are Ghosts is exactly what you’d expect. And while Danielle draws tremendously in metro Boston, and she fills rooms up and down the east coast on occasional tours, the one thing that’s hard to grasp is why this original, old-school, genre-crossing talent still hasn’t found a large, national audience. The cool thing about the blues, though, is that it’s a genre that will give her credit for “time served,” especially as she builds an impressive back catalog.

image courtesy of Danielle Miraglia

All My Heroes Are Ghosts, surprisingly, is the first disc Danielle has recorded using a band name rather than as a solo artist. With an awesome band name referencing the title of the previous album, Danielle M and the Glory Junkies have performed together for quite a while, but this time the band went in as a unit and has its full name memorialized on the album cover. And, why not individually by name, in this review, as well. One of Boston’s best collections of versatile, talented musicians, top to bottom: Danielle Miraglia (guitar, vocals), Laurence Scudder (viola, vocals). Erik White (guitar, vocals), Jim Larkin (bass), and Chris Anzalone (drums). And, with the band’s increased visibility, the Danielle M and the Glory Junkies have been selected for Boston Music Award nominations in the “Blues Artist of the Year” category each of the last two years.

Now, of course, back to the disc. The album saunters into its first cut, the title track, “All My Heroes Are Ghosts,” a nostalgic track whose hits just the right laid-back rockin’ ‘n rollin’ sentimental tone.

Not one to let sentimentality sit there unprovoked, Danielle and gang follow with the rollicking “All On Fire.”

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Danielle continues down the social commentary path with two tracks attacking a similar topic with different tempos. First, the toe-tapping, groovy “Monster,” with instrumental lines dancing in and out around a pulsing, driving, slow bluesy rhythm. Then rocking wailer “Everybody’s Wrong” cranks things up, though not immediately – this tune simmers slowly before even the most attentive frog realizes its boiling. It never quite reaches a rolling boil, but it’s a fun ride.

Another favorite – that makes five out of five “favorites” so far, but who’s counting? – follows with “Don’t Pray for Me,” where Danielle’s rich, gravelly vocals really drive the songs slow, steady wailing delivery.

photo by Neale Eckstein; photo courtesy of Danielle Miraglia

I won’t swing song-by-song through the disc’s back nine. Er, five. But I should call out “Rock Star,” which has a Prince meets Ziggy Stardust vibe, as the band plucks its way through in support of Danielle’s plucky, funky vocals; plus it’s a song you’ll catch yourself singing whenever you see the phrase “rock star” once you’ve heard it. Oh, and “Aim Low,” just because I love the clever, hilarious lyrics delivered with Danielle’s trademark mischievous half-smile/half-snark, beloved by fans and reserved for songs like this, on what could easily have been Homer Simpsons’ personal theme song. Oh, geez, and of course her delivery is spot on during the band’s rendition of Janis Joplin’s “What Good Can Drinkin Do,” during which the bands rhythmic musical tour de force backs Danielle’s bluesy rockin’, growling blues (can I say “bluesy” again?) vocal. OK, that’s three of the last five mentioned. I’m sure Danielle could write a great song about how badly I achieved my mission of skimming the back five.

But hey, Danielle Miraglia’s albums just keep getting better. Even though it doesn’t seem possible. I’m almost afraid of what comes next.

photo by Denise Maccaferri; photo courtesy of Danielle Miraglia

Looking Ahead

What comes next for Danielle Miraglia is a new record. She’s currently working on a solo acoustic folk/blues album, whose release has been bumped back from this spring to fall 2020 by the less-than-conducive-to-tour-support conditions we’re going through right now. That as-yet-unnamed album is available for pre-order here, and it will feature a combination of acoustic folk/blues covers and acoustic versions of DMiraglia originals. Also, until it’s possible to begin touring again, Danielle performs occasional live streaming concerts. The most recent one was May 15th, but you can stay current here on this social distancing-based page on her website or, likely, on the events tab of her Facebook page.

As for live performances, the “Shows” tab on Danielle’s website still lists a May 28 Bob Dylan birthday tribute event in Portland, ME, but a clickthrough to get tickets shows a May 19, 2021 performance date, and the St. Lawrence Arts venue calendar doesn’t list the show, so I’d assume that gig is likely going to be a casualty of COVID-19. The other date listed on Danielle’s “Shows” tab is a Friday, October 9th show at the Second Friday Coffeehouse in Belmont, MA. Let’s hope that happens. It looks like the event site doesn’t currently have a show listing, since it’s closed until the situation changes. Danielle’s Facebook page also lists shows currently scheduled for December 12, 2020 and April 17, 2021. She’s a road warrior, so I’m sure she’ll be gigging everywhere when it’s safe to perform live again. In the meantime, though, be sure to check out this album, past discs, her upcoming release, and, of course, Danielle’s live streams.

Looking ahead for the Blog? Hopefully, this will be the first of an increasing cadence of reviews again. I began writing this review back in November 2018, and I just found time to finish it this past week. It’s the first album review I wrote personally that I’ve published since November 2018, when my review of Persona’s Metamorphosis hit the blog. (I’ve managed a few – but not many – live reviews since.) I currently have countless reviews still “in the queue” – exceptional recordings from some of my favorite, talented artists – so assuming I’m able to write regularly again now, look for more long-overdue reviews of albums you’re going to enjoy discovering in the coming weeks and months. But this review is a good place to start. Danielle M and the Glory Junkies’ All My Heroes Are Ghosts, if it doesn’t already grace your collection, will quickly become a rockin’ blues favorite.