> Switch to Advanced Search

New & Current Releases
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

80 Aceyalone
67 Ryan Adams
62 Tha Alkaholiks
78 Arab Strap
80 Arctic Monkeys
52 Richard Ashcroft
40 Audio Bullys
53 Babyshambles
64 Beck
78 Belle & Sebastian
76 Mary J. Blige
67 Buzzcocks
79 Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
84 Neko Case
83 Rosanne Cash
80 Cat Power
68 Clearlake
77 Clogs
71 Coldcut
80 Jason Collett
81 Graham Coxon
72 Ray Davies
86 Destroyer
64 Dilated Peoples
65 The Duke Spirit
75 East River Pipe
76 Eels
76 Elbow
62 The Elected
70 Electric President
53 Electric Six
82 Donald Fagen
63 Film School
74 B. Fleischmann
56 Jamie Foxx
60 David Gilmour
78 Goldfrapp
71 The Gossip
75 Grand National
58 Hawthorne Heights
73 His Name Is Alive
76 I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
84 J Dilla aka Jay Dee
66 Alan Jackson
63 Jaheim
64 Jel
69 The Kooks
69 Kris Kristofferson
77 Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins
77 Lilys
69 The Little Willies
75 Man Man
72 Matchbook Romance
58 Sergio Mendes
63 Rhett Miller
73 The Minus 5
74 Mogwai
53 Morningwood
72 Van Morrison
72 The M's
75 Mudhoney
79 Mylo
60 The National Trust
67 Ne-Yo
69 Nine Black Alps
50 William Orbit
76 Beth Orton
53 P.O.D.
72 Pearls And Brass
74 Pink Mountaintops
69 Robert Pollard
65 Prefuse 73
53 The Research
78 Saint Etienne
73 Sia
59 Sing-Sing
79 Sparks
70 Stereolab
76 Kelley Stoltz
67 The Strokes
71 The Subways
78 Sway
74 Swearing At Motorists
64 Tarkio
62 Test Icicles
66 Tiga
62 Tortoise & Bonnie "Prince" Billy
59 Train
76 KT Tunstall
72 Two Gallants
78 Various Artists
93 Various Artists
65 The Veronicas
80 Vitalic
64 Rocky Votolato
65 We Are Scientists
56 Yellowcard

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

The Believer
by Rhett Miller


8.7

based on 13 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 4 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

Buy it at amazon.com

Download it from iTunes

Buy it at amazon.co.uk

The Instigator

MUSIC:

The second solo disc from the Old 97s frontman includes contributions from Rachael Yamagata and Jon Brion.

LABEL:	Verve Forecast
RELEASE DATE:	28 February 2006
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Alt-Country, Rock, Singer-Songwriter

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Village Voice (Consumer Guide)

He thinks he belongs up there in front of that expert new band, singing or shouting whatever banality, profundity, or turn of phrase he's written down, and his level of enthusiasm combined with his level of craft will convince anyone who still likes, you know, songs.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Given time, though, The Believer blooms.

Billboard

Has less twang but more bang than any of his previous work. [4 Mar 2006]

Entertainment Weekly

A few more quirks and blemishes might've made it more memorable. [3 Mar 2006, p.100]

Blender

There's a little too much goop here. [Mar 2006, p.113]

Rolling Stone

These fluid, unfussy songs don't quite stick in your gut the way the 97's' best stuff does, but give Miller a chance and he can charm you something fierce.

E! Online

Ultimately he fails to make a lasting impression.

The New York Times

While the Los Angeles-based Mr. Miller looks good at the cabaret mike, he's still better when part of a real band. [27 Feb 2006]

cokemachineglow

After Drag It Up, their dismal last offering, The Believer is another sign pointing to what may be the wreck of the Old 97s.

PopMatters

Unfortunately, the music gets bogged down with strings and other symptoms of overproduction.

Alternative Press

The sound of an artist losing the qualities that made him unique to begin with. [Apr 2006, p.216]

Austin Chronicle

There's no question Miller can wring plenty of twisted emotion out of tender love songs. He's one hell of a songwriter. Problem is that even when working with uber-producers Jon Brion and George Drakoulias, Miller misses his bandmates.

NOW Magazine

Miller's compositions are typically well crafted and slightly artier than what you'd hear on, say, a Josh Groban disc, but this isn't too far off that sort of pouty boy bellowing.

The average user rating for this album is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Matt gave it a9:
Less rocky than the last album, and more alt-country - but just as satisfying. Lots of good, basic song structure here.

Steve M gave it a10:
This guy is a master songwriter! It amazes me that he's not bigger than he is in terms of public recognition.

Tom W gave it a9:
This album, like The Instigator is the kind that makes you wish you were a sad, out of love pop singer. Yeah, the songs are safe, but why does an album need to be always need to push some new button, or for that matter, change in sound and content from the last work. These are great songs written by an artist that I hope will continue coming out with solo stuff. I really enjoy the Old 97s, but to be honest, I enjoy fight songs and Satellite Rides more than any of the twangy albums. This is RM's chance to continue where Old 97s left off before they back peddled on their last album (not that I don't enjoy it). Finally, I do believe that Rhett Miller is headed more on the right path to making the perfect pop album than Rivers Cuomo could ever hope. Keep it up!

Presto gave it a7:
If I wasn't an Old 97's completist I don't think I'd even give Rhett Miller's solo stuff much of a chance but this album, which doesn't sound that different from his last one, is pleasant enough not to offend and catchy enough to stick around. I guess I like it but more than anything it just makes me miss the Old 97's and the Rhett Miller who wrote songs like Bel Air and Timebomb.

Discuss this album in our forums

Return to top of page

The Believer by Rhett Miller

The Believer
by Rhett Miller