Valorie Miller

'''Valorie Miller''' is a folk guitarist and singer-songwriter from Asheville, North Carolina.

==Biography== Miller was born in North Carolina,<ref name=pm/> and began her musical career after receiving an Emerging Artist grant from the North Carolina Arts Council in the late 1990s, which she used to make her first recording.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://valoriemiller.net/about | title=About | work=Valoriemiller.net | accessdate=22 April 2017}}</ref> Before releasing her solo debut album, ''Analog'', in 2000, Miller performed as a stand-up bassist for Malcolm Holcombe, during which time she toured across the country.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mountainx.com/arts/art-news/011409soundtrack/ | title=SoundTrack | work=Mountain Xpress | date=14 January 2009 | accessdate=22 April 2017 | author=Marshall, Alli}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://mountainx.com/arts/art-news/0519westfest-php/ | title=Redheaded stepchild | work=Mountain Xpress | date=19 May 2004 | accessdate=22 April 2017 | author=Marshall, Alli}}</ref> She and Holcombe co-produced her third album, ''Sweeter than Salt'', with help from sound engineer Richard McLauren.<ref name=withrow/> Her sixth album, ''Turtle Shell'', was recorded in eight hours.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.goupstate.com/entertainment/20120710/valorie-millers-new-album-recorded-in-rush-but-doesnt-sound-like-it | title=Valorie Miller's new album recorded in rush, but doesn't sound like it | work=Goupstate.com | date=10 July 2012 | accessdate=22 April 2017 | author=Gilmer, Jason}}</ref>

==Critical reception== Grant Alden of ''No Depression'' wrote that Miller's song "Not My Daughter" was "A raw, blue, keening mountain song that had to have emerged from somewhere deep within" and described it as "spectacular."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://nodepression.com/live-review/three-not-forget-valorie-dao-and-otis | title=Three to not forget: Valorie, Dao and Otis | work=No Depression | date=21 October 2008 | accessdate=22 April 2017 | author=Alden, Grant}}</ref> Jerry Withrow, also of ''No Depression'', wrote that the songs on her third album, ''Sweeter than Salt'', were "the most fully realized of her career to date." He also wrote that on the album, "Her vocals -- pure Carolina, from whisper to wail -- reach that goal of a personal sound, with an assurance and control directly attributable to those grueling nights on the road [when she was on tour]."<ref name=withrow>{{cite web | url=http://nodepression.com/article/valorie-miller-pure-carolina-whisper-wail | title=Valorie Miller - Pure Carolina, from whisper to wail | work=No Depression | date=31 August 2003 | accessdate=22 April 2017 | author=Withrow, Jerry}}</ref> PopMatters' Alan Brown gave Miller's fourth album, ''Folk Star'', an 8 out of 10 rating, writing that it "serves as the perfect reminder that you can never underestimate the power of an original voice."<ref name=pm>{{cite web | url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/valorie-miller-folk-star/ | title=Folk Star Review | work=PopMatters | date=1 April 2007 | accessdate=22 April 2017 | author=Brown, Alan}}</ref> Robert Christgau gave her fifth album, ''Autumn Eyes'', a "choice cut" rating, identifying "Fire Song" as the only good track on the album.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cg2008-11.php | title=Consumer Guide | publisher=MSN Music | date=1 November 2008 | accessdate=22 April 2017 | author=Christgau, Robert}}</ref> Stephen Judge of ''Blurt'' wrote that ''Turtle Shell'' was "a sparse, intimate affair, no doubt reflective of the kind of solo Miller show you might get if you wandered into a local pub or gallery where she was appearing."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://blurtonline.com/review/valorie-miller-turtle-shell/ | title=Valorie Miller – Turtle Shell | work=Blurt | date=17 September 2012 | accessdate=22 April 2017 | author=Judge, Stephen}}</ref> Dan Armonaitis of the ''Spartanburg Herald-Journal'' compared her musical style to that of Lucinda Williams and Bobbie Gentry.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.goupstate.com/news/20110407/club-scene-gutsy-folk-music-downtown-j-mascis-in-asheville | title=Club Scene: Gutsy folk music downtown; J Mascis in Asheville | work=Goupstate.com | date=7 April 2011 | accessdate=22 April 2017 | author=Armonaitis, Dan}}</ref>

==Discography== *''Analog'' (Redhead, 2000) *''Ghost Tracks'' (Redhead, 2002) *''Sweeter Than Salt'' (Redhead, 2006) *''Folk Star'' (Grandmother Alice, 2006) *''Autumn Eyes'' (Grandmother Alice, 2008) *''Turtle Shell'' (Grandmother Alice, 2012) *Only The Killer (Blackbird Record Label Indie AM Gold, 2022)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Official website|https://valoriemiller.net}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Valorie}} Category:Musicians from Asheville, North Carolina Category:American folk singers Category:Living people Category:American folk guitarists Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Singer-songwriters from North Carolina