photo by Joshua Pickering; photo courtesy of Danielle Miraglia

by Eric Harabadian, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of Danielle Miraglia: Bright Shining Stars (Vizztone Records)

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Danielle Miraglia has been wowing fans and critics on the Boston music scene for several years now. With a series of successful recordings and performances, as both a solo act and as a member of The Glory Junkies, Miraglia consistently delivers a sound that is soulful and authentically earnest. With her latest effort for Vizztone, she presents a collection of originals and classic blues songs that put the spotlight squarely on her acoustic guitar and vocal prowess. She is joined on select tracks by fellow Glory Junky Laurence Scudder on viola, along with guitarist Peter Parcek and harmonica man Richard “Rosy” Rosenblatt.

image courtesy of Danielle Miraglia

Miraglia possesses a number of innate gifts. With her voice, she’s able to modulate it in several ways to suit the material she’s singing. Her ability to go from a whisper to a wail is impressive. But she utilizes it as a trained actor would to convey the heart of the message in each song. Equally, her skills on guitar are unparalleled. She’s a one woman show in the way she implements traditional finger style patterns and chord work.

“Feels Like Home” is a brief instrumental piece that sets the stage for the album. The pairing of Miraglia’s strong thumb-driven bass and chordal rhythms and Scudder’s warm viola is most welcoming. “C.C. Rider” is a Ma Rainey tune covered by everyone from Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels to the Animals. Most people might be familiar with the high octane treatments some of the rock community have given it. But, in this format, Miraglia opts for a slower, pensive and more reflective version of the blues classic. You hear every word and absorb every nuance. Her delivery is very literate and self-assured.

“You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” is, perhaps, one of Bob Dylan’s more lighthearted songs. It’s got a country blues-like lilt, and Miraglia sings the love song with a grit and playful irony that definitely gets to the heart of the matter. Parcek is a nice electric foil to Miraglia’s flowing acoustic passages, giving the tune additional weight.

photo by Briana Atkins; photo courtesy of Danielle Miraglia

“Pick Up the Gun” follows and is an original that seems to address gun violence and the motives and thought processes behind using a weapon in the first place. She seems to take both an antagonist and protagonist side in portraying different perspectives on the issue. Musically, Miraglia digs in, with a driving rhythmic figure as Scudder offers some tasteful solo breaks.

Janis Joplin’s “Turtle Blues” is a song that sounds like a piece that has been in Miraglia’s performance wheelhouse for some time. She really has fleshed this out nicely and invests deep into the soul of the song. There is a cool and aloof gruffness to her vocals that seems to embody the spirit of Janis herself. Parcek’s jazzy accompaniment adds some flair and really makes this a highlight.

For all those folks burned out on Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Teen Mom, does this artist have a song for you! “Famous for Nothin’” kind of says it all in the title. And that’s exactly what it’s about. It’s a song about the illusion of fame and the attainment of it for the mere sake of fame alone. The chorus “Have you heard… have you heard? Everybody’s in” kind of summarizes the current state of television and society at the moment.

photo by Caroline Alden; photo courtesy of Danielle Miraglia

“Love Yourself” is a tune by Keb Mo that’s gets a bold and exuberant take here. It’s got a slow vintage boogie feel where Miraglia depicts the personal journeys one may go through in life. There may be some bumps along the way, but when all else fails, you can always “love yourself.”

Bob Dylan’s “Meet Me in the Morning” has a down and dirty rustic vibe to it. It’s all acoustic slide and honking harmonica. Miraglia does some testifying with a vocal that will stop you in your tracks. The same can be said for the follow up classic by Big Bill Broonzy, “It Hurts Me Too.” It’s just the artist and her guitar, and it is marvelous.

“Walkin’ Blues” by Robert Johnson gets a respectful turn, and the album’s finale and title track puts a beautiful bow on the whole experience. “Bright Shining Stars,” written by Miraglia’s husband Tom Bianchi, is a hopeful and positive song for these current times. In it, she sings “Tragedy and dark times, they’ll chase you around. Sometimes this world is beautiful, sometimes it lets you down. How many hearts must be broken? No one said that it would be easy to fight the good fight.” And then the chorus offers hope with, “This world needs bright shining stars, and this world needs superheroes to lead us all. And this world needs goodness to be grown. Let’s give a shining star a new home.” What a great sentiment to summarize this fine collection of songs.

photo by Joshua Pickering; photo courtesy of Danielle Miraglia

Looking Ahead

When live shows are back, you’ll find Danielle’s listed on the “Shows” page of her website. Danielle has also been streaming occasionally during the pandemic, either solo or as part of multi-artist events. These are generally announced via posts on Danielle’s Facebook page.