Rhett Miller is best known for fronting the power pop/alt.country group Old 97s. But in contrast to his work with that veteran band which regularly raises a musical ruckus, Miller’s solo outings are usually far more introspective affairs. For instance, the title track of this, his second release, was inspired by Elliott Smith’s tragic suicide. Miller wrote this song the very day Smith died, and when he repeats the refrain, “You won’t be around anymore� toward the end of the tune, it flies out of the speakers like a dagger-shaped reminder to the heart. Miller can be heard undertaking multiple inward examinations here, yet The Believer is not a completely introspective work. There are some out-and-out rockers, too. One such speaker-shaker is “Ain’t That Strange,� which finds Miller complaining, “I’ve had it up to here with nothing.� Another noisy number called “Delicate� doesn’t sonically match the fragility suggested by its song title at all. Nevertheless, the girl he describes throughout is obviously one of the fairest among the fairer sex. “I was in love with you/But you were delicate.� Despite the evangelistic overtones of this CD’s title, it is by no means a religious exercise. Instead, this solid work will likely strengthen your faith in the power of music to move people emotionally.
(Date of release February 28, 2003)
