For the lead singer of an alt-country band from Texas, Rhett Miller always seemed a little, well, British. His teeth are fine (the ones that aren’t gold), but somewhere between his precious lyrics and girlish good looks one gets the impression that maybe it’s only the ballsy twang of his guitar that keeps his band, the Old 97s, invigorating instead of irritating.
That theory is put to the test on The Believer, Miller’s second solo effort. He’s normally a lead guitarist, but here Miller doesn’t pluck a single note. The songwriting is as good as always, but the pop production doesn’t quite cut the sweetness of Miller’s vocals the way his own furious strumming used to (especially in the hopelessly hopeful lead single, “Help Me Suzanne.”) The notable exceptions are the fiery opener “My Valentine,” where he offers that “sex in wartime is sweeter than peace” and “Brand New Way,” which exploits Jon Brion on strings, making a case for Miller’s insistence on solo projects.
Ultimately, Miller trades in his guitar sound at too great a price: The album is listenable all the way through (unlike 2002’s frontloaded The Instigator) but is never as rousing as it should be. He might be wise to dust off his guitar before he becomes known as the softest fingered rocker ever to hail from the Lone Star State.
