Her set included both holiday songs and original music. She opened on a sassy note with “Flatline” and slowed down the tempo on the honey-rich “Somethin’ Right About a Wrong Turn.” “We’ve got country music fans tonight or what? Country music is alive in New York,” she said.
She went on to cover Carrie Underwood’s “Smoke Break.” “You sound good out there,” she told the audience, prior to noting that she was born and raised on Long Island, though she goes back and forth to Nashville. “It has been a wild and incredible year,” she acknowledged.
Miller was emotional while introducing the ballad “Memories,” and then wished everybody “Happy Holidays.” She appropriately segued into a cover of “Last Christmas” and a tune that she wrote, “Strangers in This Bar.”
She was able to rock out Alanis Morissette’s power-ballad “Ironic” before complimenting her five-piece band. Her guitar player Luke Denison dueted with her on “You and Tequila” and she immediately broke into “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” where she was accompanied solely on guitar by Denison.
After lengthy instrumental jams, she paid homage to the late but great Whitney Houston with “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and continued with “What You Can’t Have.” She picked up the pace with the uplifting Kelsea Ballerini tune “Dibs.” “Are you excited for ZBTB?” she asked, and the fans went nuts. She praised ZBTB for being “so great.”
She encouraged the audience to keep their voices during “Before He Cheats,” and they obliged. “Thank you so much for being here,” she said, prior to listing Carrie Underwood as a musical influence, as well as Faith Hill. “My mom had all of her CDs,” she said, prior to serenading the crowd to Faith Hill’s holiday song “Where Are You Christmas?”
After her original song, “Remember Love,” she followed her band’s suggestion and covered Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which was well-received, and she closed with “Summer Time.”
The Verdict
Overall, Carolyn Miller was sensational at Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall on Long Island, where she warmed up the stage for the ZBTB. At this show, she was able to put her Long Island fans in the holiday spirit. With Miller, Long Island has found its new LeAnn Rimes. She is worth seeing in concert as she can tackle cover songs and original music with ease and soul. Her live set garnered an A rating. Well done.
For more information on Carolyn Miller, check out her official website and Facebook page.
