Rhett Miller - "The Believer" (Verve Forecast)

BUY THIS CD: The Believer

Long time WXPN favorite RHETT MILLER is back with his second solo album, The Believer and - like his first solo album The Instigator - it's a tasty piece of pop music. Miller is actually the thinking-man's (and woman's) pop songwriter. This new album takes on some very challenging subjects (suicide, for one) without being heavy-handed, and it's always presented in a smart and catchy manner.

Produced marvelously by GEORGE DRAKOULIAS (TOM PETTY, THE BLACK CROWES and many, many others), The Believer is also a very romantic record. Milller has the knack of writing love songs that we can all relate to; the subjects and subject matters always seem to strike a chord and seem instantly familiar. That's a very tricky thing for a songwriter to accomplish, and something ALL songwriters aspire to achieve, but Miller seems to fall out of bed writing these types of memorable ditties.

Even more interesting is the musical influences that seem to be creeping in - DAVID BOWIE, T. REX, etc. - and that seems like a very cool avenue for him to explore. The new record is crunchy, catchy, and undoubtably rocks. Still young (he's 32), now with a two-year old son and his always fasciniating world view intact, the question is: why isn't this guy huge yet? Maybe after people get a listen to The Instigator, he will be. In the meantime, enjoy this album. It's another thoughtful, well-produced piece of ear candy.

Written by Dan Reed

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