Josh Ritter's new disc is giving me faith in the record industry for the first time in, oh, I can't remember. This guy has steadily put out four albums, each a step forward.
His first disc established his singer-songwriter chops and his most recent, "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter," takes things to a whole new level. Who knew the guy had this much inventiveness and ambition? He combines horns, strings, keyboards, slamming drums and barrelhouse arrangements that evoke "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde on Blonde" era Bob Dylan. I don't think Ritter would invite that comparison - I interviewed him once in 2002, and the last thing this guy seemed to carry with him was Dylan's I-know-I'm-a-genius arrogance. Every time I have seen him play, he comes dressed in a suit and quiet earnestness.
But the lyrics and arrangements on the new album belie that impression. He wants his sound to explode and doesn't care if the shrapnel hits you: "My orchestra is gigantic/ This thing could sink the Titanic / And the string section's screaming / Like horses in a barn burning up (from the song "Rumors") There are echoes of everything from Paul Simon to The Clash in these songs, but never enough to overwhelm his presence.
Most bands never make it to their fourth album. It's nice to see a guy get there at a slow but steady pace (if you call four albums in about five years steady), even as other bands and artists get hit singles and then sink back into the muck.
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i havent heard the record, but i want to. saw him at the bruce tribute at carnegie hall. he was introduced as about to play the river, alone with his guitar. oh no. he completely disarmed me -- talked about the rambling and poignant river intro on the live box set in a rambling and poignant intro about high school in idaho. highlight of the show.
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