Jared James Nichols // Jared James Nichols // Album Review

One of the coolest cats in Blues-Rock the one, the only Jared James Nichols is back with his latest release, a self-titled album of twelve meaty tracks for carnivores and vegans alike to get their teeth into. 

JJN is one the nicest guys on the scene, with a highly infectious personality and arguably the best hair in the business, this could well be the time he steps out of the shadows and into the lights with his latest offering. Since his emergence in 2015  onto the scene with his debut album Old Glory & The Wild Revival and followed by Black Magic in 2018, Nichols has kept his head down grafting making waves the only way he knows how unapologetically pedal to the floor and he hasn’t looked back since. His latest offering in 2021 Shadow Dancer EP kept the momentum going before an unfortunate accident and major surgery on a broken arm and for a moment he wasn’t sure if he would ever play the guitar again. Thankfully here we are, the guitar turned out to be the perfect partner for his recovery and JJN is back, bigger and better than before!

With his self-titled album right from the off you get the full force of Nichol’s savage sound, fuzz ladened ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’ knocks it right out of the park. A filthy sounding track that sets the tone for a bitching album packed with dirty, ethereal guitar work that just comes from deep down within a player of the likes of JJN. Some players are technically gifted and translate that through delicate touch and feel, JJN is a monster player! He brutalises that guitar and gets the blood flowing on each and every track, it’s one of his qualities as a modern-day bluesman that sets him apart from a lot of the guys on the scene. There’s a sultry quality to his songwriting and playing that makes you want to take a shower after listening to his album. 

‘Down The Drain’ is the perfect example, a dark emotive opening turns into a nasty wailing track that you just have to stand back and applaud. But that’s not what he’s all about, the album has some real quality songwriting on it too, with tracks like ‘Bad Roots’ there’s an almost QOTSA vibe going on that you could totally rock to live and will no doubt be a fan favourite on the road. The album itself has a perfect balance of easy-on-the-ear addictive earworms that will keep those who are not of a six-string persuasion tapping their feet along too, and for those who worship at the altar of all things guitar-orientated, the playing is just sublime. From gnarly riffage to blistering solos JJN is at his finest and clearly inspired after such a tough journey to get here post-injury. 

A mighty impressive album from a kick-ass guitar player who seems to have broken through that glass ceiling with his latest offering, Jared James Nichols is back bigger and better, 2023 could just be his year.

His self-titled album is out now courtesy of Black Hill Records and the album is available to order from – https://jjn.ffm.to/jaredjamesnichols

Jared James Nichols Track Listing

1. My Delusion
2. Easy Come, Easy Go
3. Down The Drain
4. Hard Wired
5. Bad Roots
6. Skin ‘n Bone
7. Long Way to Go
8. Shadow Dancer
9. Good Time Girl
10. Hallelujah
11. Saint or Fool
12. Out Of Time