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Hearing Miller's unmistakable singing and songwriting style without Murry Hammond's backing vocals and the rest of the 97's chunky country-rock-pop behind him seems a little less than it could be.
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Miller offers more than enough quality material here to justify stepping out on his own: what he's occasionally lacking in energy, he largely makes up for with craft.... That said, it's unlikely to instigate much beyond some afternoon head-nodding, and even some of Miller's fans will be somewhat put off by the album's borderline MOR sound.
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One of the year's best pop albums.
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Too self-consciously crafted for its own good.
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Sung with the versatile confidence of a star, and impeccably assisted by ace producer Jon Brion, The Instigator's songs feel instantly familiar in the best way possible.
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Entertainment WeeklyThough much of Instigator is merely pleasant, its fantastic first five cuts have the feel of the most happily heartbroken radio station on earth.
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MagnetShallow and superficial. [#56, p.101]
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Fans of the Old 97's most recent work will surely snap The Instigator up with glee; in fact, anyone who likes their guitar pop sprinkled with a little angst will be pleased with what Rhett Miller has come up with on his own.
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BlenderMiller ups the melodic ante, staking his claim to becoming his generation's answer to Nick Lowe or Marshall Crenshaw. [#10, p.123]
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These tracks lack the magnetism of Miller's material with the band.
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The songwriting is self-assured and thoughtful; the album is unified as a pastiche of romantic musings.
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Miller explores his usual subjects -- getting out of places and into relationships -- with more unusual touches.
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Offers 12 diamonds that aren't quite total pop or total rock--but fall in a wonderful zone somewhere in between.
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Any imperfections Miller has on this album were already there in Old 97's and shouldn't deter fans. The chances he takes are slight but bold -- a little more sincerity, a little more musically risky.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 6 out of 7
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Mixed: 1 out of 7
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Negative: 0 out of 7
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jameslOct 6, 2002a pop gem
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BenCOct 5, 2002
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S.E.JohnsonOct 3, 2002