We all try desperately to find that one album we can listen to over and over again because when we do find it, our search is over, right? Well, maybe. I thought I found that one album about two years ago, but this summer I was proven wrong.
Led by my own curiosity and a recommendation from a very reliable friend, I purchased Josh Rouse’s Nashville. It begins with a rough acoustic guitar going over the same few chords over and over again. Rouse’s scruffy yet sweet voice lets flow the sweet nothings of loving observation. “You play your stereo loud / you got your headphone on / I see you dancing around / to your favorite song,” he sings. “It’s the nighttime, baby,” he says, “don’t let go of my love.” It’s a simple love song, but it’s catchy as hell.
Each of Rouse’s albums seems to have distinctive sounds, and Nashville is no exception. You can feel the difference between this album, released in 2005 and the more disco inflected 1972 released in 2003. Before the release of Nashville, Rouse’s marriage ended, and he moved from Nashville, Tenn. to Spain. The album, mixing upbeat melodies with, at times, heartbreaking lyrics sums up that feeling of having to move on.
Perhaps one of the best examples of that feeling is the heart wrenching “My Love Has Gone.” The starts with a dreamy yet surprisingly cheerful harmonica, leading into Rouse’s lament: “Love ain’t on my side / love ain’t special / love ain’t great / lost in a fog / I’m using spite to find my way / where did you go / I still curse you to this day / I miss her smile / I miss her laughing in my face.”
The album is the perfect album for when you’re up and about, and it’s the perfect album for that not oh-so-sun-shiny day. In all my years, I’ve never found an album I loved more. Give it a listen, and perhaps you’ll feel the same.
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