Riding in Victorious 4 Out Of 5 Stars
Josh Ritter pulls off a neat trick on "The Historical Conquests." His earliest work drew the usual Dylan/Springsteen comparisons of literate singer songwriters. On this album, his fourth, Ritter brings in the rock and keeps the comparisons coming, while drawing in more. At some points on the album, I kept thinking of English wits like Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello. It happened for me on "The Temptation of Adam," which contemplates being the man who has to decide the fate of the planet (or as he puts it, "w w i i i"). It's the peak moment of "Conquests," and moves Ritter to a high plain of songwriters.
The rest of the CD is pretty darn good, but never matches "Adam" in originality or cleverness. Ritter makes a good Dylan on the opener, "To The Dogs or Whoever," where the lines spit out in machine gun rapidity, or "Empty Heart," which could be a pop single. The sense of humor pops up again on "Next To The Last True Romantic." "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter" is another collection that moves Ritter foreword progressively as an artist.
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