Josh Rouse "Nashville" (2005)

Rouse's sixth album is the strongest I've heard. It's not life-altering and the music breaks no new ground, but the songs are all high-quality and sometimes sublime.

Scott thinks it slips a little too much into soft-rock, and while I agree that it does have that aesthetic and that is the danger, for the most part I think it avoids that trap with quality songwriting and the intelligence to avoid melodrama and sentimentality.

Somebody will really have to pull off a miracle to top Nashville as far as intelligent, honest and entertaining guitar pop goes in 2005. -allmusic.com

• Josh Rouse on allmusic.com
• Josh Rouse official site
• Nashville on metacritic.com
• Nashville on amazon.com

1. It's the Nighttime

Standout. Standout lyric: "and maybe / after the late late show / we could go to your room / and i can try on your clothes". Not a life-altering track, but very enjoyable.

2. Winter in the Hamptons

Solid.

3. Streetlights

Standout. Standout moment 2:57. If you have the sound turned down, I promise you it is well worth turning it way the hell up for 2:43-3:26. This song is another borderline standout, mostly because the melody of the chorus ("We could talk about the...") doesn't do anything for me.

4. Carolina

Filler. Pretty unoriginal.

5. Middle School Frown

Skip. Juvenile lyrics, weak music, feels contrived. But then I've read multiple reviews calling this a "high point". What the hell.

6. My Love Has Gone

Solid.

7. Saturday

Filler.

8. Sad Eyes

Standout. Your standard "crescendo over course of track
culminating in rush of blood to the head chorus." Borderline as a standout because it is so standard.

9. Why Won't You Tell Me What

Bearable. Only cause it doesn't fit on this album, otherwise filler. I did read a reviewer claiming that understanding how it fits into the album thematically makes it makes more sense, but it hasn't happened for me.

10. Life

Solid.