Gary Steel
I DON’T REMEMBER ever having listened to a Josh Rouse record before now, but then again, this kind of stuff doesn’t really stand sentry at the memory banks of the universe, demanding attention.
The Happiness Waltz is Rouse’s 10th album, and its 12 songs are heartfelt, and with a nostalgic, late 1970s AOR bent, with a touch of jazziness occasionally peaking through its satin sheets.
The sound tends towards melancholic, pleasantly reverbed, soft and luxuriant and philosophically analogue.
It’s all very nice, but Rouse isn’t the owner of a very characterful voice, or a notably assertive or original talent. GARY STEEL
Sound = 4/5
Music = 3/5
Josh Rouse – The Happiness Waltz (Yep Roc/Southbound) CD REVIEW
2 Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Authors
Latest from Music
From The Archives: Pacific voyager Mike Cooper
Twenty years ago, GARY STEEL interviewed fascinating Rome-based UK-born folk experimentalist Mike Cooper on one of his Pacific journeys. Here's that story followed by
How not to meet a famous rock star
In 1989, CHRIS BOURKE was in New York and went along to a Frank Zappa book launch on behalf of a friend back home.
World’s Worst Records: Damon Albarn’s Everyday Robots
MATT KELLY is surprised and shocked to find that without the collaborations that are his stock in trade Damon Albarn has a yawningly empty
NZ rock still… rocks! We Search For Yeti!
They probably won’t be performing at Spark Arena anytime soon, but GARY STEEL reckons Wellington-based independent rockers Search For Yeti are well worth a
OMD, The Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey, etc: LIVE REVIEW
Despite a strong aversion to such things GARY STEEL attends an ‘80s nostalgia music festival and survives to tell the tale.
sorry you didn’t enjoy this one – I certainly enjoyed a couple of his earlier releases – both Nashville and 1972 got good reviews in their time
Yeah this hasn’t really grown on me. Home and Under Cold Blue Stars are easily his best work IMO, but 1972 and Nashville are both also good as Craig mentions! The rest are a but same samey… great artist, you just need to go older.