Customer Reviews

Best Of: Rykodisc Years

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4 star:		(2)
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If you haven't heard of Josh Rouse yet I'm not too surprised. He certainly isn't mainstream. Instead Josh has been crafting catchy melodies and concise albums with little or no filler; each album so different from the next it's difficult to market this artist as merely alt country (or rock, or pop, or 70's retro, or folk, etc.). He is easily the most talented and dynamic artist over the last decade to put music on compact disc.

The first disc is a great opportunity for a beginner to have a taste of everything. This collection includes a few of his favorite songs from all 6 of his albums with RYKODISC. The only drawback to hearing these tunes in an "arbitrary" order is the fact that you'll miss the context (the theme or prevailing influece) that Rouse provides in the original albums. Of course if you like what you hear then the real reward comes from listening to each individual record in it's entirety, each of which are better on their own merit than any "best of" collection could possibly be.

Of course I was familiar with all of Rouse's previous albums when I purchased this. Which leads me to why Disc 2 is a must buy for avid fans: Bedroom Classics Vol 1. Ladies and Gentlemen, these songs have been IMPOSSIBLE to come by until now. This is the rarest of Rouse -- only 750 EPs were put into circulation and the last time I saw one it was on Ebay 3 years ago with bids running as high as $130 for these 6 songs. There is also other pretty good unissued songs on Disc 2 but the main event is definitely The Rare EP in it's entirety.

Alright, quit reading this and add this awesome CD to your cart. Don't look back. Enjoy!

Given the limitations of time (80 minute CD) and representation (at least one song from each of his proper albums), this "best of" fulfills its title about as well as it can. As a long time fan, I find the selections pretty accurately cover my favorites--with one glaring exception being the uplifting "Miracle" off the "Under Cold Blue Stars" album.

Josh Rouse is an adept storyteller with a knack for a gorgeous melody. His songs depict very real, relatable scenarios (and, accordingly, carry much emotional weight). At his best, these elements combine for dramatic effect, be it joyful and optimistic ("It's the Nighttime," "Rise," "Feeling No Pain") or heartbreaking ("My Love Is Gone," "Michigan"). Stylistically, he can handle an alt-country groove and 70's disco-pop with equal skill, ensuring he never lets himself get too redundant with his songwriting.

Disc 1 is about the best collection of modern adult pop you'll find anywhere. Disc 2 will be enjoyable for fans--especially the inclusion of all six tracks from the rare "Bedroom Classics, vol. 1"--but most of the demos here, while decent and interesting in their differences from the final versions appearing on other albums, are not nearly as impeccable as the songs on Disc 1.

CHECK OUT: "Dressed Up Like Nebraska," "Feeling No Pain," "Rise," "It's the Nighttime," "Michigan," "Suburban Sweetheart (demo)"

Josh Rouse is a massively underrated artist and a songwriter who produces music of huge charm and top notch quality. His back catalogue includes such gems as "1972" and the truly fabulous "Nashville" which are albums so full of great songs that Rouse could have passed them off individually as a "Best of". Thus some advice if you are to jet off while the cold winds of winter blow to sunnier climbs or are staying put but want to lie back on the September Grass, watch the sky and clouds go by this is the ideal soundtrack. At minimum do something that you will never regret and download at least 5 songs from this splendid career spanning retrospective compilation (although no "Sparrow from Birmingham" is a blow).

While all the songs are gems perhaps starting with the following is the entrance to the Aladdin's cave -

"Winter in the Hamptons" - A sheer unadulterated joy and a classic pop song where he admits that we "Never know, Americans seem such a bore, Embarrassed and still we are hanging on, We have stayed too long". This sentiment probably prefigures a later move when he would decamp lock, stock and barrel to live in Valencia in Spain.

"Streetlights" - A sort of Paul McCartney sad ballad but underpinned by real warmth

"Laughter" - This song from the album "Home" has figured in a number of film soundtracks and you may have heard it. Hugely commercial and should have been a hit

"Its the night time" - A brilliant countryish song from the non country album entitled "Nashville".

"65" - A great double up with Lampchop's Kurt Wagner from the "Chester EP" although "Something You Could Always Tell" could also challenge for this spot."

And look I left "Sad Eyes" and "100m Backstroke" off this list. The point being that Josh Rouse is a veritable jukebox who you can dip into and be richly rewarded. This is a great and very reasonably priced Retrospective of his early career containing humongous amounts of music and a smorgasbord of styles. More than this if you do find enchantment here go back to the earlier albums and delve deeper where you will be richly rewarded.

Having "discovered" Josh Rouse a full decade after his first album was released, I picked up this collection on a whim after hearing singles from "Country Mouse City House" (none of which are represented here BTW). The immediate accessibility of this record is deceptive, the easy melodic flow of every track stands up very well to repeated listening for those that appreciate literate, honest and intelligent songwriting. There's nothing new or particularly groundbreaking here, just consistent, finely crafted recordings in the adult-oriented pop style that draws on subtle influences from folk to alt-country.

This is the bedrock on which a career is built. Subsequent records released by a new label are more adventurous in style and substance but for an introduction to Josh Rouse, this album is highly recommended.

These are just great tunes for road trips, quite evenings at home, and slowing down a little to take it all in... love it!

Josh Rouse has been plying his trade for the past 10 years, consistently churning out great albums, but to date, he remains just off the radar of prominent success.

Considering how successful the likes of Jason Mraz and John Mayer are these days, it comes as quite a surprise why Rouse can't attain such stellar status.

This collection traces his output from 1998 to 2005. All the tunes sound so good, it's hard to name a favourite. My only gripe is that 'Miracles', from 'Under the Cold Blue Stars' isn't on the tracklist. However, the 2nd disc of outtakes and rarities more than makes up for that omission.

For a double disc album, this price is more than fair! I saw josh rouse perform live last month and just had to order some of his music. This seemed like the best bang for my buck, and I'm very pleased with the purchase.

I own and cherish everything this guy's done. I hesitated on pulling the trigger on a collection with a great deal of stuff I already bought or downloaded, but listening to Disc One the other day made me wonder why I would ever doubt J.R.. And Disc Two might be better for those of us lucky enough to be up to speed with his unrivaled catalogue. Timeless.