Rhett Miller - The Interpreter: Live at Largo *

Artist:

Miller, Rhett

UPC:

885686930809

See Also:

Adams, Ryan Yorn, Pete Harcourt, Ed Old 97`s

Description:

Liner Note Authors: Mark Flanagan; Rhett Miller.
Recording information: 2 Beers And Everyone Sings; Largo.
Photographer: Ellen Rehak.
Rhett Miller`s solo work has been considerably different than the music he`s made with his band the Old 97`s, to the point that they seem to be the product of two different personalities. They both sing a lot about problems with women, but the Rhett Miller who fronts the Old 97`s sounds like a regular guy from Texas with an uncommon degree of self-awareness that fails him when he sees a pretty girl, while the other Rhett Miller aspires to be British and often sounds like a pretty boy hipster, albeit one who is far better grounded than most of his peers. The Interpreter, however, is the first Rhett Miller album that sounds like these two hemispheres exist in the same mind; most of The Interpreter was recorded live at the L.A. night spot Largo as Miller sings a set of covers with just his acoustic guitar for accompaniment. (Jon Brion sits on piano on several numbers, and two studio cuts close out the program.) The set list suggests the two Millers drew it up as a team, with tunes by Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Jeff Tweedy sitting comfortably beside songs by David Bowie, Ray Davies, and Elvis Costello. However, the guy singing is clearly the man from the Old 97`s, even when he`s belting out "Queen Bitch" or "Waterloo Sunset," and the fellow`s unaffected enthusiasm makes this album memorable. (He also finds more folky twang in the Pixies` "Wave of Mutilation" and Robyn Hitchcock`s "Cynthia Mask" than one might imagine.) The Interpreter documents one night in the life of a man who sings with skill and passion, but is also clearly an eclectic music fan who loves all these tunes, and hearing him occasionally gush about the greatness of the material adds no small charm to the performances. No matter which Rhett Miller steps up to the microphone, he knows a great tune when he hears one, and he shares 14 favorites on The Interpreter that please fans of either side of his career. ~ Mark Deming

Track Listing:

DISC 1

1. Homeward Bound
2. American Girl
3. California Stars - (featuring Jon Brion)
4. Happiness
5. Brilliant Mistake
6. Queen Bitch
7. Waterloo Sunset
8. Wave of Mutilation/I Wanna Be Sedated
9. Bewlay Brothers, The
10. Birth of the True, The
11. I`ll Cry Instead
12. You`re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
13. Cynthia Mask
14. Wave of Mutilation
15. Farewell Banter...

Album Information

Release Date:

11/22/2011

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Folk

Label:

Maximum Sunshine

Catalog Number:

MSR 001

Original Release Year:

2011

# of Discs:

1

Studio/Live:

Mixed

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

Runtime:

45 : 27

Guest Artist:

Jon Brion; Joey Santiago

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