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Nashville
Our Price: $13.98 Prices subject to change.
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0014431067921
Label: Rykodisc
Manufacturer: Rykodisc
MPN: 10679
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Rykodisc
Release Date: February 22, 2005
Studio: Rykodisc
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Editorial Review:
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
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.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Hard to stop listening.
Every time you listen there is something new to notice. Rouse takes every song to a higher level. Its pop like the Beatles were pop. Way more than pop. Anyway, every song has something in it that makes you realize this guy can really write, and surprises you. I can certainly understand the review that said it never left his CD player.
Buy it.
Rating: - This is his best...
I'm a big fan of this guy and this is his finest album - a press play classic. It reminds me of an early America album named Hat Trick, chock full of hooks and harmonies and strings that you may not even notice at first. Too bad an album like Nashville is not big hit - record companies and radio have forgotten what good pop music is. Its amazing to me why albums like this are not accessible - you have to go online or have XM to discover artists like Josh Rouse.
Rating:  - Stronger than 1972
I was apprehensive about buying this at first mostly because I was not all that impressed with Josh Rouse' previous album `1972' (2003). After reading reviews that described `Nashville' as the adult pop record of the year so far, I decided to buy it anyway. I must say that `Nashville' is essentially a continuation of where `1972' left off, yet I feel that this is much stronger than the previous record. What remains of the previous record is the same polished production and perfect playing with the ... Read More
Rating: - Buy it
You know what... this guy sounds like Freedy Johnston!
Oh, what the heck. This album rocks. Buy it!
Rating: - Better than James Blunt.
Why isn't Josh massive. He should be. Pop song craft to the max. Uplifting, catchy tunes, intellegent but not obtuse lyric, top-notch production and arrangement. He is the standout amoung todays mainstream singer songwriters, a group that includes James Blunt and David Grey. Fav. tracks.."My Love has gone", "It's the nightime" and "steetlights".
P.S. Our 6year old knows the words to all the songs, always a good sign.
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