Rhett Miller - Believer (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

I believe in "The Believer"

Sarah | Soddy- Daisy, TN | 02/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rhett Miller's second solo outing is a brave one. This disc is unlike anything he has ever done before. The lush arrangements on the album might turn a few Old 97's fans off, but the Miller's lyrics continue to impress. The strongest tracks on the album for me are "Brand New Way", "Meteor Shower", "The Believer" and "My Valentine". I'm always impressed with Miller's ability to capture human emotions in his songs, the strogest example on this disc being the title track. In part written for late great singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, this song is the most venerable track on the album. There are a few tracks that Old 97's fans might recognize, "Fireflies", "Singular Girl", and a new arrangement of the female fan favorite "Question". While some fans of the Old 97's might brush these songs off as a rehashing of old material, I think the new arrangments give new life to the songs. "Fireflies", featuring Rachel Yamagata, is hauntingly beautiful, and is in the running for the twangiest song on the album. There are, of course, songs about love, the most straightforward being, "I'm With Her", pop melody at its finest. "Ain't That Strange" conjures up glam-rock and is sure to make the concert audience nod and bob thier heads. Overall, I this this album is very good, and won't be leaving my CD player for a very long time, and I hope it gets some time in yours too.

"

Rhett Miller - The Believer

T. Snyder | AZ | 04/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've never figured out why Rhett and his band, the Old 97's, are relatively unknowns. I am not sure what the label is trying to do with his solo career (go the Rob Thomas route?), because Rhett is way more talented of a musician/ songwriter. I would hate to see him completely sell out and go soft...

That said, Rhett Miller (Old 97's) makes catchy, upbeat Americana-rock songs. And he's been doing it for quite awhile now. Luckily, "The Believer" continues the trend.

The songs are mostly acoustic-guitar driven, upbeat, happy songs with catchy choruses. You'll be singing the choruses before the songs are finished.

I would recommend this to fans of the Jayhawks, Son Volt/Wilco, Jack Johnson, Pete Yorn, Ryan Adams, Ray Lamontagne, Fountains of Wayne, etc. Recommended!"

Near perfect

G. Vickers | Canada | 04/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"do NOT believe the naysayers below who are saying the record is ho-hum or needs to grow on you -- this album is a classic from first listen!

rhett miller explores his more Pop side with his solo work, sanding down some of the rough edges often left so gloriously intact with his other band and bringing the melodic end of things up to a sparkly shine. but don't let that make you think miller has gone solo-and-soft ... there's plenty of upbeat rockers on the album, reminding you that yes this is a solo record from the man behind the old 97's.

like a young ryan adams, miller is a man who's songrwriting cannot seem to escape being memorable and catchy. much of the album offers a variety of stylings for miller to hang his songs on, from lonesome balladeering to electric altcountry to jangly powerpop. he does it all with able talent and aplomb, seemingly simple and breezy but with a real knack for bringing a passion and honesty to his work that is often missing in pop.

this album hasn't left my stereo since i got it."

Uh Rhett, this line about Teeth of the Hydra has to go...

S. Scribner | St. Louis, MO USA | 02/27/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The fact that Miller's solo renditioning of his band The Old 97's song "Singular Girl" leaves out the line "you've got the teeth of the Hydra upon you" is endemic of the rest of the album. I can just see some music exec telling Rhett that line is too weird and not commercial enough. So out it goes, and the song now sounds like a tepid and unconvincing version of the original. Compared to the amazing but apparently not successful enough "Instigator" solo album, "The Believer" sounds overly produced and much less distinctive. The numerous photos of Rhett giving the listener soulful glances indicate that they were trying to position him as the next teenage heartthrob. Sure he's cute, but why not let his singing and songwriting speak for themselves? And what's the deal with the unnecessary string arrangements on almost every song? There are some good songs on this CD but overall it's far inferior to The Instigator and Rhett's work with the Old 97s. I liked you better as an Instigator, Rhett - but I'm not a Believer in this latest incarnation."

A Review for Old 97's Fans

Kally Roberts | Philadelphia, PA USA | 04/11/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you're an Old 97's fan, and expect that genre of music... yea, you'll be disappointed. However, if you've followed the evolution of Rhett Miller's solo work, I think you'll be quite pleased. This is one of those records that has different songs on it -- they don't all sound alike -- thank god, because I hate that! The lyrics don't have that biting sarcasm or jaded cleverness that we've grown to love from Old 97's, but they offer a completely different feel. This record is mainstream. "My Valentine" is annoyingly catchy -- it stays in your head all day, despite it's silly lyrics... and you can dance to it. "Fireflies" is a tear-jerking ballad with Rachael Yamagata. You'll hear the familiar (Old 97's) passion in Rhett's voice on this track. There are two remakes of Old 97's tunes, one of which is "Question." I think the producer totally goofed this one up. OK, we all know what the "question" is, but I think I even heard wedding bells in the middle of the song... tres fromage... the original is a million times better. There are 2 songs that I skip, but I have listened to the CD almost every day since I got it. All in all, a great CD :-)"

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