like music? I always assumed they would like records as objects rather than the music on them.

Steve, the comment says more about the reviewer than about Josh Rouse. It's so stupid it deserves no more of my time.

in the paper on friday used the (I thought) banned phrase "....sounds like michael nyman on acid" very poor

Chester is a great collaboration with Kurt Wagner. May I suggest you also go and check out Josh's debut Dressed Up Like Nebraska?
Critics? Well..... many in The Word parish found a recent review of The Felice Brothers new album to be a tad ill-judged by comparing the band to Python's Four Yorkshiremen. I was also rather mystified by NME's slating of the Little Jackie album. But then I find most of what NME says these days to be rather mystifying.
Where are my slippers?

.....don't many of us have already pre-conceived ideas of what is and will be good? We thus pick our reviews and journals carefully, to reflect that. You are, I dare say, unlikely to find a favourable review of Cat Stevens in Kerrang, or, dodgy ground here, Daniel O'Donnell, in the Word. So, like horoscopes, if "your" disc is reviewed less well than anticipated, you read further until you find a better review.... OK, this is somewhat extreme, and perhaps only applies to the small proportion, even in Words meagre selection, about which one is sufficiently partisan as to always covet, good, bad or indifferent.
(Actually, to entirely rubbish my argument, for musics I am less familiar with, I will be led by the opinions offered, again, however, dependent upon where I read it, or for the few recognisably named reviewers, their own seldom hid prejudices.)

I particularly like will rarely if ever influence whether I buy the cd or not. Reviews of artists I am in two minds about may swing me a bit. In this particular instance I had already bought the cd. The strength of the comments lead me to think my judgement had been faulty. The cd has now arrived and I am pleased to say I am more than happy with it although anyone that was tempted to buy it but read the review before doing so would surely have been put off.

...of the more bizarre reviews I've read recently, as far as I can see it has absolutely nothing to say about the music itself (though as it's from NME, I shouldn't be too surprised!!):

http://www.nme.com/reviews/seasick-steve/9926

I only have one Josh Rouse album, Nashville, but it's great and I've been meaning to pick up more. Ridiculous review.

is a cracker and my favourite. But they'll all decent enough.

I'd also like to give a mention to Marvin Gaye (Josh's song on the Home CD in this instance), Love Vibration (from 1972) and Winter In The Hamptons (from Nashville) which I think are all equally good.