Track Listing

1. Twilight
2. Nothing Gives Me Pleasure
3. Miracle
4. Christmas With Jesus
5. Under Cold Blue Stars
6. Ugly Stories
7. Feeling No Pain
8. Ears To The Ground
9. Summer Kitchen Ballad
10. Women And Men
11. The Whole Night Through

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55820 in Music
• Released on: 2002-02-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Under Cold Blue Stars, the third album from native Nebraskan, Josh Rouse, is full of elegant, melodic pop songs--both deftly understated and with hooks as catchy as Coldplay (who the opening song "Twilight" bears an uncanny resemblance to). This is music for folk in love with Americana and timeless pop: a gentle hinterland of melancholy and hope. A loose concept lies behind Under Cold Blue Stars; that of a fractious couple in the late 1950s, trying to come to terms with their life and relationship. "Christmas With Jesus" is an unashamedly beautiful realisation of their struggles, as is the upbeat title track: the music touching on sources as diverse as Nils Lofgren, The Cure and even Bruce Springsteen (albeit, a Springsteen shorn of all pride and aggrandisement). All this adds up to make Under Cold Blue Stars rather special. --Everett True

CD Description
'Under Cold Blue Stars' is the third album by the Nebraska-born, singer-songwriter. Critics have tended to associate his work with the Americana scene. Rouse's sound has developedsince his 1998 debut, 'Dressed Up Like Nebraska'; from stripped down acoustic tracks with brushed drums, to anthemic, fuller numbers.

Customer Reviews

Sublime. Alt-country has rarely sounded so good.
Josh Rouse has been recognised as a quality singer-songwriter for a few years now, his albums 'Dressed Up Like Nebraska' and 'Home' have been critically lauded but received indifferently by the public.

With 'Under Cold Blue Stars' though, Rouse truly deserves to reach an audience, not just his established fanbase, but to infinity and beyond. Lets get one thing straight this is a beautiful record. From the opening track 'Nothing Give Me Pleasure', as the drums kick in and the layers of sound develop before Rouse's voice breaks into falsetto and back for the chorus, it's obvious that something quite special is happening.

The thing which separates this album from the majority of melancholic folk/country albums which are flooding the market at the moment is that it has a depth and a core which is shared by some of the records of the moment and some of the timeless greats. Dylan's 'Blood On The Tracks', Ryan Adam's 'Heartbreaker', Nick Cave's 'The Boatman Calls' and Elliott Smith's 'Either/Or' all hold the same trait of surprising the listener by the consistent greatness of each track, never faltering and always endearing.

The album is said to have a loose concept of a couple living in the 1950s and all the trials and tribulations that life throws at them. The themes which this digs up are ideal fare for the melancholy which exudes from the album. To me though, focussing on the concept can limit the appreciation of the album and I wouldn't look into it too deeply and miss out on the gorgeous sounds which emanate throughout. The best thing to do when an album as good as this comes along is to just sit down, listen and enjoy.

I've only had this record for a week and its rare for me to make snap judgements on matters of music but, as you may have guessed, I genuinely adore this album. Here's to 'Under Cold Blue Stars' having a long reign in my record player.

sheer poetry
I first encountered Josh Rouse on the soundtrack of 'Vanilla Sky', and I knew then, I had to hear more of his stuff.. "Under Cold Blue Stars" is a great cd, full of poetic beauty and depth rarely seen in guitar-based music today. The songs are simple and perfect, and will be buzzing round your head for weeks after you hear them. Some real emotion and feeling has clearly gone into these songs, and it shows. This cd is a perfect accompaniment to quiet contemplation, and a great travelling companion too!

Perfect!
I dont know about anyone else, but I am always on the look out for new music, that is, well, a bit special. This certainly is what I have been looking for. Every single track completely sucks you in and demands you listen. Rouse has built this album loosely on a concept of love won to love lost, but this does not in any way hinder these feistily crafted pop (as in poppy, melodic, not Top 10, silly!) songs.
Futhermore you'll swear you have heard Nothing Gives Me Pleasure, and Miracle a hundred times before. You wont be able to place where though, Rouse has a knack of making songs seem familiar, and you'll love him for it. These songs sound classy in a Crowded House sort of way, yet contemporary and fresh in an Eels or Lampchop manner.
Make Josh Rouse your new best friend, and take him everywhere with you!