hett Miller

'The Instigator'



Elektra



Grade: C



Rhett Miller's debut solo album "The Instigator" proves that the singer/songwriter is anything but an instigator. Although occasionally deep or even energetic, Miller is simply too typical to be interesting. Without anything to raise him above the pop masses, Miller can hope for little more than mild success to accompany this effort. "The Instigator" is an oftentimes fun and catchy album despite its lack of inventiveness and flair.

Miller accomplishes this kind of mild success on the album's first track, "Our Love," an ironic tale of a man who's found true love in the arms of his friend's wife. This opener manages to rock optimistically despite its heavy content. In fact, the way Miller sings, "Our love's all wrong / Our love goes on and on," is strangely appealing. Although the album has other high points, this track is the only song with the potential for radio play.

The soon-to-be-married Miller attempts angst throughout the overall joyful album and usually fails horribly. The most successful of these attempts is on "Come Around," where he lets his wedding jitters come out through his whimsical vocals. "Am I gonna be lonely for the rest of my life?" he sings curiously, then confirming, "I am gonna be lonely for the rest of my life." This song may be his most successful attempt at frustration, but Miller is best at his most jubilant, as on "Four-Eyed Girl," a catchy but short love song about falling for a charmingly innocent science teacher. Here, an incessant drumbeat drives the song forward as Miller croons energetically, "La la la, I'm in love with a four-eyed girl!"

One gets the distinct feeling that Miller's emotions never translate correctly into melody or words. On "Things that Disappear," Miller comes across as an insincere version of Nebraskan folksinger Bright Eyes, yet he still performs better than on such unsuccessful attempts as "This is What I Do." "World Inside the World" is banal and drawls on for three minutes too long. Here, the attempt at depth is evident but unsuccessful. Miller expels the listeners from the "World Inside the World" to which he has invited them.

Rhett Miller has obviously been doing a lot of introspection during the making of "The Instigator." Unfortunately, it seems that there is nothing interesting to be found within Miller. He is tediously normal. Without any outrageous emotions, talents, or styles, he lacks the ability to create anything original. Most of his music is simply uninspired, and this album suffers from nine full tracks of filler. The only hope for any sort of success lies in the three commonplace but entertaining anthems that serve as the album's only support. Without these songs, the album would simply crumble.