New releases: Feb. 28, 2006

Two words: Rhett Miller.

Sorry guys, but this is about to get kind of girly.

Not only is he gracing us with his second solo CD next week, sure to be packed with musical goodness, but he's also throwing in the extra bonus of having a totally hot photo on the cover. Kind of reminiscent of the favor Mr. Chris Isaak did us with the packaging of "Speak of the Devil." Ladies, listen up: Rhett Miller is beautiful from the very first glance, yes, yes. But what you really have to look at is his hair.

My God, his hair.

It dances. It sparkles. It moves the soul. Rhett can (and does) move his head manically when he's rocking out, his beautiful mane filling the universe like light from a thousand stars, but it always falls gently back into place. Not with an Aquanet stiffness, but with the grace of angel's wings. With a springiness and resilience that can only be a work of divinity. You have to see him live and witness this. Truly, it's amazing. My own husband, as well as Hickory Wind's own Sean Moores, have seen it, and they'll tell you: They wish they knew how to quit Rhett's hair. But they don't. It cannot be quit. Quitted. Whatever.

Oh, the music. Rhett's not just a piece of meat, you know. Geez, people. "The Instigator," Rhett's first wide-release solo venture, was pure pop pleasure. Everything you dig about the Old 97s, but pushed a little more into pop than Murry, Ken and Philip like to go. Not that there's anything wrong with that. The album is fun, sure -- it's got a beat and you can dance to it -- but it also packs intelligent lyrics, meaty subjects, and emotion that's real, not put on or pushed over the top.

Word on the street is "The Believer" is poised to deliver the goods again. And by "word on the street," I mean "according to my buddy and fellow Rhett obsessor Karen, who saw him live a a couple o' months ago and had this to say":

What will Rhett's new solo album sound like? Well, I'd say it'll sound a lot like an Old 97's album. One of the tracks is "Singular Girl," which is on the Satellite Rides bonus disc but, according to Rhett, "has been bumped off two albums because someone (Ken) didn't like it." There's another song (I'm unsure of the title) that he also rescued off the Old 97's scrap heap (his words, not mine), and the last track is a souped-up version of "Question." He's also recorded a French version of the song, and at the show he sang the first verse and one chorus en francais. Ah, Rhett -- dreamy AND multilingual.

I'm getting the vapors just thinking of Rhett singing in French. With that hair. Oh my.

The new releases for Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006:
Rhett Miller -- The Believer (Verve)
Hank III -- Straight to Hell (Curb)
I was amused to see he (or, probably more accurately, his record company) is also releasing a "clean" version of this disc. Judging from what I know of III, and from Sean's review of this disc, I'm guessing what you get on the clean version is one big long bleeeeeeep.
Alecia Nugent -- Little Girl ... A Big Four-Lane (Rounder)
With appearances by some no-name nobodies like Alison Krauss, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Doyle Lawson and Cia Cherryholmes.
Jessi Colter -- Out of the Ashes (Shout! Factory)
Wife of the late Waylon Jennings, this CD features an unreleased duet with Waylon and an appearance and co-writing credit from son Shooter Jennings.
Bruce Springsteen -- Hammersmith Odeon, Live '75 (Sony)
James Hand -- The Truth Will Set You Free (Rounder)