Tag Archives: Josh Rouse

by

Song of the Day #586: ‘Sad Eyes’ – Josh Rouse

In 2005, Josh Rouse released Nashville, my favorite of his albums and (probably not coincidentally) the one that introduced me to his work. Every track on this album is superb. Listening to it as preparation for this blog entry, I started reconsidering placing it at only #8 on my decade’s-best list.

In contrast to the two concept-heavy records that preceded it, Nashville is just a collection of songs. But the musical exploration of those records helped settle Rouse into a songwriting groove that had him hitting the sweet spot on every one of these tracks. From the Smiths-inspired ‘Welcome to the Hamptons’ to the blues-swing of ‘Why Won’t You Tell Me What,’ every note feels like the right one.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #585: ‘Flight Attendant’ – Josh Rouse

A year after Under Cold Blue Stars, in 2003, Josh Rouse released another semi-concept album, 1972. The album was named after the year Rouse was born (and the year I was born, incidentally) and the music and packaging were designed to evoke that era.

1972 is a definite candidate for Rouse’s best album. It’s certainly his most fun and musically adventurous… he packs strings, horns, flutes and eclectic percussion into every song and gives his falsetto a workout on tracks both sensual and surreal. He even finds room for a mournful acoustic track that makes the best use of gospel backup singers this side of Lyle Lovett.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #584: ‘Women and Men’ – Josh Rouse

In 2002, with the release of his third full-length album, Under Cold Blue Stars, Josh Rouse the caterpillar became Josh Rouse the butterfly. While his first two albums established him as a solid pop-rock songwriter, they didn’t set him apart from the pack. Under Cold Blue Stars very much did.

This is a concept album loosely based on the lives of Rouse’s parents, or as he puts it in the production notes, “a Midwestern couple in the 1950s.” The songs don’t exactly tell a linear story but they touch on different moments in a relationship, from the giddy lovesick beginning through trials of infidelity and emotional and physical distance through to a comfortable, if not outright happy, finish.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #579: ‘Laughter’ – Josh Rouse

Josh Rouse’s second album, Home, was released in 2000 and basically picked up where Dressed Up Like Nebraska left off. Rouse was born in Nebraska, incidentally, a distinction he shares with fellow pop tunesmiths Elliott Smith, Conor Oberst and Matthew Sweet. Must be something in the water of the Great Plains.

Home has a more polished sound than Rouse’s debut and introduces horns and strings into the mix. But it’s otherwise not much of a departure… more solid, mostly acoustic pop songs.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #578: ‘Late Night Conversation’ – Josh Rouse

Recently, I was scrolling through my iTunes library trying to decide who should be honored with my next theme week (it’s a big honor, you know… you should see the stack of mail I have from performers asking to be featured). And I was shocked to realize I’d gone this far without spending a week on Josh Rouse.

It’s not that he’s a household name — on the contrary, he probably has family members who aren’t aware he records albums. But in my household, he’s as well-regarded as any Hall of Famer. Rouse is one of those artists whose entire discography I cycle through every other month or so. When I’m grabbing CDs to load up the car stereo, he’s always represented and usually over-represented.

Continue reading →