Local music scene stalwart Scottie Miller has been around long enough to acquire a funky nickname (Bones), membership in the Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame, experience touring with blues icon Bo Diddley, a signature style that warps far to the south of his home tundra, and an international rep. He’s first and foremost a pianist, with a grease-and-grits-slathered approach that suggests an affinity for New Orleans, Memphis, and swampy spots in between, but he also cranks up organ, guitar, and, lately, mandolin. His muscular vocals boast grit and firewater, and he really howls on the riveting dark-hued title track from SMB’s new album, STAY ABOVE WATER, whose release will be celebrated here. It’s packed with solid Miller originals grounded in blues and rock, but with soul, R&asmp;B, country, and jazz elements, suggesting Little Feat, Mofro, Wet Willie, and Dr. John, and with a funky NOLA/Caribbean vibe thrown into “It’s What You Do.”

- Rick Mason - City Pages. Minneapolis, MN