[2/5] Rhett Miller's first solo album, 2002's The Instigator, was a collaboration with super-producer Jon Brion that exposed the Old 97's frontman's pop side without compromising his reputation as a heartbroken country-punk. But on The Believer, Miller jettisons his traditionally raw emotion, instead focusing on drippy la-la-la hooks ("I'm With Her") and gushy sentimentality ("Brand New Way"). His feeling gets further lost in George Drakoulias' glossy, string-laced production, which turns the Old 97's classic "Question" into a weepy '70s-style ballad and a cover of Brion's "I Believe She's Lying" into the busiest schlock-pop song ever recorded--a shame, since both songs, at heart, are fantastic. It's too bad Brion was too busy jumpstarting Fiona Apple's career last year to produce this; what could've been Miller's mainstream breakthrough instead is the sound of an artist losing the qualities that made him unique to begin with.
(VERVE FORECAST) Jeff Miller
 Official Website: http://www.vervemusicgroup.com
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