1972

Yet another (sigh) singer songwriter heading our way, Nebraskan Josh Rouse does at least seem to have a little more up his sleeve than most. Under Cold Blue Stars, his last album, was something of a concept piece while 1972 is similarly thematic – drawing on the music of that era.

Judging by the sleeve notes Rouse talks a good game, if a slightly pretentious one: “I was listening to Carole King while in line at a McDonald’s drive thru”, he says of the title track, “and a cute Spanish girl with a tattoo on her neck handed me my change and combo. There’s the song”. Hmmm.

Thankfully, the album itself is not quite so portentous, often doing a pretty good job interpreting a not-exactly-inspiring period for music. There are dashes of funk and soul here and there and, at its best (the exuberent ‘Slaveship’), 1972 reaches the heights of Elton John, Billy Joel and latterly Ben Folds and Ed Harcourt. Having made it to this mid-set highlight, however, the album slides into a bland second half, full of great ideas that somehow don’t seem to translate into great songs. Pleasant but patchy.