Rhett Miller w/ Mike Benign

Although conceived as a dumping ground for songs rejected by his band, the Old 97’s, Rhett Miller’s 2002 solo debut, The Instigator, earned far more attention and airplay than any Old 97’s release before it. Miller didn’t let the success go to his head, and as promised he stuck with his long-running country-rock group, but he’s continued recording solo albums, including 2006’s The Believer, which further downplayed Old 97’s twang to indulge Miller’s pop leanings, and last year’s self-titled effort, which was his most mature, elegant solo offering yet.