Jared James Nichols – Old Glory and the Wild Revival

@planetmosh reviews Old Glory and the Wild Revival by .@JJNicholsMusic on .@Listenable

Old Glory and the Wild Revival is the new album from James Jared Nichols and his band, which is comprised of Erik Sandin on bass and Dennis Holm on drums.  Nichols himself provides guitar and vocals.  Nichols isn’t particularly well known in the UK, but he’s currently on a European tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd and with this release I’d imagine he’ll soon become much more well known.  Based in LA by way of Wisconsin Jared had a guitar in hand from the age of fourteen and has spent years honing his craft and working local circuits, jamming with the likes of Buddy Guy.  In 2012 he released his debut EP, Live at the Viper Room and it’s now followed by this album, due for release on May 4th, which features twelve studio tracks and two bonus live tracks from the Viper Room.

I’ve long been a fan of the blues rock genre, so I was interested to listen to Old Glory and the Wild Revival.  It’s difficult not to immediately think of Gary Moore or Joe Bonamassa when you think of blues rock, but there’s always room for someone new and Jared James Nichols may well be it.  The chance to see Gary Moore has come and gone, and to be honest I could have a week in Spain for the price of a ticket to see Joe Bonamassa these days, so I’m always happy to find someone new.   Nichols voice is well suited to the music, there’s a huskiness there but also a raw quality that makes every word believable.  His years of jamming with the legends of the business are evident too, in incredible guitar solos.  In particular Sometimes and Get Down really make you stop what you’re doing and just listen.  All Your Pain is a standout track where everything comes together into three and a half minutes of blues perfection.  It only improves with repeated listening, with something new to take from it every time.  The two live tracks, You Won’t Last and Playin’ for Keeps are a nice addition and sound just as good as the studio recordings.  There’s an unrehearsed feel to them, but by that I don’t mean they aren’t up to scratch.  I mean they sound like three very talented musicians getting together to jam and producing something most of us couldn’t imagine after months or years of prep.  I like the fact you can hear the appreciation from the crowd as well, something very necessary in the production of a good live track in my opinion.  I also like the fact that while it is most definitely blues rock it’s by no means dreary.  It’s a very upbeat sounding album and while listening there was a lot of head-nodding going on, particularly while listening to Can You Feel It?

Before this week I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t heard of Jared James Nichols.  I will now be listening to this album on repeat and keeping my eyes peeled for the chance to see him live, something I will very much look forward to.

Track Listing:

Playin’ for keeps

Crazy

Let You Go

Can You Feel It?

Now or Never

Haywire

All your pain

Get Down

Sometimes

Blackfoot

Take My Hand

Come in my Kitchen

You Won’t Last (Live at the Viper Room)

Playin’ for Keeps (Live at the Viper Room)

Links:

www.facebook.com/jaredjamesnichols