| |
Music reviews |
Josh Rouse - 1972
With often brilliant songwriting, Rouse evokes the early '70s. But the album is a bit subdued.
Rykodisc
Release date: 8/26/03
Rating: B1. 1972 3:48
2. Love Vibration 4:51
3. Sunshine (Come on Lady) 2:54
4. James 5:01
5. Slaveship 3:10
6. Comeback (Light Therapy) 4:38
7. Under Your Charms 3:45
8. Flight Attendant 4:46
9. Sparrows Over Birmingham 4:59
10. Rise 5:10I like this record just fine, just like I liked Josh Rouse’s last album, 2002’s Under Cold Blue Stars. But I don’t love it – I find it too easy to turn off and not go back to, even after repeated listens hoping it will “grow on” me.
This seems to put me at odds with most music critics, who can’t stop swooning over the Nebraska native’s fourth album. It’ll probably end up on a lot of “best of 2003” lists; it wouldn’t make my top ten for the year, but maybe the top thirty or so.
It’s hard to explain what’s not to love. The album oozes clever songwriting, clear production, agreeably intermingled influences, and indie credibility to spare. It’s a very professional outing from a very talented artist. Maybe that’s the problem – it’s “professional” in the Man With Two Brains sense of the word. (In that Steve Martin classic, after waiting for months to sleep with his gold-digging, two-timing wife – played by Kathleen Turner – Dr. Hfuhruhurr finally gets his chance. Afterward, lying in bed, the most praise he can muster is “I never, ever thought it could be so… professional.”)
It’s clear that Josh Rouse has put his heart into this album. It shares the earnestness of Under Cold Blue Stars but is considerably more upbeat. It’s peppered with currents of early ‘70s rock – the album’s title and first song refer to the year Rouse was born. It’s easy to recognize elements of many of that era’s signature acts, from Carole King (who gets a mention in the first song’s first verse) to the O’Jays.
And many of the songs are brilliant. “1972” evokes so much of the mellow, post-60s-comedown music that dominated the radio when I was in nursery school (I’m two years older than Rouse). “Love Vibration” gets things moving with horns, organ and a call-and-response chorus. “Sunshine,” my favorite track on the album, is aptly named, with its steady percussion and, well, sunny lyrics about forgetting your troubles, packing up the van and going “drivin’ to the coastal state.” “James,” with falsetto and a slightly annoying repeated chorus, combines elements of Steely Dan and Marvin Gaye. “Slaveship” carries you through three minutes of handclaps and chords banged out on a piano. “Sparrows over Birmingham” is a Wilco-ish (he even sounds a bit like Jeff Tweedy) piece of acoustic-guitar strumming and gospel backing vocals. “Rise” builds to a shimmering crescendo and ends the album with an acoustic fade-out.
There’s little need for your CD player’s “skip track” button with 1972; the record’s ten tracks have more highlights among them than the eleven songs on Under Cold Blue Stars. However, they rarely match the emotion and immediacy of standout UCBS tracks like “Nothing Gives me Pleasure” or “Christmas With Jesus.”
And that (other than the unlistenable “Flight Attendant”) is the main drawback to 1972: the lack of emotion and immediacy – the over-professionalism – is what’s going to keep me from listening to it regularly for the next ten years. Like his earlier work, 1972 is rather subdued, and even the most intricate songs don’t always hold my attention. Perhaps it’s Rouse’s often whispery vocals, the super-sharp mix, or all those acoustic guitars, but even the grooviest songs don’t lend themselves to tapping your feet or singing along.
If I’m consciously listening to 1972, I can appreciate how well-crafted – even too perfect – Rouse’s songs are. If I’m not paying attention, though, 1972 has a habit of slipping into the background (no doubt making the background more pleasant than otherwise), until I notice that several tracks have played without my noticing.
1972 masterfully combines folk and blue-eyed soul like the early-seventies mellow music it evokes. It’s no Tapestry or Sweet Baby James, but like I said, I like it just fine. And who knows, maybe you’ll love it.
