Josh Rouse - Subtitulo

Genre rock Publisher Nettwerk Music Group / Bedroom Classics External Links Official Josh Rouse Website Official Nettwerk Music Group Website

Possibly the least controversial music of the year was released by Josh Rouse on his seventh album, Subtitulo. If you find yourself in any kind of tense situation, this album is the wet blanket that will surely induce foes to kiss, make-up, and hold hands with you for at least two hours and then the effect wears off.

Bedroom Classics is an apt label imprint for Rouse whose specialty is creating succinct acoustic introspective ballads that are meant to be played in utter silence. That, or at a coffee shop with six people in it.

Subtitulo begins with the finger picked "Quiet Town" that sets the mood for the entire album. A rapid, but subdued, pace builds up in the song as Rouse sings about small town life and lusts after the slow pace - clearly a space that he would like to continue in. To top it off, a whistle adds to the airy, back of the bus impromptu jam of the song.

The rest of the album follows the same modest pace. "Summertime" could have easily been spawned from a three piece jam session in a coffee shop, and "It Looks Like Love" fell out from a '70's singer/songwriter time capsule. If one were to pick the album's focal point, "His Majesty Rides" would be it following it's "Spooky"-esque Moog groove.

Besides the sometimes circular subject matter, Josh Rouse's music isn't difficult to digest. Most comparable to Rouse would have to be the easy going Jack Johnson, but Rouse's music comes more naturally than that. It's a gift that Rouse makes it seem to easy to create this type of music without being condescending.