The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

( 8 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - James Christopher Monger
The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, despite its lofty title, does not come with a four-paneled foldout map with a bejeweled compass rose, nor does it feature the art of Roger Dean or the keyboard theatrics of Rick Wakeman. Instead, Ritter's fifth foray into full-length album land is loaded with walls of electric guitars, waves of brass, ebbing tides of strings, and enough colorful analogies both historical and biblical to ignite a thousand cigars and refill an equally impressive number of brandy snifters. Listeners looking for a sequel to 2006's beautiful, bittersweet, contemplative (and primarily acoustic) Animal Years will either need to board another ...
See more details below
CD
$7.99
BN.com price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (CD)
  • All (9) from $6.27   
  • New (9) from $6.27   

More About This Product

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - James Christopher Monger
The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, despite its lofty title, does not come with a four-paneled foldout map with a bejeweled compass rose, nor does it feature the art of Roger Dean or the keyboard theatrics of Rick Wakeman. Instead, Ritter's fifth foray into full-length album land is loaded with walls of electric guitars, waves of brass, ebbing tides of strings, and enough colorful analogies both historical and biblical to ignite a thousand cigars and refill an equally impressive number of brandy snifters. Listeners looking for a sequel to 2006's beautiful, bittersweet, contemplative (and primarily acoustic) Animal Years will either need to board another train or realign their senses, as Ritter has made the rowdiest record of his career. On first listen, the Idaho-born singer/songwriter's Historical Conquests are a dense bunch, both lyrically and musically, but further spins reveal a carousel of folk-rock splendor that echoes everyone from Springsteen to Ron Sexsmith to Summerteeth-era Wilco. Opener "To the Dogs or Whoever," with its motor-mouthed emissions of love cloaked in the mythology of Joan of Arc, rants and raves for a mere three minutes, but by the time he catches his breath on the last refrain of "I thought I heard somebody calling in the dark," it's hard not to feel like you've spent the whole time in the "belly of that whale" with him. Things don't slow down from there, with the Spoon-inspired rocker "Mind's Eye" and the "roll the credits" crowd-pleaser "Right Moves" providing a one-two punch that makes the gorgeous "Temptation of Adam," with its elegiac horn arrangement and apocalyptic backdrop, a welcome respite. It's diverse for sure, but the melodies are born of familiar glue. "Heart Still Beating" and "Wait for Love" will please fans of the last record and the Johnny Cash freight-train rumble of "Next to the Last Romantic" will light up even the most solemn heartland drive home, but they revel in the "hummable" Tin Pan Alley warmth of Hank Williams and early Tom Waits. Historical Conquests is above all a fun record. It's got all of the heartache, acute observation, and crushing truth that fans are used to, but it never preaches without a wink and, most importantly, sounds as good blisteringly loud as it does drifting out of a clock radio in the garage.
Entertainment Weekly - Leah Greenblatt
... a sprawling diorama of down-home rhythms and thoughtful lyrics... [A-]
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 8/21/2007
  • Label: Rca
  • UPC: 886971225624
  • Catalog Number: 712256
  • Sales rank: 36,934

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 To the Dogs or Whoever (3:02)
  2. 2 Mind's Eye (2:53)
  3. 3 Right Moves (3:44)
  4. 4 The Temptation of Adam (4:12)
  5. 5 Open Doors (2:35)
  6. 6 Rumors (3:31)
  7. 7 Edge of the World (1:41)
  8. 8 Wait for Love (3:46)
  9. 9 Real Long Distance (2:42)
  10. 10 Next to the Last Romantic (2:49)
  11. 11 Moons (0:51)
  12. 12 Still Beating (3:49)
  13. 13 Empty Hearts (4:40)
  14. 14 Wait for Love (You Know You Will) (2:37)
Read More Show Less

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Josh Ritter Primary Artist, Guitar, Vocals
Liam Hurley Percussion, Drums
Sam Kassirer Organ, Guitar, Percussion, Piano, Electric Piano, Vibes
Zack Hickman Acoustic Guitar, Trombone, Electric Bass, Electric Guitar, Background Vocals, Double Bass, Lap Steel Guitar, Guitar (Baritone)
Douglas Rice Background Vocals
Matt Duglas Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Background Vocals
Technical Credits
Kristen Smith Engineer
Jeff Lipton Mastering
Josh Ritter Composer
Jessica Thompson Mastering
Sam Kassirer Producer, Engineer, Horn Arrangements, String Arrangements, String Writing
Zack Hickman Horn Arrangements
Douglas Rice Contributor
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 8 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(5)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(1)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing all of 8 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 11, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 21, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 5, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 26, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 25, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 25, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 5, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 23, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 8 Customer Reviews