First thing’s first: I want to thank Nancy Rawlings in this review, because even though she’ll probably never see it, there’s a good chance she’s the reason I’m writing it. I wanted the first Josh Rouse CD real bad back in high school, and our Junior or Senior year, when the two of us exchanged Christmas presents in our German class, she gave it to me. What she didn’t know was that by then, I had almost forgotten about the guy. It was the days before heavy filesharing, and living in Rockford killed my chance to get those real hot, obscure records. It was a great, thoughtful gift*. I really dug that first one, and I’ve bought all of his records since then. So, thank you, Nancy.
Now, moving on to the new Josh Rouse CD, Nashville. Everybody who reviews this thing seems to make a big deal about some things that I don’t care to say, so let me brief you with a bulleted list:
• Josh Rouse recently got a divorce
• He also moved to Spain
• He moved away from Nashville, where he had lived for 10 years.
• The album is not a country album, though it does feature some veteran studio guy from the Nashville scene playing pedal steel.
• This album, like all of his other ones, is a bunch of well-crafted pop gems whose sophistication (apparently) continues to belie his age.
So, all that said, it’s pretty good. I don’t really know if it’s a step forward for Rouse or not. It takes me a while to get acclimated to his records. I didn’t even think I liked Home very much until I had listened to it about a dozen times, which took about a year. Which brings up a sort of problem: with this album, and with Rouse in general, it’s hard to criticize the guy’s music too much. Even when I don’t particularly like it, there’s just nothing wrong it. They’re not not good, if I can get a little Yossarian on you. They’re always pleasant, and this new album is no exception.
But this album, like 2003’s 1972, has got some great things going for it. 1972 was a sort of concept album exploiting the virtues of early-70’s AM radio, and I think it did a great job of paying homage to the time with some well-crafted pop gems, like the man says. I think that this album, despite what you may hear, sounds a hell of a lot like the last one. That’s not a bad thing at all—the palate of sounds here suits Rouse’s singing and songwriting style to a T. He soft soul of “Saturday” and the sorta stompy Three Dog Night thing that ends “Sad Eyes” are good examples. Rouse’s sort-of-cutesy lyrics are back, too, which is okay by me. A guy who isn’t Kool Keith saying “let’s go back to your place and I can try on your clothes” is kind of endearing. There are differences, sure. Nashville’s not making a point of aping the seventies, it’s just retaining some of what made his last album his best so far. Which album is better is hard to tell. Ask me in a year.
What made 1972 stick in my rotation, and what I think will, in time, make Nashville stick are a couple of undeniably great tracks. The kind of songs that make you turn up the car radio when they come on. The ones that make you want to sing along or listen quietly. I mean, what more do you really want from a song? As long as there are a few on there that don’t just exist, but that actually command your attention, there’s always a reason to go back and listen to the album.
The first, and best, standout track is “Middle School Frown.” Someone writing a review that I read called this song “bowie-esque” which I really don’t see, but I’ll put it there for your own edification, in case you can hear that. What I hear is a nice, laid back song that breaks into a chorus that could make my heart explode. It really is, to both the songwriter and producer’s credit, perfect. It’s got all of those little things I love in a song: there are vocal harmonies that outshine the melody, and these little chimes echoing the guitar line, and even little faint choral vocals singing “oohs” in the background, all over Rouse singing “And you held your head high when you walked down my street.” It just kills me. Not that I like proving the other critics right, but this is what “well-crafted pop songs” are all about.
*In return, I got Nancy an Ash CD. I think it was Nu-Clear sounds. In my old(er) age, I feel very sheepish about that, because I knew that she didn’t like Ash much, I just sort of hoped to win her over, because I figured she should like Ash more. So, for what it’s worth, thank you, and I wish I had had more sense t oget you a more creative present.
Now, moving on to the new Josh Rouse CD, Nashville. Everybody who reviews this thing seems to make a big deal about some things that I don’t care to say, so let me brief you with a bulleted list:
• Josh Rouse recently got a divorce
• He also moved to Spain
• He moved away from Nashville, where he had lived for 10 years.
• The album is not a country album, though it does feature some veteran studio guy from the Nashville scene playing pedal steel.
• This album, like all of his other ones, is a bunch of well-crafted pop gems whose sophistication (apparently) continues to belie his age.
So, all that said, it’s pretty good. I don’t really know if it’s a step forward for Rouse or not. It takes me a while to get acclimated to his records. I didn’t even think I liked Home very much until I had listened to it about a dozen times, which took about a year. Which brings up a sort of problem: with this album, and with Rouse in general, it’s hard to criticize the guy’s music too much. Even when I don’t particularly like it, there’s just nothing wrong it. They’re not not good, if I can get a little Yossarian on you. They’re always pleasant, and this new album is no exception.
But this album, like 2003’s 1972, has got some great things going for it. 1972 was a sort of concept album exploiting the virtues of early-70’s AM radio, and I think it did a great job of paying homage to the time with some well-crafted pop gems, like the man says. I think that this album, despite what you may hear, sounds a hell of a lot like the last one. That’s not a bad thing at all—the palate of sounds here suits Rouse’s singing and songwriting style to a T. He soft soul of “Saturday” and the sorta stompy Three Dog Night thing that ends “Sad Eyes” are good examples. Rouse’s sort-of-cutesy lyrics are back, too, which is okay by me. A guy who isn’t Kool Keith saying “let’s go back to your place and I can try on your clothes” is kind of endearing. There are differences, sure. Nashville’s not making a point of aping the seventies, it’s just retaining some of what made his last album his best so far. Which album is better is hard to tell. Ask me in a year.
What made 1972 stick in my rotation, and what I think will, in time, make Nashville stick are a couple of undeniably great tracks. The kind of songs that make you turn up the car radio when they come on. The ones that make you want to sing along or listen quietly. I mean, what more do you really want from a song? As long as there are a few on there that don’t just exist, but that actually command your attention, there’s always a reason to go back and listen to the album.
The first, and best, standout track is “Middle School Frown.” Someone writing a review that I read called this song “bowie-esque” which I really don’t see, but I’ll put it there for your own edification, in case you can hear that. What I hear is a nice, laid back song that breaks into a chorus that could make my heart explode. It really is, to both the songwriter and producer’s credit, perfect. It’s got all of those little things I love in a song: there are vocal harmonies that outshine the melody, and these little chimes echoing the guitar line, and even little faint choral vocals singing “oohs” in the background, all over Rouse singing “And you held your head high when you walked down my street.” It just kills me. Not that I like proving the other critics right, but this is what “well-crafted pop songs” are all about.
posted by Brian at 5:31:00 PM
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