Naarm/Melbourne vocalist Loretta Miller has made a name for herself as the powerhouse front woman of touring act JAZZPARTY, electrifying audiences with her undeniable natural talent. Having been likened to Dolly Parton (after a bottle of whisky), put a song in front of her and she’ll sing the house down. Her star shines brightest at the gritty intersection of soul, country, rock n roll and Americana. Loretta’s mother Tracey Miller and Aunt Lisa Miller are both pillars of Australian alt-country and soul, and when you watch her perform it’s clear that music is not something learnt, it’s lived. The next Miller in line has a lot to say, and her debut solo album, the self titled Loretta has been long anticipated and was released independently on Wednesday the October 1.
Growing up on a healthy dose of the greats; Ray Charles, Etta James, Hank Williams, Nina Simone, Patsy Cline, The Osbourne Brothers as well as deep cuts from blue grass, Cajun & Zydeco artists, Loretta learnt five part vocal harmony singing around the piano with mum Tracey. Her first gigs were with the legendary Peter and Andy Baylor playing rockabilly, country, blues, western swing, jazz and soul before being snatched up as a backing vocalist with the hugely popular retro-soul act Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes, and touring the globe extensively. When she crash landed into JAZZPARTY, she took the reins and cemented herself as an incendiary front woman and versatile vocalist. When it was finally time for Loretta to do Loretta, there were a lot of influences to lean on. “My songwriting is fairly honest and a lot of it is a direct outlet from hard moments in my life or inspiration I’ve taken from friends' lives. Because of that I wanted to take care that musically it was interesting and fun” says Miller.
The hard hitting rock n roll single ‘Dog’ was Loretta’s first time writing and arranging entirely independently of creative partners. It features the twangy rocking Neil Young-esque guitar stylings of Louie King (Dope Lemon), the driving bass lines of Joel Loukes (Ruby Jones) and the pounding rhythm of Freyja Hooper ( Bumpy, Kee’Ahn, Zoe Fox) on drums, with layers of over driven pedal steel from Shane Rylie (The Los Ragas). The lush country folk rock of ‘Long Haired Girl’ features a duet between Loretta and Louie King, co-written with her longtime JAZZPARTY collaborator Darcy McNulty. Inspired by vocalist Karen Dalton, the song speaks to the free spirited, elusive woman and her connection to nature. ‘Gonna Be Lonely’ blends soulful rock n roll with classic 70s country, evoking the warm and gritty style of Shotgun Willie-era Willie Nelson, whilst ‘Passenger Side’ leans heavily on Loretta’s love of Americana and pop influences. When asked about her love of country music Loretta replied, “Australia has always had phenomenal country, bluegrass, westerner swing, rockabilly music happening out there. There's a strong tradition of it and many great unknown talents, a lot of it doesn’t get the attention it deserves.”
Loretta has lent her vocals to the likes of The Teskey Brothers, Kutcha Edwards, Bob Evans, Julia Stone, Emily Lubitz and Harry James Angus, as well as her duo endeavour with best friend and artist Ruby Jones on their 2022 single ‘Eighteen’. Daughter of singer/songwriter Tracey Miller, niece of ARIA nominated artist Lisa Miller and Archibald Prize winning painter Lewis Miller, artistry and creativity flows in her veins. It’s well and truly Loretta’s time, and with a name and a voice like that, she deserves all her flowers.
Make sure to catch Loretta Miller and her band when they join Richie 1250 on Stone Love for an exclusive Studio 5 Live session. Tune in from 5pm on Friday October 10.
