Product Description

Over the clatter of piano and strum of an electric guitar that opens his fourth studio album, Josh Ritter leaps into rapid-fire lyrics that reference Joan of Arc, Calamity Jane and Florence Nightingale, all of whom seem to be struck together in the belly of a whale. As the follow-up to last year's critically acclaimed album The Animal Years, The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter is his most adventurous, fresh, and freewheeling work to date.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8089 in Music
• Released on: 2007-08-21
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
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 Dogs or Whoever," dropping biblical and historical images like a fresh-faced Dylan. Except here, Ritter throws in an organ-fueled, ride-cymbal-crashing, drum-hefty clatter. It's majestic, and it's only the first three minutes. Recorded between stints on a never-ending tour, Historical reflects Ritter on the road, quick witted, a master of phraseology and of imagery. Horns show up as color, giving Ritter a soulful vibe on "Right Moves," a raucous funkiness on "Rumors," and a doleful cloudiness on "The Temptation of Adam." More than anything, Ritter here lays claim to absolute singularity--yes, colored by Dylan and Bruce but simultaneously enlivened by something magical and simple and gorgeous. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews

A little in love with this music
Josh Ritter's lyrics and melodies make him, in my humble opinion, a more likely candidate for the new Dylan sound than even Bright Eyes. His music lacks a certain pretension other artists in the same eclectic genre maintain. I find his work wonderfully underproduced and beautifully crafted. I am never disappointed in the integrity of his work. Its the perfect music for watching the rain, roadtripping, or reflecting on the past.

Amazing songwriting
Great album.
Got it today and it's now on the third spin.
Great songs, great lyrics, great musicianship, great sound.

This may be the best of Ritter's albums so far, even for those who fell for any of the previous albums (like me) and expected never to hear anything as good as the songs "You've got the moon", "Kathleen" or "Bone song".

Well, he's done it.

Every song in this album is better than the previous one, every lyric is clear as crystal and the previous albums, though great in their own, are a step below this one.
"Right Moves", "Temptation of Adam", "Waiting for love"... well, 14 awesome songs, great production and Josh Ritter with amazing musicians, sounds and songs.

I'm a record producer and a musician myself and, let me get this straight:
i wish these were my songs and my production.
Thankyou Mr.Ritter

Production values
I first heard Josh earlier this year performing on "Artists Den," and my ears were buzzing with pleasure. I immediately sampled tracks off his albums, and I recognized that the songs I liked the most from the show were all on "Historical Conquests." His earlier work is certainly smart, but this album had exactly what I was looking for: fun yet thoughtful music. The added intrumentation gives the songs rich layers, though occasionally some sounds can be grating. The bonus disc sounds like a group of tracks that didn't make the grade for this album, so don't stress if you missed out on it.