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From:Josh Rouse , Rhino / Rykodisc ,
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See Product Page
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#10052 |
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 missing the radar, 2008-11-19
Josh Rouse has been plying his trade for the past 10 years, consistently churning out great albums, but to date, he remains just off the radar of prominent success.
Considering how successful the likes of Jason Mraz and John Mayer are these days, it comes as quite a surprise why Rouse can't attain such stellar status.
This collection traces his output from 1998 to 2005. All the tunes sound so good, it's hard to name a favourite. My only gripe is that 'Miracles', from 'Under the Cold Blue Stars' isn't on the tracklist. However, the 2nd disc of outtakes and rarities more than makes up for that omission.
 a truly great deal, 2008-11-16
For a double disc album, this price is more than fair! I saw josh rouse perform live last month and just had to order some of his music. This seemed like the best bang for my buck, and I'm very pleased with the purchase.
Indispensable, 2008-10-09
I own and cherish everything this guy's done. I hesitated on pulling the trigger on a collection with a great deal of stuff I already bought or downloaded, but listening to Disc One the other day made me wonder why I would ever doubt J.R.. And Disc Two might be better for those of us lucky enough to be up to speed with his unrivaled catalogue. Timeless.
2 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
Truly a "best of", 2008-09-23
Given the limitations of time (80 minute CD) and representation (at least one song from each of his proper albums), this "best of" fulfills its title about as well as it can. As a long time fan, I find the selections pretty accurately cover my favorites--with one glaring exception being the uplifting "Miracle" off the "Under Cold Blue Stars" album.
Josh Rouse is an adept storyteller with a knack for a gorgeous melody. His songs depict very real, relatable scenarios (and, accordingly, carry much emotional weight). At his best, these elements combine for dramatic effect, be it joyful and optimistic ("It's the Nighttime," "Rise," "Feeling No Pain") or heartbreaking ("My Love Is Gone," "Michigan"). Stylistically, he can handle an alt-country groove and 70's disco-pop with equal skill, ensuring he never lets himself get too redundant with his songwriting.
Disc 1 is about the best collection of modern adult pop you'll find anywhere. Disc 2 will be enjoyable for fans--especially the inclusion of all six tracks from the rare "Bedroom Classics, vol. 1"--but most of the demos here, while decent and interesting in their differences from the final versions appearing on other albums, are not nearly as impeccable as the songs on Disc 1.
CHECK OUT: "Dressed Up Like Nebraska," "Feeling No Pain," "Rise," "It's the Nighttime," "Michigan," "Suburban Sweetheart (demo)"
4 of 4 customers found the following review helpful:
The Astonishing Josh Rouse, 2008-09-17
If you haven't heard of Josh Rouse yet I'm not too surprised. He certainly isn't mainstream. Instead Josh has been crafting catchy melodies and concise albums with little or no filler; each album so different from the next it's difficult to market this artist as merely alt country (or rock, or pop, or 70's retro, or folk, etc.). He is easily the most talented and dynamic artist over the last decade to put music on compact disc.
The first disc is a great opportunity for a beginner to have a taste of everything. This collection includes a few of his favorite songs from all 6 of his albums with RYKODISC. The only drawback to hearing these tunes in an "arbitrary" order is the fact that you'll miss the context (the theme or prevailing influece) that Rouse provides in the original albums. Of course if you like what you hear then the real reward comes from listening to each individual in it's entirety, each of which are better on their own merit than any best-of collection could possibly be.
Of course I was familiar with all of Rouse's previous albums when I purchased this. Which leads me to why Disc 2 is a must buy for avid fans: Bedroom Classics Vol 1. Ladies and Gentlemen, these songs have been IMPOSSIBLE to come by until now. This is the rarest of Rouse -- only 750 EPs were put into circulation and the last time I saw one it was on Ebay 3 years ago with bids running as high as $130 for these 6 songs. There is also other pretty good unissued songs on Disc 2 but the main event is definitely The Rare EP in it's entirety.
Alright, quit reading this and add this awesome CD to your cart. Don't look back. Enjoy!
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