who the hell is Josh Rouse and how did he get inside me like that? Josh's plaintive, sweetly naive tenor is juxtaposed by a rich, sonic backdrop of haunting feedback and wurlitzer that gives an emotional power to his lyrics,yet never cocoons them. Pain and longing are the stuff of these watercolors, and the mesmerizing, subtle arrangments remind me a bit of Chris Whitley's best work on "Living with the Law". But you cannot pigeon-hole Rouse's work very easily. His lyrics are so personal that the listener at times feels almost an eavesdropper. In "The White Trash Period of My Life" the simple refrain, "happy and willing to die for your love.." becomes tremendously moving. David Henry's production--most of the album was recorded in his home studio--is just about perfect. Dressed Up Like Nebraska haunts me, and if you lend him your ears, Josh Rouse will haunt you, too.