It also saw him fully embrace the ’70s Mellow Gold and classic R&B that he paid heartfelt tribute to on 2003’s 1972. 2006’s Subtitulo, his first album recorded in Spain, offered subtle hints of the native music of his adopted home. Of course, none of that would matter were it not reflected in his music. You get the sense that Rouse has indeed “been to Prague”.
Not to begrudge a guy his happiness, but it’s all a bit cute. Suay co-wrote three of the nine tracks on Country Mouse, City House. Earlier in 2007, they released an EP together called She’s Spanish, I’m American. They collaborate on the artwork for his albums. He started his own label, through which he now releases all his material. He’s said in the past that he lives in Spain because, hey, he likes it there. It’s not like Rouse has sworn off America. Sometime around 2005’s Nashville, Rouse got divorced, kicked an alcohol problem, and moved to Spain. A native Nebraskan, he made a name for himself in Nashville as a sensitive, melodically gifted singer-songwriter, releasing a handful of exceptional albums that got him lots of critical acclaim and a cult following, but not even half the commercial success he deserved. Granted, Rouse’s story is far more complex than a college grad’s semester abroad. The line is so brilliant and hilarious because it captures the smugness and naivety with which American young adult artist types have for decades thrown off their native culture in exchange for a hipper, more thoughtful European model.Īnd when I think about Josh Rouse these days, especially his new album Country Mouse, City House, I can’t help but think of that line. Well, I haven’t “been to Prague” been to Prague, but I know that thing, that, “Stop shaving your armpits, read The Unbearable Lightness of Being, date a sculptor, now I know how bad American coffee is” thing… When he tells her that Prague is overrated, she points out he’s never been there. Josh Rouse wraps up 2007 with a month-long tour of Europe and the United Kingdom in support of Country Mouse, City House.One of the best lines in Noah Baumbach’s 1995 cult classic indie film Kicking and Screaming comes when hopeless romantic college grad Grover’s girlfriend tells him she’s leaving him to move to Prague. tour, with shows scheduled from mid-September into early November. I'll be doing the same amount of touring." He'll soon be off on an extended U.S. Of his new home in Spain, Josh Rouse says, "It doesn't make a that big a difference where I live. But Josh Rouse is proving that you can be hard-hitting with a groove. Songwriters often write about these tough subjects in a more aggressive style. "Understated" might be a good word to describe many of the songs on Country Mouse, City House. Others, like "God, Please Let Me Go Back," are set to melodies not far removed from the songs that came out of California in the early 1970s from artists like Jackson Browne, Poco, and Rick Nelson and The Stone Canyon Band. Some of the songs, like the one we just heard, have a jazzy feel. The themes on his seventh full-length release include death, isolation, religion and dreaming. "Snowy" is one of the nine new songs on Josh Rouse's City House, Country Mouse, an album the songwriter calls more "wintery" than his last.
What hasn't mellowed is the emotional impact of his songs. Melodically, his new songs sound softer, and a bit dreamy. Style often changes too, and rarely do you hear a musician change his sound as much as Josh Rouse. One just doesn't see the world the same way at 20 and 40. Most artists change their sound over time. Today, Josh Rouse is a resident of Spain, and as VOA's Katherine Cole reports, his new CD "Country Mouse, City House" shows the local culture has influenced the songwriter. His first album, 1998's "Dressed Up Like Nebraska" was equal parts country, folk, rock and pop, and earned him much critical acclaim. When we first heard from singer-songwriter Josh Rouse, the Nebraska native was 26 years old, and living in Nashville.
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