"...Miles’ songwriting is about everyday people making his music easily accessible, true-to-life rock and roll, with a healthy dose of Americana and folk. This album has moments of solo, seemingly personal refection to moments of finely crafted rock and roll by The Waywards. In the control of those extremes Miles tell his stories so well.  I can understand the Johnny Miles to Bruce Springsteen but I have to agree with the Ryan Adams comparisons too."  Click here for more...

November 11th, 2010 | 12:48PM | By The Key

We could tell you all about what we think ofJohnny Miles And The Waywards‘ new When The Saints Sleep—which would probably begin with, “Well, the title track is Helen’s Local Pick Of The Day, so obviously we think it’s awesome.” Or we could let Johnny tell you about it himself, as he’s quite the wordsmith: “Musically,” quips Johnny, “I guess it’s sort of a ‘contemporary-re-interpretation-of-a-chuck-berry-stones-y-kinda-high-energy-rock-and-roll-sound’ cake with a bit of a ‘ghostly-reverb-slight-desperation-delay’ icing, stuffed with some intense emotional imagery, laced with razor-sharp execution, and topped with a big ol’ bucket of brass (which is to say impudent-brazen-chutzpah-balls, not instruments).” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves...click here for more.

Johnny Miles‘ new album When The Saints Sleep is his 3rd full-length album.  This is Miles’ 1st album with The Waywards a band featuring: Carl Cheeseman (guitars), Nate Gonzalez (keyboards), Al Gibson (drums), and Jeff Hiatt (bass, producer, and engineer).  Yes, those are some of Philly’s best musicians.   Johnny Miles & The Waywards do a fantastic job on this album.

“When The Saints Sleep” is an attention grabbing title track but “Hangin’ On To The Hoping” provides an almost tangible energetic flow.  With lyrics “dreams change, commitments are made, and promises get broken – the most important things are left unspoken.”  Miles sounds the happiest on “Sweet Sigh Of Relief”.  The recording at the end of “Born To These Bones” delivers part of the album’s message “there’s only one life and this is it.”  The other part of the message lies in the beautifully harmonized (thanks in part to Dawn Iulg and Christine Miles) refrain “or at least I can dream so” from the final track with a similar title.

Miles’ songwriting is about everyday people making his music easily accessible, true-to-life rock and roll, with a healthy dose of Americana and folk. This album has moments of solo, seemingly personal refection to moments of finely crafted rock and roll by The Waywards. In the control of those extremes Miles tell his stories so well.  I can understand the Johnny Miles to Bruce Springsteen but I have to agree with the Ryan Adams comparisons too.

Congratulations to Johnny Miles & The Waywards on the release of When The Saints Sleep and thank you for filling my and fellow music lovers ears with great music....click here for more.