FEATURE:
Revisiting…
Mica Millar – Heaven Knows
_________
I was due to see Mica Millar…
perform at London’s Jazz Café on 5th May. I am on holiday, so I will get to miss out on a night that is sure to be transcendent and hugely powerful. Whilst it is a bit of a loss and I am desperate to see her live, I have been spending a lot of time with her amazing debut album, Heaven Knows. Before looking at the album, I would advise anyone to go and book a ticket to see her play if you can. Not only one of 2022’s best debut albums, Heaven Knows was one of the best albums of 2022 full stop! Whilst it did get some good coverage and really positive reviews, it would have been nice to see some of the bigger publications, magazines and newspapers give the album a spin and review. The Manchester-based Millar (who you can follow on Instagram, and Twitter) is a wonderful musician, singer, songwriter, and producer who released a staggering album with Heaven Knows. I will get to some reviews but, from her official website, here is some more details about an album I would advise everyone to hear:
“Releasing her debut album 'Heaven Knows' to critical review earlier this year, Mica Millar has quickly become one of the UK brightest new Soul stars, picking up Jazz FM's prestigious 'Soul Act of The Year 2022' award alongside a nomination for 'Breakthrough Act of The Year' and featuring on the front cover of the iconic Blues & Soul Magazine amidst an array of five star album and live reviews and national radio support.
Following two monumental album launch shows in September including a sold out show at the capital’s prestigious Jazz Café and a special hometown performance filling out the iconic Albert Hall, Manchester, Mica is due to announce her UK and European 2023 tour very soon but in the meantime she’ll be performing at Jazz Voice, the opening gala of the EFG London Jazz Festival on November 11th at Royal Festival Hall with the backing of esteemed arranger and conductor Guy Barker (MBE) and the 42-piece Festival Orchestra, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and screening on BBC 4.
Self-written, arranged and produced, Mica's debut album ‘Heaven Knows’ explores themes of human nature, spirituality, love, oppression, inequality and empowerment, drawing inspiration from a plethora of vintage soundscapes, most notably, soul, blues, gospel and jazz.
The album’s initial recording sessions took place at Middle Farm Studios, in Devon with a tight-knit team who laid the foundations for this courageous debut. Alongside guitarist Miles James (Michael Kiwanuka, Tom Misch, Cleo Soul) were Jonathan Tuitt (Drums), Arran Powell (Bass), Marc Morrison (Piano) [members of Emile Sande’s live band], lead engineer Lewis Hopkins (who Mica cites as a mentor who was instrumental in teaching her about live sound recording and sonics in the early stages of the albums production) and assistant engineer and photographer Andrew Thomas (who Mica later captured the album's sleeve photograph taken in Manchesters Albert Hall).
Against all odds, ‘Heaven Knows’ was completed during a tumultuous time in Mica’s life. Not only having to adapt to the effects of COVID on the industry - shifting from studio sessions to remote recording under lock down restriction, a big enough feat in itself, but in 2020 Mica’s broke her back, narrowly escaping permanent paralysis from the waist down. In extreme pain and having to learn to walk again, all recording came to a halt and nine months on Mica found herself still recovering from her injuries, amongst which, her core muscles, formerly powering her ever present, soaring vocals, had deteriorated. But instead of giving up, Mica pushed through these challenges with determination, taking on rigorous rehabilitation and never losing sight of her vision for the album.
“I didn't want Covid or my accident to impact my vision for the record. In fact, the time in recovery and lock down allowed me to think bigger and better in the end and ultimately become a much more experienced producer. Working one on one with musicians remotely opened up new possibilities for collaborating with other musicians on the record - people I had always wanted to work with (particularly musicians in the US) and this was so important for being able to achieve both the performances and sonics I wanted for each song on the record".
Notably, the fourteen track debut has been mixed by multi-platinum Producer/Engineer Brian Malouf, known for engineering Michael Jackson’s Bad album and working with Motown legend Stevie Wonder amongst many other Grammy award-winning works. Completing mixing sessions with Mica via Zoom from his state of the art studio facility in LA, Malouf credits Mica as a talent that is “every engineer’s dream” with a clear vision and outstanding songs, likening her production approach on single "Flashlights" to that of the legendary Quincey Jones.
Amongst those also credited on ‘Heaven Knows’ are esteemed bassist, Jerry Barnes (Whitney Houston, Nile Rodgers, Chic) who adds his signature bass sound to single ‘Preacher Man’, pianist/organist Bobby Sparks (Snarky Puppy, Kirk Franklin) who performed on single 'Will I See You Again', bassist and engineer Vince Chiarato (Black Pumas), bassist Brandon Rose (Marcus Miller), and Ricky Peterson and David Z Rivkin (long standing collaborators of Price and Etta James). Rivkin contributed to the album as a second arranger on "Fools Fate" and also linked Mica up with Prince/Fleetwood Mac organist Rickey Peterson to perform on the same track.
“It has been really amazing to work with people who have played on some of my favourite records of all time. Doing that from my home studio in Manchester was incredibly surreal”. says Mica.
Recorded between Manchester, Devon, New York, Minneapolis, Nashville, LA and other locations across the US and Mastered at the iconic Abbey Road Studios, Mastering Engineer, Geoff Pesche (Adele, Ed Sheeran), cited 'Heaven Knows' as his "favourite album project at Abbey Road Studios in 2021" and predicted Mica would be “the most exciting new artist releasing music in 2022”. Continuing, “I work on around 50 albums a year at Abbey Road, very few make it onto my iPod. This went straight on”.
Amassing over a million streams since it's release in June, ‘Heaven Knows’ has achieved widespread acclaim this summer, including a host of national radio support from the likes of Trevor Nelson at BBC Radio 2 and a slot on Clive Anderson’s ‘Loose Ends’ on BBC Radio 4. Championed by Craig Charles & Tom Robinson on 6 Music and by BBC Radio 1’s Victoria Jane and BBC Radio 2’s Good Morning Sunday, Jazz FM also cite her as one of their most played artists, A listing her most recent singles alongside 'Heaven Knows' receiving 'Album of The Week' and singles 'Girl', 'More Than You Give Me', 'Heaven Knows' and 'Will I See You Again' all being featured as 'Track of The Week'. Mica will also be Guest Head of Music across Jazz FM on Friday 4th November taking over the Jazz FM playlist all day and presenting her own one hour show featuring music that has inspired her”.
Apologies for dumping in a lot of information about one album but, as part of this Revisiting… feature, I argue why you need to check out an album that was either underrated or under-exposed upon its release. In terms of radio airplay, Heaven Knows is an album that should be spun across all major stations! Hopefully, when everyone recognises Mica Millar’s phenomenal talent, they will give the album some more coverage. I would urge everyone go buy the album, as it is a hugely passionate, powerful and nuanced album. Such wonderful production (from Millar) with these songs that get into the heart and soul. Prior to finishing off with reviews, there are two interviews that will give some additional background and personal insight into the album and the creative process. Last June, Soul&Jazz&Funk spoke with Mica Millar about a somewhat fraught and difficult process to completion of a highly anticipated debut album:
“So, as your career was shaping up, we were all hit by Covid and you of, of course, suffered a horrendous back accident… are you prepared to tell us how you coped with that… what kept you going?
I had an accident in 2022 which resulted in me crushing one of my vertebrae and severely damaging my spinal cord. I was very nearly paralyzed so I’m incredibly lucky. It’s a long-term injury so it’s a lot to come to terms with but I’m definitely getting there.
Going through something so traumatic in the midst of recording the album was a real challenge but honestly, I just really didn’t want my injury to define me or impact what I had been working towards creatively. When Covid hit, it felt like one thing after another for me, I just thought, the universe is telling me to take some time out now. There were nine months where I was learning to walk so it wasn’t really feasible to work on the album, but I think that period of time did give me some perspective and when I was able to get back into my studio, I had a much clearer vision for how I’d finish the record.
Covid, in many ways, opened up a lot of opportunities for me to work with people I’d always wanted to work with in the US. Given everything was online at that time as we were in lockdown, recording remotely meant that could happen anywhere in the world. I’m glad I was able to take such a difficult situation and to make something really positive out of it.
Now you’re clearly in a better place and have three successful singles under your belt. How do you explain their success while your earlier ventures had less exposure?
I think you get out what you put in – this album has been three years in the making and I’ve spent a lot of time planning the release campaign with my team, filming music videos etc. With earlier releases I think I was testing the water really and with this I’ve really gone all out and the response has been incredible.
Your debut album is out this Friday, 10th June and the title track, ‘Heaven Knows’ has winning great reviews, why did you choose that as the title track?
For me, ‘Heaven Knows’ really sums up the themes across the album as well as my experience when creating it. The song is about moving between mindsets of belief and fear or self-doubt and trying to ground yourself in the knowing that everything is going to be OK – Heaven Knows or the Universe knows. The song explores themes of human nature, spirituality, oppression, love, empowerment and I think these all have duality or plurality in the way we experience them, and I love the duality of ‘Heaven Knows’ as a sentiment – it’s either an affirmation and a feeling of empowerment or an abandonment of control.
Yes, that one and the other two singles from the album all carry important messages… ‘Preacher Man’ dealt with escaping from capitalism in pursuit of what it truly means to be human; ‘Girl’ spoke of accepting and taking inspiration from the commonalities of our respective journeys through life and ‘Heaven Knows’ explores the complexities of faith and fate and the duality of moving between mindsets. Are there more “didactic songs” on the album and can we expect some cuts with less lyrical complexity – songs that deal with things like romance, relationships etc… the traditional fare of popular music for want of a better description?
There are a lot of topics I explore on the album but yes, there are songs about relationships, love and heartache. That said, I really didn’t want to write an album of ‘love songs’ (and I could have done – I have plenty of those written). I thought very hard about the track order and the plethora of messages that I wanted to communicate. There were definitely other contenders for ‘singles’ ahead of the album but I thought it was important not only to showcase the songs and me as an artist, but also to introduce the subject matter. The album is ultimately about being human and we are complex beings.
Did you write all the songs yourself and what about the producer and musicians on the album?
For this album, I wrote, arranged and produced it myself independently. I had an amazing mentor in the early stages of recording called Lewis Hopkins who engineered a significant proportion of the record in the first studio sessions which we did over five days at Middle Farm in Devon. For that session I worked with Miles James (Michael Kiwanuka, Tom Misch, Cloe Soul), Jonathan Tuitt, Marc Morrison and Arran Powell (members of Emile Sande’s live band) with Lewis and another engineer called Andy Thomas who also took the photograph that was used for the album’s sleeve artwork.
After that, it was Covid, and I started recording with people remotely. On ‘Preacher Man’ I played piano and programmed a lot of the instrumentation and John Ellis (Lilly Allen, Corinne Bailey Rae) recorded organ and Jerry Barnes (Whitney Houston, Chic) recorded the bass part.
I worked on the other tracks with musicians mostly from the US. ‘Will I See You Again’ has Bobby Sparks (Snarkey Puppy) on piano and Marcus Miller’s prodigy Brandon Rose on Bass. I worked remotely with bass player and engineer Vince Chiarito (Black Puma’s) at Hive Mind Studio’s in New York to record drums on ‘Girl’ and ‘Will I See You Again’ and he brought in some brilliant musicians to play keys and organ and also played bass on a number of the songs too. Ricky Peterson (former Prince organist) and David Z (Prince, Etta James producer/engineer) both worked on ‘Fool’s Fate’ with me. There’s been some amazing musicians who’ve contributed to the record and bringing together people from across the ages of Soul music has really made this album what it is in many ways”.
I shall get to the reviews. First, and in a fascinating interview with 15 Questions, there are a couple of points I wanted to reference from it. I know she released her debut album last year, but I am already fascinated and excited to see what Mica Millar releases next. Such is the depth and breadth of her writing and vocal talent, you know that she is going to have an extremely fertile, long and celebrated career:
“Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?
There is definitely no strict control in my writing process or the process when creating a demo - whatever flows out. At a point though, when the decision is made to turn a song or an idea into a finished piece of work, that’s a very dedicated and much more disciplined process.
I suppose that’s when you move from ‘artist’ or ‘songwriter’ to ‘producer’ and it’s a very different headspace, skill set and process.
Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?
Yes it definitely does.
When I started the production process for the album there were seventeen songs. Three of them didn’t make it on to the record. That wasn’t because the songs fundamentally weren’t as good as the others, in fact, I think two of them are up there alongside my favorite songs that did make the cut. But at a certain point, I came to the conclusion that I had taken those songs in the wrong direction and they weren’t going to be realised in the way I wanted for this particular album.
With certain songs on the album, ideas were tried out and changed along the way, but once you’ve taken something so far in one direction, sometimes it’s a case of saying ‘that’s not fundamentally right’ and you need to scrap it and start again. So there were three songs where that happened. One I think just wasn’t quite good enough to start with and the other two will be on my second album now I have a clearer idea of what I want the finished versions to sound like.
There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?
Definitely, I think I discovered spirituality through music primarily. The creative state is for me about connecting with your inner self in a very deep and truthful way - it’s getting into a meditation or flow state.
After that, I think for me it has been about realising your own potential as well as the potential of a song. Creating something that other people connect and relate to that came from inside your mind is a very special, and I think quite spiritual, experience in itself”.
The first of two reviews that I want to highlight is, again, from Soul&Jazz&Funk. Big supporters of Mica Millar’s work, they were full of praise when it came to the divine and astonishing Heaven Knows. It is an album that I definitely feel needs some fresh ears and plays in 2023:
“Manchester soulstress MICA MILLAR has been on the scene since 2017 when she released her first single, ‘My Lover’. Since then, of course, an awful lot has happened and in Mica’s case the creative problems that the pandemic and lockdowns caused were compounded by an horrendous accident in 2020 that left her with a broken back. Mica narrowly escaped being paralysed from the waist down. Instead of giving up, though, Mica pushed on through the challenges, taking on rigorous rehabilitation, determined to carry on making her own brand of contemporary soul.
That grit has paid real dividends as Ms M’s three singles this year have won critical acclaim and support from the soul cognoscenti. First there was the moody ‘Preacher Man’ which dealt with escaping from capitalism in pursuit of what it truly means to be human . That was followed by the catchy ‘Girl’ which spoke of taking inspiration from the commonalities of our respective journeys through life. Then there was the lovely 60s retro groove of ‘Heaven Knows’ – a song with a deep meaning , exploring things like faith and fate.
Mica has chosen ‘Heaven Knows’ as the title for her debut album, which is released today, June 10th and those three singles, despite their familiarity still offer sonic vibrancy and food for thought. Indeed throughout the set Mica’s songs deliver plenty more powerful messages. The moody ‘Trouble’ for instance, deals with resilience and facing your fears while the shifting ‘No Money, Nor Faith (Freedom)’ is a protest anthem about inequality, capitalism, oppression and human exploitation.
The album, though, isn’t all preaching. Mica offers plenty of music that deals with what we could call the normal fare of popular music – romance and relationships, though our girl puts her own spin on it! Take the inventively produced ‘Flashlight’. Mica calls this her “movie depiction of romance” – a sonic sketch of what it would feel like if being in love. ‘Will I See You Again’ is a moody “loss” ballad with a Southern soul flavour while the harmonic ‘Down River’ seems to hark back to the torch song era – another inventive production.
Sonically the cuckoo in the nest is the aforementioned ‘My Lover’. You’ll remember this was Mica’s debut single and it’s a song close to her heart so it was a no- brainer for her to include it on the LP. Here the remastering enhances the song’s plaintive beauty – simple piano accompaniment and that soulfully, emotive voice.
And it’s that voice that’s the star of the show. Whether the songs are delivering a socio/political message or exploring that most elusive of emotions and all that it brings in its wake, it’s the beauty of the soundscape that will blow you away. If you really care about proper, contemporary soul music, you need to investigate. Little wonder that more than a few soul tastemakers are already talking about Mica Millar’s ‘Heaven Knows’ as Brit soul album of the year! Find out more by accessing our interview with Mica in our interview archive.
(BB) 5/5”.
I will end with a review from The Music Is My Radar. They expended real depth and examination when it came to Heaven Knows. A thoroughly deserved applause and salute of the magnificent Millar. It is a stunning body of work from one of this country’s premier and most accomplished artists:
“I’ve got nothing but praise for this dazzling debut, comprising of 14 tracks the impeccable Heaven Knows was a slice of soulful bliss. Featured you had title track Heaven Knows, Girl and Preacher Man, all of which were exceptional gems. Also you had the 2017 debut single My Lover added in for good measure. Kicking off proceedings you had Girl and this was an uplifting tune which Mica released on International Womens Day. Basically Millar’s tantalising tones sent shivers down my spine, the lyrics resulted in an empowering anthem whist the whole soulful delivery resonated a Motown vibe. Following on it was gospel tinged Preacher Man and this being Mica’s first single of 2022. This being a sleek/ upbeat jam which left me utterly transfixed, everything about it was simply spot on, Millar’s powerhouse vocals oozed a smokiness, you had a toe tapping melody whilst those whimsical words were well and truly captivating. More Than You Give Me literally knocked me for six, it was literally sheer perfection that’s been sublimely crafted. This was a fresh and funky delight which enchanted me on the very first listen. More Than You Give Me was jazz meets soul which worked wonders, that marvelous meody was rather upbeat, Millar’s powerful tones were sumptuously sweet whilst those groovy lyrics resulted in an addictive anthem. Title track Heaven Knows was a gospel tinged ballad which resulted in something that was pleasent on my ear. Mica’s tasty tones packed a punch, the majestic melody was rather sleek whilst the lyrical content was beautifully uplifting. Everything about Flashlights was spot on, those sultry soulful vocals were buttery smooth, that gorgeous melody was a majestic slice of sheer perfection whilst those whimsical words were so heart warming.
Trouble was different when compared to the opening 5 tracks, for starters it was a mixture of soul meets jazz accompanied by an edgy toe tapping melody. Mica’s vibrant vocals were a force of nature whist the lyrical content oozed plenty of attitude. Here Millar sang about how you should embrace your fate/ face your fears because you don’t know when trouble will come knocking at your door. Fool’s Fate was a personal favourite of mine and this being the fact it’s a slick lounge version which created something rather mesmeric. Just listening to this tempting treat always brings goosebumps to the skin. Millar’s tantalising tones screamed out soul whilst you also had dashes of jazz added into the mix. Will I Ever See You Again was an emotive ballad which oozed plenty of blues vibes. Mica Millar delivered this with plenty of gusto and you can feel the emotion within the vocal delivery. The compelling content focused on saying good bye to a loved one and wondering whether you will ever see them again. The space apart then makes you realise how you feel for that person. When I close my eyes I picture someone going to fight in a war which then has the other half thinking if he’ll return to her. No Money, Nor Faith (Freedom) was an anthem in the making which hit me like a ton of bricks when I heard this for the very first time. Mica’s dazzling delivery was a force to be reckoned with whist the content resulted in a call to arms. Stay was a stripped back ballad which resulted in something rather hypnotic.
Millar’s tones were richly crisp and at the same time you could pick up on the emotion oozing from the lyrics. Down River was drenched in plenty of jazz goodness which captivated me from beginning to end. Mica Millar powered through this number at ease and the thought of witnessing this at the Jazz Cafe this September sends chills down the spine. Next up was the first single from Mica Millar and this being My Lover. Listening to this never fails to stun me, My Lover was a piano led soulful ballad, Milar’s powerhouse vocals were heavenly whilst those lyrics were rather hypnotic. Nothing’s For Keeps was yet another stripped back ballad which Mica delivered with bundles of emotion. Heaven Knows then concluded with Give View My Prayer and this being blues rock which resulted in something rather edgy.
All in all this was a confident debut which left me with the urge to hear more. Mica’s heavenly vocal tones were a distinctive delight which left me compelled from beginning to the very end. Each tune featured was a well written piece of perfection and if you are a fan of the soulful genre then Heaven Knows is right up your street. Actually when I was listening to More Than You Give Me, the first song that sprung to my mind was Jocelyn Brown’s Somebody Else’s Guy. Anyhow if was to sum up this amazing album in one word it would have to be magical”.
The next date on the tour for Mica Millar is the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on 27th April. She plays the Wigan International Jazz Festival on 15th July. In between, she plays everywhere from Edinburgh’s Summer Hall to the Love Supreme Festival. Two big dates at London’s Jazz Café on 5th and 6th May are where she will get some capital appreciation. I was due to see her on 5th (which is sold out) but do go and see her if she is playing near you. Take it from me. You will be full of regret…
IF you miss out!