The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter

03/31/2008 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Rob O'Connor

Singer-songwriters often find themselves wondering how they can shake up their approach without losing their initial spark of inspiration. Take Josh Ritter, for example, who was born in Idaho, went to college in Ohio and headed to Boston to seek fame and fortune. He has a natural proclivity for songs that belong in a quiet room with just his acoustic guitar and the occasional sad, stray instrument. “The Temptation Of Adam” from his latest long-player, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (way to work yourself into the title!), is sweet and reflective, but you can also hear throughout the album how Ritter is determined to expand his range. So he adds a funky groove to his piano pumping for “Rumors.” “Right Moves” adds horns to punch it up and prove Ritter can party like someone who attends parties. But, really, Ritter, like many guys who write lovely songs on their guitars, just wants to talk and the wordrush of the album’s opener, “To The Dogs Or Whoever” show Ritter in what sociologists would call his “natural habitat.” Visit him here often.