DRESSED UP LIKE A MASTERPIECE: I've long been a fan of Josh Rouse. Back when I was at RollingStone.com I happened across his stellar debut, DRESSED UP LIKE NEBRASKA. Before long I had the pleasure of doing a 'phoner with him (special to Laurel: sounds dirty -- but all it means is I conducted a phone interview with him), and I found Josh to be humble, smart, and a pleasure to talk to. When he came to Chicago to play the Empty Bottle, my brother and I snatched him up after his show and took him back to my deck for a beer. He played us a few demos that would find their way onto his second album, and he proved to be as cool a guy in person as he'd been on the phone.

Anyway, he's five or six albums into his career now, and I've remained a fan throughout. But not too long ago I bought a copy of his latest, SUBTITULO, off iTunes, and the longer I've had it on heavy rotation in my headphones, the more I have to say: This is his masterwork. If you haven't checked out Josh yet, you really ought to. And if you're looking for a place to start, just about any song off SUBTITULO will do. Like heartache? Josh has you covered. Hopeful? Ditto. The guy's channeling something as real and beautiful and awful as life itself.