Too Many J's
Saturday, September 22, 2007
It's easy to get lost in all the singer songwriters out there, all first and last names and blending sounds. On the surface its just another Starbucks cafe rotation but once you actually take a bit of time to listen, you can hear the differences. I still get confused when rattling off artists and none of these are part of the thousands of John's who occupy the genre.
I decided to do a quick review of a few good cds that everyone should listen to. The first is Josh Rouse, a US based Alt Country/Americana troubador who released his 8th studio recording Country Mouse, City House this summer. Its full of hammond organs, horns, piano, slide guitars, 70s vibe and soft vocals. Not soft and wimpy like a Coldplay just mellow and relaxing.
Keeping with the 70s groove you have the latest from James Blunt All The Lost Souls. It's quite different than the annoying "You're Beautiful" that bombarded us for way to long. Throughout the cd you feel as if Blunt has channeled Barry Gibb. The underlying feel is subdued yet appealing. Maybe the whole James Morrison and R&B homage is the new style. Gone are the introspective acoustic guitar and moody piano, now its all about getting it on. Don't worry, the "woe is me" and "world is collapsing" coffee house aura does resurface later on in the cd.
Finally we return back to the states where we find Josh Ritter strumming away on his 5 release The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter. Part Dylan and Cohen, Ritter carves his way thru some well crafted and knee slapping songs. Its a bit of honky tonk, folk and indie rock crumbed up and squeezed thru a clentched fist. One of my favorite things about this cd would be Josh's vocals, they are up front and articulate which can be hard to find in this genre.
All these releases are different but for some just blend into the background since there are no loud guitars, post punk breaks and screaming. I recommend taking the time to check out each one as well as the back catalogs of the Josh's.
Posted by mardenhill 9/22/2007 11:58:00 AM
Labels: Music
