Because I love traditional country music so much, Alex Miller, a 22-year-old 6’ 6” entertainer from rural Lancaster, Kentucky, knows his music is right up my alley. If you only heard him, you would swear Alex Miller is at least 45.
Miller grew up on a farm in rural Kentucky. His great-grandfather was a heralded old-time fiddle player, and his great-grandmother was a banjo player.
“Then it skipped two generations, and it all landed in my lap. My talent comes from the good Lord,” he shared.
Miller was given a guitar at age seven and has been playing/performing ever since. But he really took it seriously at 16, when the FFA (Future Farmers of America) held a talent contest, and he got to be part of their national event at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where he placed in the top 15 nationwide.
The next year, his mother signed him up for American Idol. He made it to Hollywood, and though he didn’t quite make the top 24, the experience gave Miller the confidence he needed to pursue a music career.
“There’s a part of me that wishes I had built my music from the ground up, but I’m sure that would have been a hard row to hoe,” Miller shared.
In 2021, the country singer put out his debut album, Miller Time. While the whole album is commendable, it includes two smash hits: his original song, “I’m Over You So Get Over Me,” which he used to audition for American Idol, and the country rocker “When God Made the South.” He released the EP Country in 2023 and My Daddy’s Dad in 2024.
On Friday, April 10, American Idol Season 19 contestant Alex Miller released his sophomore album, More Country Than You. Out of the ten songs on the record, Miller co-wrote six of them.
Several songs were released before the record came out including his fan-favorite, rambunctious cover of Daryle Singletary’s “Too Much Fun, ” a smash duet with Emily Ann Roberts, “More Country Than You,” which is the title track, and my new favorite, “The Byrd,” a rowdy song about giving someone who doesn’t already know about him, the Byrd.
Tracy Byrd joins Miller on the cheeky song, which says, “You can thank me later for giving you the Byrd.”
Now, with his sophomore album, More Country Than You, produced by the renowned Jerry Salley, Miller shows a bit more maturity as he tackles more serious subject matters. Songs like the old, but previously unreleased, “As Far As His Mem’ry Lets Her Go,” “Just A Mom,” and “Why Does My Heart Ache” show a softer side to the country crooner.
But he remembers his rowdy self with the fiddle-and-steel-guitar showstoppers like “Secondhand Smoke” and “Memories and Gin,” two songs that cement Miller’s love of twang.
Another fun track from the record is “Money Well Wasted,” a humorous tune that ups the tempo with the steel-heavy take on one man’s version of retail therapy.
Miller said of the song, “After she leaves, the man is having a meltdown, and he is doing what the ladies often do, which is go out and have a good time, regardless of the cost of it.”
The song emphatically states, “I’m way past broke, but it’s money well wasted.”
I love that instead of dwelling in heartbreak, the guy is doing his best to get over it.
“The guys deserve it as much as the ladies do,” Miller quipped.
The record concludes with a tribute to the beloved country music that has made him the man he is today. “The Ones That Take Me Home” is the perfect autobiographical conclusion to Miller’s sophomore album, More Country Than You.
If you love country music half as much as I do, this is the record for you. Be sure to catch Miller on tour in a town near you.
You can follow Alex Miller on his website, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and all streaming platforms.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and TikTok.
More Country Than You Track List
1. Too Much Fun (Jeff Knight, Curtis Wright)
2. More Country Than You (Alex Miller, Emily Ann Roberts, Bill Whyte)
3. As Far As His Mem’ry Lets Her Go (Doodle Owens, Jerry Salley)
4. Just A Mom (Wood Newton, Steve Williams)5.The Byrd (Alex Miller, Jerry Salley)
6. Why Does My Heart Ache (Alex Miller, Jerry Salley)
7. Money Well Wasted (Robert Arthur, Alex Miller, Conner Sweet)
8. Secondhand Smoke (Alan Jackson, Jim McBride)
9. Memories And Gin (Alex Miller, Bill Whyte)
10. The Ones That Take Me Home (Mark BonDurant, Alex Miller, Jerry Salley
Bethany Writes 
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