Though it’s what he does, Josh Rouse wasn’t entirely bent on making another album. “After 14 years working with Yep Roc Records, my contract had come to an end,” says the Nashville-based singer/songwriter. “I’d lost a bit of the drive to start another record.”
Then longtime collaborator Brad Jones suggested they spend a day at his studio in Nashville. They came away with “Parnell Street” and “Short Order Cook,” two understated character studies that Rouse promptly put out of his mind.
A few months later, the two ran into each other at a New Year’s Eve party, and Jones went in for the kill. Over three additional sessions, Rouse, Jones and drummer Fred Eltringham (Wallflowers, Sheryl Crow) worked quickly, tracking live in the morning and adding overdubs later in the day. Jones occasionally stayed behind to add the subtle instrumental details that give the finished songs their understated elegance.
The resulting Museums And Women (New West) reunites Rouse with the producer of arguably his two best albums, 2003’s 1972 and the following year’s Nashville. But where those LPs drew heavily on the sounds of a particular era or the energy and vibe of a particular city, this new collection gets its mojo from the people and places Rouse has encountered on the road. Its title came from a John Updike book he picked up in a used bookstore, a fitting reference for an album fixated on the stories (real and otherwise) we carry with us.
“I’ve eked out a living touring solo for more than half my career,” says Rouse. “Listening rooms, airports, train stations and late-night restaurants have a way of slowing down your eye. I found myself writing more like an observer, turning passing strangers into small, cinematic portraits. Postcards from the road, sent a little late.”
Here’s more from Rouse.
—Hobart Rowland
1) “Spring”
“It began as a chord pattern and a melody with no words called “Fling,” which might’ve been a little optimistic. I passed it along to Nick Lowe. He took his time. I changed the title and kept moving.”
2) “January Sky”
“A quiet kind of love. The words had something, the melody didn’t. I shifted it onto a new progression, and it settled in. Brad finds it on the Rhodes.”
3) “Parnell Street”
“I was in Dublin with Grant-Lee Phillips, looking out over Parnell Street. A group of girls were laughing, taking photos. Nothing unusual. I filled in the rest.”
4) “Short Order Cook”
“It’s a letter song. I had one years ago, “Michigan,” that found its way into the set. This one came after an article about (Nashville’s historic) Hermitage Cafe shutting down. The first title was the obvious one.”
5) “Wanderlust”
“I’ve finally found a show opener. Fifteen records in, that’s still a small nuisance. A nod to the troubadour life—and the people who learn to live alongside it.”
6) “Museums And Women”
“I had the name of the record, but no song to match it. I wrote this the day before a session, half-guessing. It’s one of my favorites now.”
7) “Things Are Looking Up”
“A simple turn toward the positive side. Valencia (Spain) in the background. Erin Moran (A Girl Called Eddy) gives it something extra.”
8) “Sunday In The Country”
“Like the album title, I borrowed this one—from a French film … Wrote it while it was still playing. It had a breezy feel I kept.”
9) “Other Side Of The Tracks”
“A nod to Jean-Luc Godard, though it plays out more like David Lynch. You’re not quite sure where you stand, but you stay anyway.”
10) “Red Apple Road”
“A proper ending. It lingered for a year before Daniel Tashian helped it along with a bridge and a well-timed shift.”
See Josh Rouse live.
