He then launched a partnership with producer Brad Jones - known for his work with pop artists like Marshall Crenshaw, Matthew Sweet, and Jill Sobule - and the resulting album, 1972, was both an homage to the soft rock sounds of Rouse's youth and a deepening of his sound. The two began writing together and issued a collaborative EP, Chester, in the fall of 1999.nn Rouse's second solo record, Home, appeared the following spring and was followed by Under Cold Blue Stars in 2002. He pulled up stakes shortly thereafter and resettled in Nashville, where he was befriended by Kurt Wagner, frontman of the chamber country group Lambchop. His debut album, Dressed Up Like Nebraska, was released in 1998 to widespread critical acclaim.

After receiving several guitar lessons from his uncle, Rouse began writing songs as an 18-year-old and molded himself into a skilled composer, eventually scoring a contract with the Rykodisc subsidiary Slow River. Music was one of the few constants in a life filled with new towns, new schools, and new friends, and he took comfort in bands like the Smiths and the Cure. Rouse later settled in Spain and explored the country's musical traditions, although his songwriting continued to exhibit the summery, rootsy appeal of his earlier work.nnAs a child, Rouse spent time in California, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Georgia, and Arizona. He paid tribute to his birthplace on his 1998 debut, Dressed Up Like Nebraska, and later explored the influence of his adopted home state, Tennessee, with 2005's Nashville.

Although born in Nebraska, Rouse moved to various cities throughout his childhood and subsequent musical career, driven at first by his father's military career and later by his desire to take inspiration from different environments. If you only buy one holiday album, IвЂ™d make it this one.Known for his introspective folk-pop and worldly perspective, Josh Rouse has built a reputation as a critically-acclaimed and perennially reliable singer/songwriter. вЂњChristmas SongsвЂќ ends the listen one a high note with keys, rhythm and a glorious universal appeal thatвЂ™s as dreamy as it is memorable.ДЄn artist who has never sat still in one genre too long in his lengthy, esteemed career, this installment of RouseвЂ™s work is absolutely varied, as traces of his midwestern roots and time in Spain are certainly evident. Near the end, вЂњLetters In The MailboxвЂќ brings the listen into lounge territory with a tint of melancholy, and вЂњHeartbreak HolidaysвЂќ takes nods to earlier decades with its retro melodies. вЂњMediterranean X-MasвЂќ starts the listen lively and smooth with warm melodies and funk nods as the tune yields island grooves, and вЂњRed SuitвЂќ follows with a rich setting of folk-pop ideas.Д®lsewhere, вЂњEasy ManвЂќ offers light melodies with RouseвЂ™s strong pipes at the helm, while вЂњSleigh Brother BillвЂќ flows with playful percussion in the frisky atmosphere. Listen to The Holiday Sounds Of Josh RouseДЄ holiday record from a guy who has never formally dabbled in the genre before, Josh Rouse delivers an album thatвЂ™s certainly festive, but not in the traditional sense, as he (thankfully) avoids all the triteness we associate with music this time of the year.

The holiday sounds of josh rouse