Roots pop singer/songwriter Josh Rouse is a melodic folk / soft rock singer. He was born in 1972 in Nebraska, living in California, Tennessee, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Georgia, and Arizo...
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Roots pop singer/songwriter Josh Rouse is a melodic folk / soft rock singer. He was born in 1972 in Nebraska, living in California, Tennessee, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Georgia, and Arizona during the years to follow; obsessed as a teen with British cult favorites like The Smiths and The Cure, he learned to play guitar from his uncle and wrote his first song at 18. Signing to the Rykodisc subsidiary Slow River, in 1998, Rouse issued his debut album, Dressed Up Like Nebraska, to widespread critical acclaim; upon settling in Nashville, he was befriended by Kurt Wagner, frontman of the endlessly brilliant chamber country group Lambchop, and in the fall of 1999, the two singers/songwriters issued a collaborative EP, Chester. Rouse’s second solo LP, Home, appeared the following spring and was followed by Under the Cold Blue Stars in 2002. For his next record Rouse hooked up with producer Brad Jones and the resulting album in 2003, 1972, was both a homage to the soft rock sounds of Rouse’s youth and an opening up and deepening of his sound. Before the release of his next album, Rouse’s marriage ended and he moved from Nashville to Spain. This spawned 2004’s Nashville, an example of his versatile musical talent, featuring a blend of Rock, Jazz and Ballad. It served as a farewell to both the city and his marriage; it was also his most fully realized record to date. This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com’s Top 100 Editor’s Picks of 2005 (#80).  [ Hide ]