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May 29, 2013The music appears deceptively simple and unabashedly blithe at times, but regardless, the emotional undercurrent clearly comes through.
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Apr 11, 2013The Happiness Waltz is a big contender for Rouse’s best work, though fans will always point to varying favorites.
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Q MagazineApr 10, 2013The melodies running through City People, City Things and Julie, with their hints of Paul Simon at his most wistful, are the measure of anything from Rouse's 2002 purple patch. The rest is charming if sometimes sugar-sweet and a little too inoffensive. [May 2013, p.109]
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Mar 22, 2013The Happiness Waltz is a continuation: a graceful rotation of melodies and gentle reflection.
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Mar 20, 2013Easily one of his strongest releases to date, if not his best, The Happiness Waltz is the very reason why musical history should have a small chapter for this criminally overlooked songwriter.
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Mar 20, 2013The Happiness Waltz may not be the most exciting record you’ll hear this year, but it does exactly what it says on the tin.
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Mar 19, 2013A little more passion in the vocals and songs that are actually about something would have made The Happiness Waltz a triumphant return, instead it feels like backtracking.
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Mar 13, 2013The album tips overly saccharine at nearly every turn, but the arrangements are tight and polished, with swelling, lush choruses and grooving AM-radio bridges.
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UncutMar 12, 2013John Rouse's ninth album is a return to the sound that made 2003's 1972 such a gem. [Apr 2013, p.77]
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Mar 12, 2013There isn’t much in the way of surprises on The Happiness Waltz, though that’s no knock against Rouse; a songwriter of his caliber need not reinvent himself to create something rewarding.
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MojoMar 12, 2013At best the new songs are bright, '70s soulful confections but too much will give you toothache. [Apr 2013, p.98]
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Mar 12, 2013What keeps it from the top is the lack of musical surprises. Still, these twelve songs will keep you warm as winter turns to spring.