On his fifth album, folkster Josh Ritter offers up a big slice of Americana with a wide variety of tracks that stylistically spans several decades. With a compelling range of tempos and narratives, The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter is a sizable folk patchwork. But Historical Conquests… isn’t just your standard folk – it’s a contagious country heart/rock soul able charm itself into an adult contemporary world.
Historical Conquests… is heavily acoustic, but varies from loud & gritty to velvety & quiet. The opening track, “To The Dogs Or Whoever”, recalls Bob Dylan as much as any song ever down to the slack-jawed vocal whims and iconic pop culture references. The next track, “Mind’s Eye” is more stark, with a stabbing electric guitar setting the pace. “Right Moves” is a coasting, 70’s pop-rock gem, while “The Temptation Of Adam” is a somber acoustic ballad with some of Ritter’s most visual lyrics. The degrees of difference in these tracks showcase Ritter’s range throughout the album.
It’s not just folk, and it’s not exactly rock, but The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter is a seemingly familiar album. It recalls the past while crossing over a couple genres, making it one of the more interesting coffeeshop-ready albums of the year.