Album Review: Josh Ritter – ‘The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter’

By Jeff Swindoll Aug 22, 2007, 14:30 GMT

You\'re presently reading about what may be the best album of 2007, hands down, by the most under-accorded American musical genius. Real murmurs, believable ones, came with Josh Ritter\'s 2006 album, Animal Year, suggesting that the Idahoan is today\'s Bruce Springsteen, today\'s Bob Dylan. He\'s never sounded more the part than on Historical Conquests, the follow-up to Animal. Ritter\'s tripping over his syllables and allusions on the opener, "To the ...more

Josh Ritter conquered Moscow, but not the one that you immediately thing of but Moscow, Idaho (his home town).  Ritter sprang onto the music scene in 1999 with his self titled, self released freshman recording. 

He rose to prominence in 2002 at the Newport Folk Festival and other appearances and it’s been uphill ever since.  Although that hill was fraught with some potholes, his label V2 went under on the same night that he appeared on the David Letterman Show. 

However, Ritter is back and on Sony/BMG with ‘The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter.”  Historical might be a more correct word in the title than is believed in that Ritter seems to be moving through history and his inspirations (to my untrained ear).

He starts off with the Bob Dylan inspired “To the Dogs or Whoever,” moves into the Paul McCartney sounding “Mind’s Eye,” and continues into George Harrison territory with “Right Moves.”  Again, maybe it was just me and my untrained ear. 

“The Temptation of Adam” seems to be more in his own voice or maybe I just didn’t hear a familiar sound. 

I liked what I heard whether it was inspired by others or not and Ritter is poised to write a new chapter in his history. 

‘The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter’ is now available at Amazon. Visit the music database for more information.