Description:
Don't be fooled by the title of Josh Rouse's fifth solo album. Yes, the singer-songwriter lived in the commercial country music capital for nearly a decade. Yes, he has been known to use the occasional pedal steel guitar. And okay, there is a soft southern lilt to his voice. But there are no rhinestone-studded cowboy hats or tattered American flags to be found in this "Nashville," an album of gentle AM radio nostalgia and understated folk-rock beauty. Influenced in equal parts by Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, and the Smiths, Rouse moves gracefully between intimate acoustic ballads ("Saturday") and handclap-drenche
Don't be fooled by the title of Josh Rouse's fifth solo album. Yes, the singer-songwriter lived in the commercial country music capital for nearly a decade. Yes, he has been known to use the occasional pedal steel guitar. And okay, there is a soft southern lilt to his voice. But there are no rhinestone-studded cowboy hats or tattered American flags to be found in this "Nashville," an album of gentle AM radio nostalgia and understated folk-rock beauty. Influenced in equal parts by Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, and the Smiths, Rouse moves gracefully between intimate acoustic ballads ("Saturday") and handclap-drenched pop songs ("Winter In The Hamptons"), all the while delivering more personality and deft songwriting than his platinum-certified neighbors could ever conceive. -- Aidin Vaziri
No, Josh Rouse hasn't gone country. Despite the steel guitar of studio veteran Al Perkins snaking through four of these cuts, Rouse's music retains the pop bounce and sunny romanticism (tempered with heart-on-sleeve vulnerability) that make John Mayer sound like Jon Spencer by comparison. Recorded as a fond farewell to Nashville--the city where the Nebraska native has lived for the past decade--the album could serve as a sequel to Rouse's previous release, 1972. With the Bowiesque phrasing of "Middle School Frown" and "Sad Eyes," the plaintive, Neil Young-style harmonica of "My Love Has Gone," and the soulful reverie of "Saturday," Rouse runs the gamut of retro influences from what his music celebrates as a more innocent era. He's even divided the CD into a (poppier) side A and a (moodier) side B, where the propulsive insistence of "Why Won't You Tell Me" provides a change of pace from the laid-back intimacy that prevails. Throughout the album, the stripped-down, largely acoustic arrangements behind Rouse's wispy voice add to the sing-song charm. --Don McLeese
Album Description
Nashville is filled with an atmosphere reminiscent of Neil Young's "Harvest" and Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline." His special affection for that city in Tennessee is played through a more elegant palette. From the pedal steel in "It's the Nighttime" to the haunting strings in "Streetlights" to the fragile piano intro of "Sad Eyes," Josh has pulled out all the stops on this album.
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Manufacturer: Rykodisc
Release date: 22 February 2005
EAN: 0014431067921 UPC: 014431067921
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