Imagine early Bob Dylan meets M.Ward, and you've got Johnathan Rice, the latest singer/songwriter on the streets. The dude grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, hung out in DC and honed his chops gigging at The Living Room in NYC. He recorded his latest album, Trouble is Real, in Nebraska with Mike Mogis (producer for Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, The Faint).

Johnathan Rice is a show-off. On his debut, Trouble Is Real, the 21-year-old segues effortlessly among styles, moving gracefully from orchestral singer-songwriter fare ("Mid-November") and chiming radio-friendly pop ("Kiss Me Goodbye") to sweet acoustic waltzes ("Break So Easy") and soulful, bluesy shuffles ("Lady Memphis"). For one so young, Rice sounds fully formed; although Trouble Is Real ranges far and wide, it's coherent and confident. Rice grew up in West Virginia and in Glasgow, Scotland, and his deep, slightly raspy voice and adventurous eclecticism put him in league with Ed Harcourt, Joseph Arthur, and Damien Rice (no relation). He manages to juxtapose the old-timey blues of "Put Me in Your Holy War" with the blazing power-chord wall-of-sound of "Salvation Day" and then jump to the music hall swing of "Stay at Home," and the three songs sound like a seamless suite. Part of the credit is due to producer Mike Mogis, known for his imaginative work with Bright Eyes and Rilo Kiley (whose Jenny Lewis co-wrote "Behind the Frontlines" with Rice). But Rice's precocious talents -- he also plays Roy Orbison in the forthcoming Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line -- are on display most impressively throughout Trouble Is Real. Steve Klinge
art | music | pop | Johnathan Rice | Trouble is Real @ bn.com

With an impressive 16 tracks the album you can't help but be taken on a journey across a vast amalgamation of musical styles and influences; listening to the album as though your ears were tuning into a number of different radio stations as each track progresses. The lyrics themselves could be bound and published in their own entity; insightful, expressive, emotive, reflective and sincere. My fave tracks changes everytime i listen because each is so different its hard to compare them. Would definitly reccommend this album to music lovers. Music has become so expansive over the last decade that it can no longer be neatly slotted into a genre. So, Johnathan Rice: alternative rock, folk, country, all of the above? Quite possibly so. Talent is Real and clearly evident, April 29, 2005 - Reviewer: Nadia
art | music | pop | Johnathan Rice | Trouble is Real @ amazon.com

This is an amazing piece of music. Johnathan Rice's voice is beautiful and haunting, and his words resonate with a depth of meaning and poetic expression rarely found at all these days. I'm reminded a bit of early Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens, although his sound is completely his own. The raw, pure emotion is clearly felt in each song ("The Acrobat" is particularly affecting), and the mocking spite in the anti-war song "Put Me in Your Holy War" is biting in its irony. All I can say is, I wish I hadn't missed him live here in Brooklyn, and I cannot wait to hear the full-length "Trouble Is Real"... Brilliant, June 26, 2004 - Reviewer: A music fan (Brooklyn, NY)
art | music | pop | Johnathan Rice | Extended Player - 24:26 @ amazon.com