Album Review: Parker Millsap

Megan Outten May 17th, 2023 - 12:00 PM

Magical Realities in Abundance

Parker Millsap's sixth studio album, Wilderness Within You, lyrically, is an introspective analysis on modern existence and how the innate disconnect between the macro and micro scale of being can be examined. It opens with a "Greetings and Thanks (Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address)." In this tradition, it is an invitation, we are part of the conversation.

"What You’ve Shown Me" is akin to a Springsteen song of the heartland. The drums and strumming of the guitar are in perfect synchrony. Millsap's vocals are rasp, raw and easygoing. Millsap further asks the listener to "look at the way that the light is stretching, over the earth like a blanket of gold," in "Running on Time."

In "So Far Apart," a count off and quick snap beat mimics the ticking of a clock, while the lyrical dynamics of the song ruminate on introspection. The theme of disconnection, i.e., "tell me when did we get so far apart," is prominent throughout the album. Millsap exhibits strong vocal control as steady as the electric beat weaved throughout. Horns accompany periodically, as the tempo gradually builds, reminding us that we are running out of time.

Exuding song of summer radiance, "Front Porchin’" and its guitar trills, rhythmic claps and harmonies are perfect for a warm afternoon on the porch basking in simplicity. In "Keeping the Love Alive," Millsap stresses the importance of the "daily devotion" to keep love alive. While a broad topic and hard to address, he connects this with Mother Nature by instilling her ability to rejuvenate and cleanse the earth.

"Finding Out" is an evening parable, a gentle acoustic number with distant crickets chirping in the background. Imagine just after sunset, a dusky haze along the fields, Millsap on his porch, singing to the trees. His rustic voice, a commentary on the age of the Anthropocene, our time now in which human activity dominates nature and environmental happenings. He plays with mankind's verbal anecdotes in "as above, so below" and "as within, so without." A melodic reflection of our beliefs, actions, and how, in this age, we can see its effects readily.

"Half a World Away" from its predecessor. This song leads with a dramatic beat and an electronic whir. The manipulation of the electric guitar is harsh in contrast to the previous acoustic song. The repetition of the lyrics and questions reflect the disharmony of the world and its processes.

In what sounds like flames flickering in the distance, or an aftermath of cataclysm, an organ leads strong and hypnotic in "If We Would Let It." Dramatic against the embers burning in the background, it orchestrates the chanting hymnal development of the song. Millsap projects his voice into the ruins with "it could be paradise," longing for others to see just how magical existence could be.

The title track of the album prompts the listener to explore the "Wilderness Within You (feat. Gillian Welch)." The violin and acoustic guitar meld together as Welch and Millsap's vocals mirror their harmonies. Welch hums along with Millsap throughout the song, this melody of soft and strong vocal vibrato mirrors the reverberation of the violin and the plucking of the guitar strings.

In "Magic," Millsap explores the minutiae of a finite existence. It is a commentary on the magic of growth and how "sitting by the river, staring at the motion, just a little sliver running to the ocean" can enable appreciation of the connection between all beings. His vocal range further explores this notion demonstrating the difference between thoughts and feelings on a higher or lower scale. Personifying grand images "looking at the mountain, ripples in the fabric," he is "suddenly astounded, sometimes [he] feels the magic." Magic is man's ability to reason.

"By and By" lyrically alludes to all the thoughts one may have when contemplating the themes of the album. Millsap digs into the funky blues bank and creates a gravitational pull in this song with its ending crescendo.

The album finale, "I’ll Be Around" opens with a metronomic drum beat with an organ accompaniment. In poetic meter, Millsap sings. The instrumentation is almost celestial as Millsap, ruminates on what happens "after the sun burns itself into nothing." That all beings, in conservation of mass, will still be around in some form at the end of time.