Musical Elective Of The Week

The Musical Elective Of The Week is Rhett Miller.

With Rhett, you get two-for-one. Not only is he the front man for the alt-country Old 97s, but he is also an accomplished solo artist. As a solo artist, he has three albums under his belt -- most notably, 2002's The Instigator and 2006's The Believer. He also released the album Mythologies in 1989, prior to joining the Old 97s. Rhett will release his fourth solo album, Rhett Miller, on June 9, 2009.

The Instigator may be the perfect rock record, chock-full of potential singles. And Rhett's live shows are often similar. He delivers pop hook after pop hook, driving rock 'n' roll, and playful stylin' on the ghee-tar. In fact, in 2003, when he opened for Neil Finn's U.S. tour dates, that was just about a perfect double-bill in my book.

The Instigator includes a slew of instantly memorable tracks, including "Our Love," "This Is What I Do," "Come Around," "Point Shirley," "Four-Eyed Girl", and "The El." The Believer offers up "Singular Girl," "My Valentine," "Brand New Way," "Fireflies" (a duet with Rachel Yamagata), and a remake of the fabulous 97s song "Question" (the original of which we included on the CD that we gave as a gift to all who attended our wedding in 2005).

And I forgive him for being a Dallas Cowboys fan, the same way I forgive my wife--even though she has no connection to Texas at all.

Check out Rhett's web site for more.

I could hide it in the attic I could bury it in static
I could only put it out in Japan
I could tape my mouth closed I could take another dose
I am dancing as fast as I can
This is what I do for a living this is what I do
--"This Is What I Do," The Instigator (2002)

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Photo courtesy of www.eachnotesecure.com.