After a few records, Rouse moved to Spain in 2004. Josh Rouse was born in Nebraska (yes, in 1972) then moved to Nashville to begin his music career in the late 90’s. And, of course, the pedal-steel all over Nashville just running around, throwing confetti in the air. There’s humor mixed with epic string arrangements. Predictably, I tired of Seal IV but 1972 still stays with me…Īnd every subsequent Josh Rouse release as well. And from August through the end of 2003, I could not possibly get enough of Seal IV and Josh Rouse’s 1972. And in 2019 he tackled the Christmas album on The Holiday Sounds of Josh Rouse but instead of well-worn carols or classics, he wrote an entire record of original holiday themed pop songs.In the earlier part of this century, I discovered the music of Josh Rouse while living in the Bible Belt Buckle of America: Nashville, Tennessee. The Embers of Time, was one of his strongest-self-described as “my surreal, ex-pat, therapy record.” He followed that up with Love In the Modern Age, which took its musical inspiration from the thinking man’s pop of the eighties: The Blue Nile, Prefab Sprout and the Style Council. In 2014, he won a Goya Award (the Spanish equivalent of an Oscar) for best song for "Do You Really Want To Be In Love," from the film 'La Gran Familia Española.' On El Turista (2010) he even experimented with writing and singing some songs in Spanish. Subtitulo (2006) contained the international indie folk hit "Quiet Town".
The follow up, Nashville (2005) continued the hot streak and expanded his audience further.Īfter relocating to Valencia, Spain with his wife Paz, Rouse has released a steady stream of high quality songs and albums. Noting that he’d earned a reputation for melancholy, he says, with a laugh, “I figured this is my career, I might as well try to enjoy it.” While the Seventies are often identified with singer-songwriters, Rouse was primarily attracted to the warmer sound of albums back then, as well as the more communal feel of the soul music of that time. But at the end of the day, no matter how eclectic I try to make it, it’s my voice and melodic sensibility that tie things together.”įor his breakthrough album, 1972 (2003), which happens to be the year he was born, Rouse decided to cheer up a bit. “I always became fascinated by a different style of music. “Every time I’ve made a record, I’ve tried to make it different from the last one,” says Rouse. The followup- Home (2000)-yielded the song “Directions” which Cameron Crowe used in his film Vanilla Sky. The album’s acclaim led to tours with Aimee Mann, Mark Etzel and the late Vic Chestnut. Josh Rouse was born in Nebraska, and following an itinerant upbringing he eventually landed in Nashville where he recorded his debut Dressed Like Nebraska (1998). They resolve without seeming overly tidy or pat. The verses draw you in with telling detail, both musical and thematic, and the choruses lift and deliver. Without pandering, they seek to satisfy both your ear and your understanding. They are clear-eyed, empathetic and penetrating. His songs present themselves to you with an open heart, an innate intelligence and an absolute lack of pretension.
You don’t have to work hard to enjoy Rouse’s music. “Like a baseball player who quietly hits 30 home runs every year or a golfer who regularly finishes in the Top Ten, Josh Rouse 's continued streak of excellence is easy to ignore and maybe even downplay a little” - Tim Sendra,