Customer Reviews

The Believer

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

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 :-)

I'm a little perplexed by the way some critics of this album are taking Miller to task for having strayed from the cow punk of the Old 97's. My sense is that this deviation is precisely the point of both "The Believer" in particular and Miller's solo career in general. What the critics don't seem to understand is that there are two Rhett Millers: the sweaty Texan who breaks guitar strings when he sings about booze, cars, and heartache, and the wannabe British mod rocker wearing burgundy velvet. Although I too am a dedicated Old 97's' fan, I think that the immensely talented Miller has a right to root around the two separate genres, and that he has achieved remarkable artistic success in both. (Like many fans, I'm baffled as to why superstardom has eluded him and the Old 97's. At the same time, I'm selfishly grateful.) I'm not ordinarily a fan of pop music, but I like this album a lot - it has heart and soul, and it is continuing evidence of Miller's tremendous skill at writing lyrics and catchy melodies. Critics should feel free to take Miller to task if they believe he has failed at intelligent pop, but they're way off base when their sole objection is that the Texas boy sounds like he left Dallas. So long as he also continues to play with the Old 97's, what do they really have to complain about?

I got turned onto Rhett Miller from Paste magazine. Included a disc featuring a song from this album. I bought "Instigator" first and it took a few listens, but it grew on me with many great songs on it. Bought "Believer" and feel it's equally as great if not better with some more upbeat music jangles. Still shares the same haunting lyrics about love, life and the feelings once expressed and so on. Really great CD and unlike Instigator, I found myself listening to Believer and singing out loud.

Old 97's frontman is back at it again with his new album "The Believer." Fans of his smart lyrics and catchy tunes will not be disappointed. While the whole album is not as good top to bottom as "The Instigator," this album has a track that stands above all his other solo work- "Fireflies" with Rachel Yamagata. Album is filled out with a couple of tracks previously available on Old 97's albums- "Question" and "Singular Girl" Both are good tracks but are not different enough from the original versions to warrant inclusion here.

Four years after his solo debut, it's still hard to reconcile the image of the new Rhett Miller - romantically velvet-suited and chilling with his guitar - with the cowboy-shirted Rhett Miller of Old 97's, the alt-country band he rode up to the doorstep of commercial success. But Miller is blessed with a versatile voice and a talent for understated, elegant songwriting, whether on power-pop rockers like The Believer's hooky opener, "My Valentine," or poignant story songs like the duet "Fireflies" (on which he out-charms the sultry Rachael Yamagata). He can turn a phrase - "I cannot make light/I'm so burned out," he sings in "Meteor Shower" - and he gives the Jon Brion/Aimee Mann-penned "I Believe She's Lying," just the right bite. But the standout is the title track, his tribute to his friend Elliott Smith. Until the repeated "You won't be around anymore" at the end, it's unclear who, in this world-weary tune, has found life a big disappointment. The song is graceful, sad, lushly melodic. Just like the rest of the disc.

i agree completely with m. olsen...what is the problem some people are having with this album? it IS better than nearly everything else coming out these days...and any real music fan would know the energy level is just different when an artist is either feeding off the audiences' energy...or being directed by the producer...go see him live and judge again...i'm sure you'll wind up putting in the disc and not want to take it out.

Not being an Old 97's fan, I really had no frame of reference for this one. Heard a cut on my local NPR station (90.5 The Night for anyone in Central NJ looking for something other than the standard fare.) and was intrigued. Sophisticated melodies, quality lyrics, ("Talking to you girl, is like long division."), and a singer who was not afraid of clear, concise phrasing? I had to check this out. I was not disappointed. This is a fine example of intelligent and well-crafted music. Bouncing around from traditional pop to alt country, each song works, and is a pleasure to listen to. It's been a long time since I wished a CD would be longer; this one just flew by and I find I just don't get tired of it. That's the best praise I can come up with.