It's rare that you can pinpoint the
exact moment that an artist went from being good to great in your
eyes. The change is usually gradual, protracted and in a lot of
cases, non-existent. It's quite a stunning thing to see the change
happen instantly. For me, Josh Rouse's moment came with the release
of his fourth album,
1972. I'd known and liked Josh Rouse's
music for a while but it wasn't until my Dad played me an advanced
copy of
1972 in the car one day that I realised how good he
was. It wasn't just straightforward singer/songwriter stuff anymore.
He'd taken on board new influences and sounds and made an album with
a real groove to it. It was Shuggy Otis by way of Freedy Johnston,
yet completely original sounding at the same time.
1972 was a
huge leap forward for Josh Rouse. Then, two years later,
Nashville
came out.
