Josh Ritter Albums (7)
'Live at the 9:30 Club'
Release Date 1/1/2008
Tracks 8
Label Independent
See Album Tracklist and Review
'The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter'
Release Date 8/21/2007
Tracks 14
Label RCA
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, despite its lofty title, does not come with a four-paneled foldout map with a bejeweled compass rose, nor does it feature the art of Roger Dean or the keyboard theatrics of Rick Wakeman. Instead, Ritter's fifth foray into full-length album land is loaded with walls of electric guitars, waves of brass, ebbing tides of strings, and enough colorful analogies both historical and biblical to ignite a thousand cigars and refill an equally impressive number of brandy snifters. Listeners looking for a sequel to 2006's beautiful, bittersweet, contemplative (and primarily acoustic) Animal Years will either need to board another train or realign their senses, as Ritter has made the rowdiest record of his career. On first listen, the Idaho-born singer/songwriter's Historical Conquests are a dense bunch, both lyrically and musically, but further spins reveal a carousel of folk-rock splendor that echoes everyone from Springsteen to Ron Sexsmith to Summerteeth-era Wilco. Opener "To the Dogs or Whoever," with its motor-mouthed emissions of love cloaked in the mythology of Joan of Arc, rants and raves for a mere three minutes, but by the time he catches his breath on the last refrain of "I thought I heard somebody calling in the dark," it's hard not to feel like you've spent the whole time in the "belly of that whale" with him. Things don't slow down from there, with the Spoon-inspired rocker "Mind's Eye" and the "roll the credits" crowd-pleaser "Right Moves" providing a one-two punch that makes the gorgeous "Temptation of Adam," with its elegiac horn arrangement and apocalyptic backdrop, a welcome respite. It's diverse for sure, but the melodies are born of familiar glue. "Heart Still Beating" and "Wait for Love" will please fans of the last record and the Johnny Cash freight-train rumble of "Next to the Last Romantic" will light up even the most solemn heartland drive home, but they revel in the "hummable" Tin Pan Alley warmth of Hank Williams and early Tom Waits. Historical Conquests is above all a fun record. It's got all of the heartache, acute observation, and crushing truth that fans are used to, but it never preaches without a wink and, most importantly, sounds as good blisteringly loud as it does drifting out of a clock radio in the garage. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Idaho-bred singer/songwriter Josh Ritter's V2 Records debut follows in the footsteps of 2003's Hello Starling only in instrumentation. While he retains his literate tongue and expressive voice, there is far less humor on Animal Years than on his previous two outings. Producer Brian Deck (Iron & Wine, Modest Mouse) keeps Animal Years intimate but transient, like a circus train crawling through a small town on a busy Saturday afternoon. Essentially built around two startlingly affecting diatribes on the war in Iraq, Ritter utilizes the voices of Peter and Paul, as well as Laurel & Hardy, to eke some kind of explanation from both the Administration and the Creator. The first, the deceptively sweet-sounding "Girl in the War," threatens "The angels fly around in there, but we can't see them/I got a girl in the war, Paul I know that they can hear me yell/If they can't find a way to help her they can go to Hell." The second, "Thin Blue Flame," is a nearly ten-minute rant that follows the Velvet Underground "Heroin" arc of tinder to spark to full-on blaze in a way that hasn't worked for anyone in a long time, but most certainly does here. The other cuts never reach the same heights, but standouts such as "Wolves," with its sunrise gallop and "Whole of the Moon"-era Waterboys piano, and the languid "Monster Ballads" soar only inches beneath them. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'In the Dark: Live at Vicar Street'
Release Date 1/1/2006
Tracks 38
Label Independent
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Quibbles about the DVD half of this two-disc set aside (some American purchasers have had difficulty getting their players to cooperate), In the Dark: Live at Vicar Street, recorded over two spring nights in 2006, gets to the heart of what makes Josh Ritter more than just another folkie. In a word, it's spirit: from fan favorite "Me & Jiggs" to "Leaving," the audio disc's closer, Ritter rips through these songs as though he's been waiting years to play them. It helps, for sure, that his Irish audience is so receptive -- the howls go up especially for the sweetly romantic "Kathleen" -- but song for song Ritter's sure-footed way with his tunes and his deep desire to connect with his listeners speak loudest. Live recordings sometimes rob subtleties from the music; here they're reinforced by sheer will. Ritter, on In the Dark, comes off as both a likable guy and a strong, skillful showman. ~ Tammy La Gorce, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Idaho songwriter Josh Ritter has received a lot of attention for his fine, spare songwriting and his no-frills approach to performance. As a result of his excellent debut album Golden Age of Radio, he's become a critic's darling all over the U.S. and a full-tilt pop star in Ireland. He's like a lot of young people who are shining stars upon arrival, except for one thing: the proof of his staying power is on Hello Starling, his sophomore effort for Signature Sounds. Over the course of 11 new songs, Ritter reveals that not only is he not a fluke, but he seems to have arrived on the scene fully formed. He writes with the wisdom of someone twice his age, and a sense of tender, subtle humor is as important to him as is his ability to write a personality sketch or even a love song. Recorded with Curtis Mayfield's old gear in a ramshackle French farmhouse over 14 days, Hello Starling is seemingly straight-ahead folk-rock recording that accents the more unobtrusive aspects of living in the modern world. Like Rufus Wainwright, Ritter takes the approach of being in each setting he writes about. His power of observance, not only for scenery and characters but subtle emotional states, is remarkable. He may be the guy in the story or a tree on the sidewalk, but he's there. And while his topics would not indicate being any big deal, they are quite simply profound. "Kathleen" is the story of a young man who waits on the sidelines at a party to get the opportunity to drive a young woman home. His protagonist is full of the shy, geek-love need of a bystander who has long desired a woman who doesn't even know he's alive. But rather than merely ache with the unrequited love he believes he is entitled to, he summons his bravado -- buoyed by a Hammond B3, ringing electric guitars, and a poetry that is as shot through with Kenneth Patchen's last romantic ideals as it is with Mike Scott's Celtic pop melodic sensibility -- and makes his stand under the moonlight. It's an anthem for the shy. "Man Burning" is a glimmering rocker with acoustic guitars in the forefront and the B3 careening over the lyrics. The story is about a man whose regrets are shackled to him, yet he seeks to transcend them with his passion for living and for regret. But there is also the tenderness of the poet, whose metalinguistic tome about writing ("Bone of Song") is heartbreakingly profound in its reverence for the craft and for the altar of the thing itself. Leonard Cohen would have been proud to write this song. Ritter's entire album can be summed up in the rocker "Snow Is Gone" when he sings "I'd rather be the one who loved than to be loved and never even know," with the kind of worldly wisdom Guy Clark has consumed himself with seeking over 30 years. Hello Starling is a step beyond Golden Age of Radio in craft, maturity, vision, and in kindness; it's one of the few recordings that has been released in recent years that will be being played a decade from now. Isn't that the true test of art, even when it's popular -- its endurance? ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Golden Age of Radio'
Release Date 1/22/2002
Tracks 12
Label Signature
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Few young singer/songwriters have quite so quickly won the sort of acclaim that Idaho-born Josh Ritter gained with his first self-released album, which won rave reviews, earned him slots opening for Bob Dylan, and made him a minor celebrity in Ireland, where he's already headlined several tours. Ritter's second disc (and first nationally released album), Golden Age of Radio, makes it clear that his sudden success is well deserved, and based on genuine talent. Ritter's moody, evocative songs seems to reside in a middle ground between Richard Buckner and Ryan Adams, but without suggesting he's lifted anything from either of those performers; his quiet but assured vocals and carefully drawn verbal images on numbers like "Come and Find Me" and "Lawrence, KS" are the work of a writer far more mature than his years would suggest, while the more up-tempo numbers with his band (especially "Me & Jiggs" and "Golden Age of Radio") have a scrappy enthusiasm that suggest early Whiskeytown, without their overbearing arrogance. As both as writer and a performer, Ritter displays a modesty that's at once winning and just a bit of a drawback; a few of the acoustic numbers are just a shade too spare for their own good, and he works well enough with a band that it's hard not to wish that they'd be willing to put a little more of their weight behind the arrangements. But the best moments on Golden Age of Radio are truly splendid, and if the album suggests that Josh Ritter is still learning the ropes, what he knows already is more than many artists will ever figure out. Great stuff. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
