Josh Rouse
Album: The Happiness Waltz
Label: Yep Roc
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.joshrouse.com

I first came across Josh Rouse in the early noughties and really liked his 2003 album, "1972". Since then I must confess he's drifted off my radar. Well with the release of his new album, "The Happiness Waltz", let's just say, that radar has picked up a blip and it's moving towards the centre.

Part of the reason for that loss of perception was Josh relocating from Nebraska to Spain and spending a lot of time focusing on his young family. In fact the majority of the new album was recorded there.

Josh's relocation to Spain seems to have done him the world of good, "The Happiness Waltz" feels like one of the more relaxed album he's made. It's still incredibly tight and his love of words screams at you pretty much throughout the album. His writing has lost none of its intensity, it just seems that some of it has been channelled through a contentment filter and actually it makes a nice change to hear a generally positive album.

That said there are a couple of weakspots on the album "It's Good To Have You" comes across as a little too saccharine as is "Our Love", though both songs have got a radio friendliness about them. In an album context they are counterbalanced by the sharpness of songs like "This Movie's Way Too Long"

Soundwise there has been more of a drift toward the world of adult orientated pop, though definitely one with an Americana drawl, than his previous albums. "The Happiness Waltz" is a very polished album and there are definitely a lot of songs where it sparkles, but for me there were times when it was a little too smooth.

Neil King