New Josh Rouse Album Review

Just picked up the new Josh Rouse album Subtitulo (means subtitled in Spanish)... so far I'm pretty happy with it. His last, Nashville, was a huge disappointment to me. Before releasing Nashvile he released an amazing trio of albums: Home, Under Cold Blue Stars and 1972. Each was perfect. Nashville seems rushed and not well thought out. I know he was going with the whole cheesy 70's think but he went a bit too far, especially considering the brilliance he displayed earlier. Oddly it got the most press of all his work. Considering he had just gotten divorced and moved to Spain I was expected something with more of a Blood on the Tracks feel, not happy sunshine.

Subtitulo is much better. It isn't as whole of an album but all the songs are pretty. You hear alot of the influence of him living in Spain with some bassanova style in there. You also get the feeling like you could sit on a beach on the Mediterranean Sea and listen to it. Really relax, breezy, cool. That said my favorite tunes are "Jersey Clowns", which is obviously not about Spain and "It Look Like Love" which sounds more like what he was trying to accomplish with Nashville. I even like his duet with his new girlfriend (who isnt a singer) "the man who doesn't know how to smile". I wonder how much his ex-wife hates him for putting her on the album?