Considering that only one in five Americans own a passport, Josh Rouse could teach his compatriots a thing or two. First, the Nebraskan troubadour made Spain his semi-permanent home. Then, he made it his muse (quite literally: he married an Iberian girl and now writes half his songs in Spanish).
This has made Rouse’s music a lot more interesting today than it was ten years ago. Back then, he was producing safe alt-country ditties that were very likeable but hardly challenging. Nowadays, he’s combining his new Latin passion with lounge jazz to produce albums like El Turista.
Two-minute instrumental ‘Bienvenido’ is a warm and fuzzy welcome, where piano, violin and xylophone weave in and out of a looping double-bassline. This sets the tone for what’s to come; a collection of quietly assured acoustic numbers that shimmy and sway across bossa nova rhythms.
Highlights include the mellow ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ and ‘Don’t Act Tough’ (which make you want to find a hammock and daydream the afternoon away); and ‘I Will Live On Islands’ (which shakes you from your slumber, sounding like a carnival that’s been gatecrashed by Graceland-era Paul Simon).
At times, Rouse does get overly sentimental (‘Lemon Tree’ is a bit too sickly sweet, while ‘Mesie Julian’ slips into novelty easy listening cheese) but heck, the guy has clearly been seduced by the Spanish way of life and, for the most part, it’s quite charming.
Recommended for your siesta. Not recommended for your fiesta.
By Andy McLean. Copyright held by author.
Article first published in The Brag, Sydney, 2010.
El Turista is available through Shock Records.
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