The Smooth Sounds of Josh Rouse (DVD & CD)
The title alone--The Smooth Sounds of Josh Rouse--might suggest, wrongly, that singer-songwriter Josh Rouse is just another slacker musician with an ironic, mocking sense of humor. Rouse, who was 31 at the time of this 2003 live recording, may or may not in fact be a slacker, but the Nebraska-born, Nashville-based artist's sounds reallyaresmooth, making for a very pleasant ride throughout this DVD/CD hybrid package (the concert DVD and accompanying documentary are each about an hour long; the audio-onlyRaritiesCD runs about 45 minutes). Drawing primarily from his '031972CD, Rouse and band play a set that could easily (and apparently intentionally) fit nicely into that year, when the likes of Carole King and James Taylor were in their primes. This is music that's neither lightweight nor especially exciting--titles like "Sunshine," "Love Vibration," and "Feeling No Pain" offer a clue--with nice, hummable melodies delivered by a singer with a decent if unexceptional voice (Rouse also has a likeable enough stage manner, but comments like "How you feelin'? You feelin' good?" don't do much to support the DVD liner notes' contention that he is "a superb entertainer"). Somewhat faint praise, perhaps, but you could do a whole lot worse than spend an evening in Josh Rouse's company.--Sam Graham