Artist: Rhett Miller
Album: The Dreamer
Bitrate: 252kbps avg
Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz
Label: Maximum Sunshine
Genre: Rock
Size: 79.67 megs
PlayTime: 0h 41min 56sec total
Rip Date: 2012-07-06
Store Date: 2012-06-05
Track List:
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01. Lost Without You 4:54
02. Long Long Long 3:03
03. Out Of Love 3:26
04. Sleepwalkin' 3:41
05. This Summer Lie 2:36
06. I'll Try To 3:06
07. Marina 3:01
08. Swimmin' In Sunshine 3:12
09. As Close As I Came To Being 3:51
Right
10. Love Grows 1:49
11. Picture This 2:57
12. Complicated Man 3:36
13. Sweet Dreams 2:44
Release Notes:
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Rhett MillerÆs solo career actually goes back farther than his nearly two
decades as frontman for the Old 97Æs. The songwriterÆs 1989 debut Mythologies is
a pubescent preamble to Stewart Ransom MillerÆs future ôserial lady killerö
status immortalized in the 97Æs classic ôBarrier Reef.ö ItÆs an unassuming, yet
promising, record that has achieved more cult status than being seen as any sort
of lost gem.
Another 13 years would pass before Miller released his next solo album The
Instigator in 2002. By then Miller was a full-grown ladykiller, a close-up of
his pinup mug unabashedly plastered on the cover. The recordÆs contents had also
taken on a prettier turn, and it looked as if he had aspirations of abandoning
the alt-country landscape for the less dusty trails of VH1. 2006Æs The Believer
followed with a similar pop gloss. It wasnÆt until his self-titled release in
2009 that Miller really hit his stride as a solo artist, combining the rootsy
twang of the Old 97Æs with precision power pop, while throwing in a few
surprises (most notably the excellent ôHappy Birthday DonÆt Dieö).
Which brings us to The Dreamer (and MillerÆs proclivity for ôTheö titles), his
first studio album to be released on his own label Maximum Sunshine Records, and
the first to be produced by Miller himself. The gloss found on previous releases
has given way to a gentle dusting of grit, which is just what this batch of
songs calls for. This time around Miller has settled into wispy country
rockùthereÆs a timelessness to this collection, and itÆs easily his best and
most consistent solo work to date.
That said, The Dreamer is also an album that calls for multiple spinsùitÆs not
likely to grab listeners by the throat, or even kick them in the shins for that
matter. ItÆs just good. A big part of that is the return of singer-songwriter
Rachael Yamagata, who accompanied
Miller on his 2006 single ôFireflies,ö and whose go-to vocals have appeared
alongside artists like Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes and Ray Lamontagne. Miller also
taps The Spring StandardsÆ Heather Robb and country royalty Rosanne Cash to
match him almost line for line. Those added vocal layers are effective, too,
adding warmth to already comfy tunes.
The gentle instrumentation pairs well with MillerÆs lyrics, which are less about
clever turns of phrase this time around, and more about conveying pure
sentiment. Opener ôLost Without Youö is another in MillerÆs collection of
sad-sack character studies, with the refrain, ôYou werenÆt like the rest till
you leftö (not to mention my favorite line: ôShe was glowing like an open sign
on a place IÆd never triedö). As heÆs gotten older MillerÆs voice has also taken
on different tonal qualities, which really show themselves on quieter numbers
like country shuffler ôSleepwalkinÆö and the slow and sad Brit-popper
ôComplicated Man.ö And while Miller has made the switch over the years from
penning more autobiographical lyrics to yanking quirky (and occasionally
deranged) characters out of the woodworks, one canÆt help but think ôPicture
Thisö is more of a personal love note to the idea of growing old with someone.
It doesnÆt get much sweeter.
The Dreamer is MillerÆs first LP funded with the help of a successful
PledgeMusic campaign that earned nearly double its target. That statistic, if
you will, illustrates Old 97Æs fansÆ loyalty to the band and its prolific
frontman. The resulting albumùminus labels and other outside influencesùshows
Miller is less concerned about expanding his audience as he is pleasing the one
heÆs nurtured over the past two decades. More importantly, Miller is doing it
for himself.