Miles Zuniga
These Ghosts Have Bones
Reviewed by Austin Powell, Fri., Oct. 28, 2011
Miles Zuniga
These Ghosts Have BonesMiles Zuniga likens this solo debut to therapy, a concentrated rebound from the fallout of divorce and the distance it's created with his son. Make that group therapy, since the Fastball guitarist gets strong backing from Bruce Hughes of the Resentments and Band of Heathens' John Chipman, along with an ace assist from jazz chanteuse Kat Edmonson on the playful waltz "The Weatherman." These Ghosts Have Bones is a sincere if cynical work, as sharp in pop concision as Fastball (the jagged power pop of "Rock Paper Scissors"). Like Wilco's The Whole Love, Zuniga channels the Beatles' colorful melancholy to sublime effect in opener "Marfa Moonlight" and Abbey Road-like roundabout "Wicked," not to mention the bittersweet soul of "Feel It in Your Kiss." The tail end falls off ("Working on a Love Song," "Junkie Hands"), but in psychological terms, These Ghosts Have Bones represents a breakthrough. (Miles Zuniga opens for John Oates at the One World Theatre, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 7pm.)
