Willie Nelson - see artist discography

Mark Nesler "I'm Just That Way" (Asylum, 1998)
A passable vocal talent backed by perfunctory, by-the-numbers arrangements. No memorable songs, either, although songwriting was his claim to fame. A few singles did so-so on the charts, and Nesler does have his diehard fans... This is okay, but it probably won't blow you away.

Mark Nesler "Up All Night" (Compendia, 2003)

Jimmy "C" Newman "The Cajun Country Music Of A Louisiana Man" (Edsel, 1998)
A strong selection of Newman's hits from the late '50s and '60s, many laced with Cajun-style fiddles and a long Louisiana drawl. Newman worked in obscurity for about a decade before his breakthrough in the mid-1950s; his early hits were musically strong and fairly rough hewn; it's pretty remarkable, though -- and something of a testimony to the former power of regional fan bases -- that a guy with such a pronounced lisp could have done so well on the charts. On his mid-50s singles for the Dot label, Newman's slurred "s" and "st" almost constantly; although by the time he signed to Decca in '61, he'd smoothed his impediment out, along with some of the rougher, more honkytonk edges in his music. This is a pretty nice collection of a well-known Nashville second-stringer; Newman never topped the charts, but he snuck into the Top Ten consistently throughout his career. The only downside of this disc is that none of his material on MGM (from 1958-60) is included, so there's an unfortunate gap of a few years... (Did he have a lisp then, too... or not??) Overall, though, this is a good collection for fans of hard country as well as the rootsier side of the Nashville Sound.

Jimmy "C" Newman "Bop A Hula" (Bear Family, 1990)
If the Edsel Records collection above whet your appetite, but left you wondering about Newman's other oldies -- the lesser hits and dimly remembered album cuts -- then this 2-CD set by the great Bear Family will come as a revelation. Forty-seven songs, all vintage corn.

Juice Newton & Silver Spur "The Early Years" (RCA, 1992)
New Jersey born and Virginia bred, bandleader Juice Newton took a long time to make it big, and RCA was the first label to get a piece of herÉ This disc reissues a batch of tunes recorded in 1975-76, a full five years before she cracked into the mainstream with her 1981 version of Chip Young's "Angel Of The Morning," and her subsequent string of early '80s hits. At this point she definitely sounded second-string, very much like one of those warbly gals who would wind up in an "outlaw" country movie, singing R&B-tinged country-rock while Willie Nelson chatted with someone back in the booths. Still, some of these songs are kinda fun, in an awkward kinda way. The single, "Love Is A Word," which barely cracked the Top 100, has a charmingly dopey, sunshine-country perkiness to it, and her original version of "The Sweetest Thing" (later her first #1 hit) is a pretty nice ballad. About half these early songs were written by Otha Young, who continued to be Newton's key collaborator, even after the collapse of the original Silver Spur band. This disc is by no measure great country music, but it's a nice footnote for Newton fans, and a genuine relic of the scrappier side of the 'Seventies country scene.

Joe Nichols "Man with A Memory" (Universal South, 2002)
An outstanding neo-traditional honkytonk album, aimed at a mainstream Top 40 audience. Nichols has a great voice, with a lot in common with Merle Haggard, particularly in his use of jazz-tinged, casual phrasing. He's also a great songwriter, with a penchant for penning catchy melodies and clever novelty lyrics that hearken back to the heyday of folks like Harlan Howard, Leon Payne and Melba Montgomery. If you're a hard country fan who likes hat acts, but wish they'd have more than two or three real, hard-edged old-fashioned honkytonk tunes per album, then this guy is for you. I enjoyed this album a lot.

Joe Nichols "Revelation" (Universal South, 2004)
Following a well-trod, predictable path, newcomer Joe Nichols shifts from his head-turning neo-honkytonk sound towards a softer, ballad-oriented style. He's still got a great voice, and the arrangements of these slow songs aren't nearly as drippy as they could've been. Nichols seems to be staking himself out as a latter-day Merle Haggard -- commercial, yet soulful, and with a taste for serious, almost somber material... Still, a little variety in tempo would have been nice -- six introspective weepers in a row is a bit much, and while the uptempo numbers are fun -- "Don't Ruin It For The Rest Of Us," about a barroom full of boozy losers who tell a newly married, happy buddy to go take a hike, and "What's A Guy Gotta Do," an amiable novelty toss-off about a guy who doesn't quite have the right moves when it comes to the ladies -- two upbeat songs against nine slow ones makes for a somewhat lopsided album. Overall, this album catches Nichols in an overly-serious mood, with several topically-oriented "issue" songs, and lots of intonation and gravitas, particularly on "Singer In A Band," a song which praises everyday heros, while deflecting the adulation that comes with pop stardom. Another highlight is the album's closer, a cover of alt-country idol Iris DeMent's "No Time To Cry," a song about losing one's parents... Her version is more powerful, but I think it's really cool that a Top Country star is covering her work...And yes, the title track is religiously oriented, but it's not a deal breaker... It feels like Nichols jumped the gun on going the "serious artiste" route...it would have been nice to hear more rollicking honkytonk material, since he's so good at it, but I'm still just happy to hear him back on the airwaves. Looking forward to his next album, and hoping this one will grow on me...

Joe Nichols "III" (Universal South, 2005)
(Produced by Buddy Cannon, Byron Gallimore & Brent Rowan)
His debut album showed a rollicking edge, wisely tempered with slicker Nashville leanings -- and he sold a bazillion copies... Then, Nichols slipped into a more mainstream, pop-oriented style, going for the ballad-lovin' market. Here's the twist, though: on his third album, Nichols gets back in touch with his rowdy side, delivering one of the best twang-laden, Top 40 honkytonk albums of the year. With echoes of Merle Haggard, John Anderson and Lefty Frizzell, Nichols plows through winners like "Should I Come Home" and "As Country As She Gets," a swell version of Steve Earle's "My Old Friend The Blues," and the surprisingly risque "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off." "Size Matters," which is doubtless slated to become a hit, is a more standard-issue Nashville sensitive guy song, with a catchy melody and an aw-shucks, it's-only-love-that-matters message... "Talk Me Out Of Tampa," which eerily references both New Orleans and impending hurricanes, is likely to strike a strong emotional chord with folks througout the South -- one wonders whether his label will risk floating it as a single or not... (It's a nice song, though; I think it'd be a big hit if they did...) All in all, this is a mighty fine album, which rekindles the excitement many true country fans felt when Nichols first hit the scene... Recommended!

Joe Nichols "The Early Tears" (Aspirion, 2005)
(Produced by Todd Wilkes, Randy Edwards & Lee Ogle)
Here's some journeyman work from Joe Nichols, one of the finest new country singers to hit the charts in recent years. This is a nice disc, definitely worth checking out. Although his subsequent, chart-topping major label recordings are much better, you can certainly hear the talent and promise in these early works. Predictably, Nichols started off as a pretty-boy pop-honkytonker in the George Strait/Garth Brooks mould -- he's a little jittery and over-eager to please, but you can still hear the raw talent spilling through. The best songs on here are uptempo, flippant novelty numbers such as "Six Of One, Half A Dozen (Of The Other)" and "To Tell You The Truth, I Lied" and "I Hate The Way I Love You," all of which are included in a bonus disc of videos. Yeah, this is all pretty generic, by-the-numbers material, but then again, in Nashville, that ain't such a bad thing. Fans will dig this collection; and even if you aren't on the Joe Nichols bandwagon (the way I am), you'll be pleased to find some fun, no-nonsense twang on here. Worth checking out.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - see artist discography

The Notorious Cherry Bombs "The Notorious Cherry Bombs" (Universal South, 2004)
This loosely confederated supergroup gathers Nashville heavyweights Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill and Hank DeVito (all former members of the Emmylou Harris Hot Band) with bigtime music producer Tony Brown (late of MCA-Nashville, now head of Universal South, and the group's piano player) and several of their hotshot session playing pals. The music is a nice, rootsy mix of honkytonk country, barroom R&B and 'Fifties-style rock, with these alt-country old-timers letting their hair down and cutting loose to boogie down and have a little fun. For both Gill and Crowell, it's some of the most relaxed, least pretentious work theyÕve done in years -- oh, sure, there are a couple of tunes that are a little leaden, but mostly this is a really nice album... Fans of either artist will be quite pleased to pick this disc up. It's also nice to hear Brown get out from behind the soundboard and play some music himself, even if he's still mostly in the background... Plus, with a neo-outlaw tune like "It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long," what's not to love about this album? Recommended!

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Hick Music Index

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