Rhett Miller: Believe It Or Not

The Believer
Rhett Miller
(Verve Forecast)

Shortly after the release of his first widely distributed solo disc, "The Instigator," in 2002, Old 97's frontman Rhett Miller was characterized as a "ruffled-purple-shirt-wearing pretty boy" on the letters page of No Depression (Nov.-Dec. 2002) by a reader who obviously felt betrayed by Miller's decision to flaunt his pop sensibility.

Miller's new solo release, "The Believer," brings good news and bad news for this hardcore fan/knuckle-dragger. First, the good news: He can save money this time. It's because of the bad news: Miller's still making his own music, his own way.

This, of course, is only bad news if you wish to see Miller make solo albums that sound exactly like the Old 97's. If you're interested in hearing a songwriter flex his muscles and explore less-familiar avenues, you're in luck. Miller's obviously interested in the latter, and one can only hope that the Esquire-inspired cover shot of the singer in a purple shirt (sans ruffles) is a subtle, sartorial "F-you" to the close-minded superfan. (Just one more thing: How is it that a guy gets to be a such a huge Old 97's fan apparently without owning the band's pop-flavored "Satellite Rides"?)

For all of the power-pop moments on "Satellite Rides," "The Insitgator" was a step further in that direction. "The Believer" takes it a step further still, with tunes polished to an even more brilliant luster.

Part of the high-gloss finish comes courtesy of producer George Drakoulias (Tom Petty, Jayhawks, Tift Merritt), who digs deeply into the toolbox that made The Album an art form: layered guitars, layered vocals, strings and lots of electric 12-string guitar fills. There's also a sterling cast of musicians, which includes the Jayhawks' Gary Louris on backing vocals and guitar, Lyle Workman on guitar, Matt Chamberlain on drums and multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion, who produced "The Instigator," on guitar, bass, strings, piano and organ. Collectively, they made a beautiful-sounding album about falling in and out of love.

Another guest, the smoky-voiced Rachel Yamagata, provides one of the disc's highlights when she duets with Miller on the broken-hearted ballad "Fireflies."

The title track, which Miller has said is a tribute to the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, is somberly beautiful and manages to honor him without being mawkish, a feat more difficult than it sounds.

"The Instigator" seemed to have more tracks that grabbed you on the first listen than does "The Believer," but the latter disc still has hooks to spare on its up-tempo rockers. The leadoff track, "My Valentine," should inspire a sing-along by the second time the catchy line "Make up your ma ma my valentine, you say you love me yet you treat me unkindly" comes around. "I'm With Her" has a similar '60s pop sensibility with its "sha la la las." "Ain't That Strange" tears a page out of the '70s glam/T-Rex songbook and Drakoulias earns an extra credit in the liner notes for his "shit-hot guitar" solo.

On his own or playing with his friends in Old 97's, Miller is undeniably a craftsman. As a solo act, he just chooses to build more ornate structures. Strings are used on nine of the 12 tracks on "The Believer," which I suppose in a way makes Miller a sort of poor man's Elvis Costello. That's not a bad comparison for a songwriter, but there's no question that it's one that could alienate Miller's fans in the Americana police.

The detractors might have a point when it comes to the lyrics, though. They're still good, but at times its easy to get the feeling that more time was spent on the sounds than the words. The songs just seem a tad less literate than what Miller's known for. "Our Love," from "The Instigator," is as tasty a slice of power pop you'll hear this side of Matthew Sweet but it still managed to name-drop Richard Wagner and Kafka. Whether or not it was intended as a reference to John Coltrane, Miller squeezes the phrase "a love supreme" into "Ain't That Strange." But it feels forced. And while we're on the topic of lyrics, what's the deal with dropping the line "You got the teeth of the hydra upon you" from the Old 97's "Singular Girl"?

Despite going even further his own way this time around, Miller still hedges his bets a bit by including two Old 97's tracks, both from "Satellite Rides": "Singular Girl" (which appeared on the "Satellite" live bonus disc) and a version of "Question" augmented by strings.

The Old 97's versions of both songs are superior, but Miller gets credit for taking chances even while covering his own material. "The Believer" won't be every fan's cup of tea, but they all should respect Miller for chasing his muse, purple shirt and all.