Nashville
Don't be fooled by the title of Josh Rouse's fifth solo album. Yes, the singer-songwriter lived in the commercial country music capital for nearly a decade. Yes, he has been known to use the occasional pedal steel guitar. And okay, thereisa soft southern lilt to his voice. But there are no rhinestone-studded cowboy hats or tattered American flags to be found in this "Nashville," an album of gentle AM radio nostalgia and understated folk-rock beauty. Influenced in equal parts by Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, and the Smiths, Rouse moves gracefully between intimate acoustic ballads ("Saturday") and handclap-drenched pop songs ("Winter In The Hamptons"), all the while delivering more personality and deft songwriting than his platinum-certified neighbors could ever conceive.-- Aidin Vaziri