Josh Rouse - Streetlights

Josh Rouse is an extraordinary songwriter whose gift for blending soulful harmonies and clever pop with spare arrangements is justifiably reminiscent of his influences, including tinges of The Smiths, Freedy Johnston and legendary songwriter Marshall Crenshaw. You've heard his music before if you managed to see the movie Vanilla Sky, which included Josh's song "Directions".

As a child, it seems that Josh moved around a great deal, never really finding a home until he settled in Nashville as an adult. All that rambling has lent itself to the previous four albums of his remarkably warm and inviting music. His fifth album, Nashville, which is due for release February 24th from Rykodisc, is proof that he may be nearer to home than anyone previously knew. Having recently transplanted to Spain, Josh has composed this album as a love letter to the city where he found his heart and his voice. He breaks from his soulful experimentation of his last album, 1972 and moves back towards his pop sensibilities, never abandoning the smooth unabashed sensuality of his voice.

It was really hard for me to pick just one song from this album and stick with it. There isn't a single bad song on the album. It is said that all the truly great songwriters eventually do a Nashville album, and this edition to the long history of such songwriters is phenomenal. The more I listen to it, the more I am convinced it deserves to take its rightful place alongside Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline and Neil Young's Harvest in any music collection. This is the kind of album that makes me want to lie in my hammock and stare at the sky, watching the clouds covering the sun just enough so that it's warm without being hot. Hearing the way Josh carries the ten songs on this recording makes me long to understand what it means to be that much in love with the places I miss.

BONUS TRACK: Winter In The Hamptons

NOW ON MY RADIO BLOG: Carolina

You can pre-order this album by Clicking Here.