Keep It To Ourselves (Audiophile Vinyl)

This recording highlights Miller’s metronomic feel for timing and rhythm. Several of the most impressive cuts are unaccompanied, with only Miller’s tapping feet and snapping fingers to provide percussion, yet you rarely miss the presence of a drummer. An especially impressive example is “Don’t Let Your Right Hand Know,” a reprise of a theme Miller used several times on record. In a spoken introduction he claims that the idea for the lyrics was given to him by a lady friend. The song features Miller in his country-philosopher role, as he lectures both the lady and the listener on the finer points of how to maintain an illicit love relationship; interspersed with the verses are trainlike harmonica chug-chug-chugging and broad-toned single-note phrases. At one point he manipulates the tone so it sounds uncannily like a Jew’s harp. It’s all punctuated with finger snaps and tongue stops, a tour de force in a style that relies on subtle tonal shadings and an unerring sense of time rather than flamboyant flourishes.
Miller’s music was as entertaining and fun as any that emanated from Chicago during the city’s blues heyday. His canon is among the most consistently high-quality of any bluesman’s, and this recording is an important addition to his legacy. It’s an exquisitely crafted, often hilarious peek into a side he seldom revealed. And between the astonishing demonstrations of harmonica virtuosity and the mind-boggling lyrical convolutions, the genius of Rice Miller soars at unfettered full throttle.

- David Whiteis - chicagoreader.com

Musicians:
Sonny Boy Williamson - harmonica, vocals
Matt "Guitar" Murphy - guitar
Memphis Slim - piano
Billie Stepney - drums