Going Places

by Josh Rouse

Overview

Following detours into lush synth pop and jazzy Yuletide fare, singer/songwriter Josh Rouse circles back to his wheelhouse on Going Places, a breezy homemade record perfect for bopping around the barroom dancefloor, which as it happens was exactly his intention. A Nebraskan living the expat life in Spain, Rouse has spent a quarter-century exploring different avenues of cleverly built folk-pop, building up a prolific catalog and a reputation for consistent quality. Recorded at home during the global pandemic, Going Places is refreshingly warm and sweet, bearing little of contemporary society's ills and harking back to a more nostalgic time of early rock innocence. In that way it recalls Marshall Crenshaw's early albums where singer/songwriter craft meets late-'50s Brill Building rock and pop. With the music industry at a standstill, Rouse set his sights on writing a set of songs that yearn for a lively Saturday night at the local pub. He even had a place in mind. His Spanish bandmates had recently bought a local American-themed bar where zippy toe-tappers like "Apple of My Eye," "City Dog," and "The Lonely Postman'' would serve as a perfect soundtrack. He deftly avoids the more obvious retro-throwback production while serving up a platter of stripped-down organic pop, comfortably played by a small guitar combo. Going Places isn't a particularly challenging record, but that's not the point. Rouse imbues these little vignettes and easy-going love songs with his trademark charm and wit, creating a self-contained mood that has plenty of appeal. ~ Timothy Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	07/29/2022
Label:	Yep Roc
UPC:	0634457081215

Tracks

1. Apple of My Eye
2. City Dog
3. Henry Miller's Flat
4. Hollow Moon
5. Waiting on the Blue
6. She's in L.A.
7. There's Somebody Whose Job It Is
8. The Lonely Postman
9. Indian Summer
10. Stick Around

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Josh Rouse   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar (Nylon String)
Alfonso Luna   Drums
Cayo Bellveser   Bass
Xema Fuertes   Percussion
Jim Hoke   Saxophone
Brad Jones   Organ
Gary Louris   Vocals (Background)
Daniel Tashian   Wurlitzer,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Josh Rouse   Engineer,Producer,Photography,Composer
Jorge Marti Climent   Engineer
Paz Suay   Art Direction,Design
Brad Jones   Mixing
Mike Westbrook   Mastering