Rhett Miller’s Top 5 Songs Right Now

EDITOR’S NOTE: No Depression’s new “Top 5” series features a quick playlist in which roots musicians share what they’re listening to at the moment. It gives artists the change to highlight their contemporaries, as well as classic songs getting them through the days. The first installment comes Old 97s frontman — himself a longtime No Depression supporter, contributor, and featured artist — Rhett Miller.

Rhett Miller’s tenth solo LP, A lifetime of riding by night, ends with a sweet, whispery ballad called “Brand New Heart.” What he actually needed while recording these 13 new songs, however, was pretty intense vocal cord surgery. His singing sometimes sounds strained on the album pre-procedure, but Miller is always driven in his creation and earnest in his songwriting.

While waiting for his surgery date, Miller headed into the studio in Los Angeles with his Old 97s bandmate Murry Hammond (ND review) at the production helm. With friends like Nicole Atkins, Evan Felker (Turnpike Troubadours), Caitlin Rose, Jesse Valenzuela (Gin Blossoms) as co-writers and other collaborators, A lifetime of riding by night is a thoughtful work of storytelling. And although he planned on re-recording his vocal tracks after healing, Miller listened back and realized how much the raw takes added to the sentiment of the songs.

On the cusp of Miller’s latest release, No Depression checked in with him to see what he’s listening to these days.