Josh Rouse - Country Mouse City House (2007)

With such critically acclaimed records as 1972, Nashville and Subtitulo (the first for his own Bedroom Classics label) in his arsenal, soulful singer/songwriter Josh Rouse warms up the summer with his 7th full length release, Country Mouse, City House on July 31st.

Since his debut record showcased a youthful Nebraskan with an open road of promise, on through the five albums that followed Josh Rouse has followed that road in dawdling, nomadic spurts across America and the Atlantic to Spain, where he now lives his life and makes his music. Annually, it seems, Rouse re-emerges to say hello, streaming his pop awareness and weaving stories in the simplicity of songs, always with an air of candor and reticence. Thus, there are few bombshells on his seventh release, one flowing with lustrous arrangements and Rouse's pacifying voice. Though his guitar serves as the conduit, the music is fused with modest horns and gentle organ fills, with buoyant songs such "Hollywood Bass Player," "Domesticated Lovers," and "London Bridges," along with the jazzy "Pilgrim" and the splendid rocker "Nice To Fit In" leading the way. No longer the naïve Midwesterner from a decade ago, this is the globetrotting Rouse who has found a home in Spain--and deserves to find another in your record collection. --Scott Holter