El Turista

Josh Rouse | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yep Roc Records
• ASIN: B00332DBLC
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,746 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Bienvenido

2. Dureme

3. Lemon Tree

4. Sweet Elaine

5. Mesie Julian

6. I Will Live on Islands

7. Valencia

8. Cotton Eye Joe

9. Las Voces

10. Don't Act Tough

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars J. Rouse moves to Spain and brings a little back in this record, July 23, 2010

By 

William A. Blackmon "Will" (Austin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: El Turista (Audio CD)

I am a big fan of acoustic/americana/guitar music but am late to the Josh Rouse party, only recently discovering the Nashville record about 3 months ago. That record has been in high rotation, so after noting that ALL of his records have 4+ star reviews on [...] (8 records since 1998...this is NO small feat), I decided to continue with his most recent record, El Turista.

I was skeptical when I heard he had moved to Spain (after releasing Nashville) and had begun incorporating Spanish music (Bossa? Singing in Spanish and Portuguese?) into music that I had previously classified as Americana with country-flavorings (even pedal steel). After streaming his full album on his website for a week or so, I was sold.

Josh saunters between styles and languages effortlessly. The arrangements are lush, but tasteful...warm acoustic/double bass, bossa-style acoustic guitar comp-ing, strings, piano/organ. His voice is not 'beautiful', but it is extremely nice. He knows exactly what he can do with it, and often takes the song where you hope he would take it.

The record is like an aural massage. You want to grab a green label (or something with rum in it) and just recline from the first the note. The music is beautiful, bouncy, and surprisingly fresh. I love the mellow bossa nature of the record, but love hearing the lovely (and different!) tones of the various guitars that punctuate the songs: reverby, twangy electric guitar, as well as African-sounding chucks sneak in often to color the songs). The guitar work (and record in general) remind me a bit of Chavez Ravine by Ry Cooder.

I would think you would enjoy this record if you are a fan of: Getz/Gilberto, Jose Gonzalez, Jack Johnson, Paul Simon (Graceland/Rhythm of the Saints), Nick Drake, Buena Vista Social Club, Ry Cooder (Chavez Ravine). It is equal parts of all of those.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JOSH ROUSE ALMOST GOES FULL SPANIARD, July 19, 2011

By 

Andrew H. Lee "Constant Listener" (Snohomish, WA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: El Turista (Audio CD)

Josh Rouse is yet another in the long list of severely underappreciated singer-songwriters in American music today. Perhaps that is one reason why this, his eighth proper studio album, finds him exploring the Spanish side of life once again as he did in 2006's SUBTITULO. Rouse moved to wife Paz Suay's home country of Spain before the release of SUBTITULO, and while that album featured some obvious Spanish influences, EL TURISTA finds Rouse almost going full Spaniard, with nearly half of the album sung completely in Spanish as he expertly picks and strums the Spanish guitar against an assortment of Spanish inspired instrumental arrangements, rhythms, and beats. The overall effect is sunny, romantic, and fun and gives some sense of what it must feel like to straddle the proverbial Spanish/American fence as a young American emigrant in love with a beautiful Spanish artist in her native land.

Top track = "I Will Live On Islands"

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars changes, September 18, 2010

By 

Donald E. Gilliland (Bangkok, Thailand) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: El Turista (Audio CD)

I was lucky enough to discover Josh Rouse on his first (I believe) album, "Dressed up Like Nebraska," an absolutely stunning collection of songs that remains my favorite by him. Since that album, though, he's been remarkably consistent, even with his recent forays into whatever you call what he's doing now. But really, it's not that big leap. I don't know why some fans are dismissing this new album, for there are some beautiful songs on here, especially the closing track.