Across more than a dozen albums going back to 1998, Josh Rouse has managed to cobble together a satisfying blend of folk and Americana with strong pop elements. His latest though, Going Places, still uses that established musical template as a starting point, but is much more relaxed affair.
Written when he was forced off the road due to the pandemic, he retreated with his family to Spain with plenty of time on his hands. Missing out on performing, he pulled together his Spanish band and started playing regularly in a friend’s bar. The result of that relaxed vibe, with little expectations and no specific time limitations can be heard all over the record, especially on songs like “Henry Miller’s Flat” and “Waiting on the Blue,” which sound like they were crafted specifically for live audience singalongs.
Rouse explained the process recently, “A year later, after things opened up a bit, I said ‘Why don’t we just go in and I’ll produce it, and let’s just record these songs and see what happens?’ And that’s what the Going Places record is- stuff that just felt good to play to a live audience.”
“Waiting on the Blue,” an autobiographical song about visiting a friend in New Orleans, as well as the tornados that hit Nashville just before the start of the global pandemic, is one of Rouse’s strongest songs lyrically here, managing to take a very personal experience and make it universal. The album closer, “Stick Around,” is a an addictively catchy singalong reminiscent of Paul Simon at his most chill and caps the record perfectly.
The album isn’t completely devoid of flash and flourishes though, as horns punctuate songs like “There’s Somebody Whose Job It Is,” “The Apple of My Eye,” “Hollow Moon” and “Stick Around.” The mix of songs that sound like they’re being written on the spot sitting on a stool in a bar, with tracks that are a bit more polished and contain several musical layers makes for a compelling listen.
