Rhett Miller

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2-7-2020
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\n&ldquo\;This has been a hell of a year\,&rdquo\; \;Rhett Miller \;says. &ldquo\;I turned 48 in September and I&rsquo\;m still surprising myself.&rdquo\;
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\nAfter more than two decades as founding member of the venerable \;Old 97&rsquo\;s \;and acclaimed singer&ndash\;songwriter in his own right\, Rhett Miller has crafted a trio of new projects that see him pushing his creative energies in hitherto untraveled directions. Among them are two utterly unique new albums &ndash\; one solo\, the other as part of Old 97&rsquo\;s &ndash\; as well as his first ever book\, a collection of subversive kids&rsquo\; poems.
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\n&ldquo\;The Messenger&rdquo\; Miller&rsquo\;s eighth solo album\, is perhaps his most unflinchingly personal collection of songs to date. Recorded over five spring days at The Isokon in Woodstock\, NY with producer/musician \;Sam Cohen \;(Kevin Morby\, Benjamin Booker)\, The Messinger sees Miller playing it faster and looser than perhaps any other time in his quarter century career\, instilling songs like the first single\, &ldquo\;Total Disaster\,&rdquo\; with a groovy limberness that belies the reflective darkness within. Backed by a white hot backing combo comprised of \;Cohen \;(Electric &\; Acoustic Guitars\, Pedal Steel Guitar\, Keys)\, \;Brian Betancourt \;(Bass)\, and \;Ray Rizzo \;(Drums)\, Miller worked quickly and with purpose\, fast-tracking four or five &ldquo\;keepers&rdquo\; each day.
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\n&ldquo\;I wanted this record to be less safe\,&rdquo\; he says. &ldquo\;I wanted to put myself in the hands of a producer who was going to do things that I didn&rsquo\;t expect\; I wanted to perform with people I didn&rsquo\;t know and be surprised by what they came up with. And all of that really came to pass. \;That&rsquo\;s what you&rsquo\;re getting with this record. You&rsquo\;re getting a locked-in rhythm section with a crazy\, psychedelic guitar maestro playing along with me as I dig deep into these songs about depression and insecurity and modern life and somehow wanting to live despite all of it\,&rdquo\; Miller chuckles.
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\nOPENER: \;Salim Nourallah

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