JEB LOY NICHOLS

Parish Bar

2009-01-10

Born in the Midwest and currently living in Wales, Jeb Loy Nichols has given us an album of ...um...folk/country/soul. I didn't know what to make of this until I found out his history and now, it all makes sense. Growing up, his mom listened to jazz and his dad listened to bluegrass. The Kansas City radio station he listened to as a child played country by day and soul at night. His teen years, were spent living in Austin, TX and sucking up the punk scene. Later, as a student at Parsons School of Design, in NY in the early 80's, the emerging rap scene influenced him. I can hear all these influences in this album. The opening track, "Countrymusicdisco45" tells a true story and has some soul in it. An interesting country/dub/reggae piece is "I'm Blue and I'm Lonesome Too". You want rock/blues/soul? Check out "'Neath the Cold Ground". One of my favorites is the soul groove of "Dr. Noblio". Reviewed by Rebecca Ruth

Quick Links:

• Compass Records Website