Ahead of the man himself appearing at The Chester Live Rooms, it’s appropriate to evaluate an offering from Wisconsin’s master of Rock Blues Jared James Nichols. Although something close to being 9 months old now and with Nichols having magnified his allure even more now that he’s Zakk Wylde across Europe earlier this year, Highwayman provides a solid underlining in quintuplet as to why he is an artist worth taking note of.
Starting with an absolutely stunning version of Grand Funk Railroad’s classic We’re An American Band virtually melting the speakers, it is left to Old Glory to first step up to the plate for the guitarist to show what he can do lyrically. The answer is pretty simple: Nichol’s classic rock roots and soulful blues – along with the eclectic nature of the production as a whole – provide a vibe throughout that makes the listener believe that all five could well have been written long before his time.
Take Falling Down and notice how the rich vein of mind-blowingly good, foot-stomping Blues Rock pulses across the years like a remorseless locomotive with a full firebox of liquid nitrogen, that’s just about ready to explode.
Add to this the superb intricacies that come with Humble Pie’s 30 Days in the Hole and what you have is just some idea of what Jared James Nichols is all about: brilliantly performed Rock-Blues that pays homage to days past without ever being afraid to look to the future of the genre.
If either this EP or last year’s full length Old Glory and Wild Revival are anything to go by, Jared James Nichols will soon be a name that trips of the tongue as fast as that of any other Rock Blues legend around, which is something we should all be eternally grateful for.
Jared James Nichols
Highwayman EP
Band: Jared James Nichols (Vocals / Gutar), Erik Sandin (Bass), Dennis Holm (Drums)
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Label: LISTENABLE RECORDS
ASIN: B015EW71OQ
PR Rating: **** Raw
Jared James Nichols + Bad Touch + Dave Hanson will be appearing at The Chester Live Rooms on June 23rd.
For Tickets: http://www.seetickets.com/event/jared-james-nichols-bad-touch-dave-hanson/the-live-rooms/963144
Jared James Nichols’ new single, Don’t You Try, is now available for download.