Rhett Miller
Instigator
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It shouldn’t come as a big surprise to anybody who’s been paying attention that Old 97’s frontman Rhett Miller is trying his hand at a solo album. Songs like “Designs on You” and particularly the solo acoustic “Question” on last year’s Satellite Rides showed Miller could definitely hack it in singer-songwriter mode. It also shouldn’t come as a surprise that a lot of the Old 97’s endearing, ramshackle alt-country rough edges have been excised for Miller’s solo debut (not counting a pre-97’s effort released while Miller was still in high school). What may surprise some though is that several of these songs could almost be Old 97’s tunes. And many of them rank among the best of Miller’s career.

Miller accompanies himself mostly on acoustic guitar and Producer/Multi-Instrumentalist Jon Brion (Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple) brings his impeccable talents to the proceedings. But there aren’t a lot of bells and whistles here. No drum programming or hip hop samples or synthesizers. This is a pretty basic pop-rock record with guitar, bass, drums and Miller’s wide-eyed wise guy vocals. Brion can be heard most distinctly leading a chorus of backing vocals on “Terrible Vision.” Simple percussion and acoustic guitar are the only accompaniment there.

The opening “Our Love” is one track that has a bit of an Old 97’s gallop to it although Brion’s guitar hook is more straightforward than Ken Bethea’s usual work with the 97’s. “The El” resembles a chugging train engine and will probably sound great if Miller decides to include it in the 97’s live show. This version is led by David Garza’s distorto guitar and Dan McCarroll’s galloping beat. Miller sings about falling in and out of love on Chicago’s mass transit system and is joined by John Doe on backing vocals. By the way that’s Robyn Hitchcock repeating “or not to be” in the background and adding some guitar licks on “Point Shirley.” “Four-Eyed Girl” could have been a 97’s song as well although it’s given a somewhat different feel by Garza’s background vocals.

Miller seeks out the literary crowd on several songs. The aforementioned “Our Love” turns out to be a comparison of the love letters of Franz Kafka and Richard Wagner to their respective lovers. And on “World Inside the World” he namedrops Underworld author Don DeLillo. “There is a world inside the world that you see / I read it in DeLillo like they’d written it to me,” he sings. “And if love is all we’re made of / Then what am I afraid of / Just cause freedom rings, it doesn’t mean we’re free.” Brion’s slightly cheesy sounding, 70’s vintage Talentmaker organ colors the musical backing.

The specter of September 11 haunts a couple of tracks on The Instigator. Miller and his then girlfriend (now wife) were residents of lower Manhattan and had to flee their apartment on that fateful day. On the uplifting rocker “I Want to Live” Miller sings “I want to see tomorrow yeah / So I can see you tomorrow yeah.” And on “Your Nervous Heart” he sings: “Maybe you went running as the sky just sort of fell.” Unfortunately the latter song is the record’s only real dud. The production is bone dry, Miller’s voice comes close to wearing out its welcome, and despite the fact that he reportedly composed the song while on ‘shrooms, it’s surprisingly dull.

Much better is “Hover,” on which Miller revisits his Manhattan neighborhood with references to Governor’s Island and the Verrazano Bridge. He also offers a dose of humor: “City is dark / We’re not scared / Wrapped up in each other / Making loving out of nothing / Like the Air Suppliers said.” Brion’s vibe playing adds just the right touch on the pretty, open-hearted chorus: “You come and you glow and you hum and you hover / I cannot believe that you’re my lover.”

The record’s first single “Come Around” is smooth, emo-tional pop with the newly married Miller cast as an unlikely lovelorn troubadour. “Am I gonna be lonely for the rest of my life,” he sings. And he refers to his life as a songwriter on “This Is What I Do”: “I’m gonna sing this song forever about a girl that I once knew / And how she is always leaving / This is what I do.”

The Instigator is a terrific diversion full of first-rate songs that show the ever-expanding talent of a fantastic songwriter. But the best news of all is that Miller will reconvene with the 97’s in 2003 to make another record. After all, this is what he does.

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