Jared James Nichols - Jared James Nichols

Listening to the latest, self-titled album by Jared James Nichols, is a bit like Christopher Walken playing Russian Roulette in The Deerhunter.  Every time you pull the trigger on a new track, there’s the strong possibility you’re going to get your head blown off by a heavy calibre riff.  Nichols is good on that front, no question.  When it comes to the quality of the songs though, I reckon a few chambers on this 12-track outing fire blanks.

Jared James Nichols tickles up an understated solo

The tracks that work best are the ones where some subtlety enters the equation. ‘Down The Drain’, for example, opens with a psychedelic, Beatle-ish intro of spangly guitar as the accompaniment to the appealing melody of the verses, which give way to a gutsy chorus powered by a beefy, if derivative, riff.  Nichols’ wah-wah soloing is impressive here, and his vocal is urgent.  ‘Skin’n Bone’ mixes up a slow, squealing, ascending guitar line with a strong tune, and some big slabs of chords, generating some tension along the way.  There’s a brief whirl of a solo and a downshift into a swirling, phased segment, and there’s no excess fat.
‘Shadow Dancer’ is the longest track on the album, and Nichols and his crew make the most of it.  A bendy, effects-laden guitar intro prefaces a dreamy melody, before they step up with a solid chorus over ringing guitar and rolling bass.  Nichols’ vocal is convincingly angsty, and there’s a satisfyingly spacey, anthemic guitar segment, embellished with overdubs.  All in all it may be the best offering here.  There are similar elements on display in the closing ‘Out Of Time’ too, with its patient, echoing guitar theme and flickers of harmonics.  The tune is appealing, delivered in conversational fashion, and there’s an interestingly warped solo as icing on the cake.  All of which suggests that when Nichols is prepared to take his foot off the gas he can deliver some intriguing results.
On the other hand, it’s no surprise to hear that the heavy, mid-tempo ‘Hard Wired’ evolved from a jam with Tyler Bryant and his compadre Graham Whitford.  There’s a wailing intro, some stuttering riffage, and a couple more snippets of interest via a mellow bridge and a solo that scrambles its way into some kind of shape.  But the melody ain’t so hot, and the whole is less than the sum of its parts.  Much the same is true of the opening ‘My Delusion’, which has a stonking rollercoaster riff and a squawking ‘rawk’ vocal, but ultimately sounds like one of TB & The Shakedown’s less interesting, swing-free moments.
The rifferama on something like ‘Bad Roots’ is the real McCoy, with guttural guitar over thunderously rolling drums and pummelling bass.  But the chorus is, not to put too fine a point on it, half-assed.  Much the same is true of the full-throttle ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’, despite its fuzzy, scuzzy guitar chords over the pounding rhythm section, its curious, squeaking little riff, and the downshift into a piercing solo over elasticated bass.
And so on, and so on.  “I’m not trying to be anybody but myself and play the music I love for today,” Nichols says in the PR bumf for the album.  “I’m giving you loud ass guitars and no fucks given rock’n’roll, and I’m loving it.”  Fair enough Jared, and doubtless there are headbangers out there who’ll love all the foot-on-monitor, heads-down guitar bashing.  I reckon bit more wit, imagination, and consistency wouldn't go amiss though.
 
Jared James Nichols is released by Black Hill Records on 13 January, and can be ordered here.

Jimmy Hall - Ready Now

Once upon a time, many moons ago, Jimmy Hall was singer, harmonica and sax player with the Southern rock band Wet Willie.  They had some big hits Stateside back in the Seventies, but suffice to say their name only registers at the edge of my consciousness.  So I come to his new solo album Ready Now, produced by the increasingly busy duo of Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, with no real expectations.
Initial signs are promising, as the boogie of opening track ‘Jumpin’ For Joy’ aims to deliver a good time, and succeeds.  The guitar riffing may be pretty simplistic, but with skedaddling drums from Greg Morrow, bursts of organ and barroom piano from the ubiquitous Reese Wynans, and

Jimmy Hall checks out the bar to see if Bonamassa is getting his round in

Pic by Drew Stawin

a rock’n’rollin’ solo from Bonamassa, it’s an infectious concoction.  And Hall plays his part too, hollering away over the top like a good ‘un, and giving his harp a satisfying blast too.
For a guy in his seventies, Hall’s voice is in admirable nick, with plenty of wattage and range.  What he does with it is more of a mixed bag however.  On the following ‘Risin’ Up’, with its soulful ‘Take Me To The River’ type vibe, he gives it plenty without offering much light and shade.  The same is true on 'Ready Now' itself, a song about turning over a new leaf that all sounds a bit earnest, but is redeemed by a slide soul from Warren Haynes that carries some real cutting edge.  And if his harp solo on the song-of-the-road ‘Will You Be Here’ shows plenty of subtlety, his vocal could be more supple.
He does better elsewhere though, his urgency and power working a treat on the rocking ‘Girl’s Got Sugar’, with its hard-chugging rhythm guitar, more stonking keys from Wyman, and an excellent, ducking and diving guitar excursion from Josh Smith.  And he shows more vocal variety on both ‘Holding On For Dear Love’ and ‘Without Your Love’. The former is a soulful ballad, a bit sugary for my taste, but given extra colour by the harmonies of Jade McCrae and Dannielle De Andrea – who deserve plaudits for their contributions to several tracks – and by a funky wah-wah turn from Bonamassa.  ‘Without Your Love’ is a contemplative affair led off by acoustic guitar, with the range and dynamics of Hall’s vocal suiting the growing intensity of feeling, and the guesting Jared James Nichols adding a tasteful, nicely toned guitar solo.
With the addition of the slowie ‘A Long Goodbye’, a Bonamassa co-write, it feels to me like there’s a bit much of this balladeering tendency, but at least this one has an epic, cinematic quality that’s very JB, topped off by him throwing the kitchen sink at a showcase solo, before an anthemic refrain to close.
Other songs explore different directions, with mixed results.  ‘Dream Release’, a co-write between Hall and his son, is an elegy for his friendship with Greg Allman, but to these ears works none too well, maudlin in tone and sounding like it originated in musical theatre.  ‘Love For It’, contrastingly, is a little gem.  With its out of the ordinary percussion and bass framework, soul-gospel roots, and unusual shift in tone from verse to chorus, it may not be a barn burner, but it’s still a genuinely original song.  And Hall does a good job narrating the bluesy song of experience ‘Eyes In The Back Of Your Head’, as it ripples along on acoustic guitar, and tootling harp.
Bonamassa completists may be interested in Ready Now for his five co-writes and varied guitar contributions. Overall though, it’s an inconsistent album.  Some tracks hit the mark, but others fall a bit short, especially when they lean towards the emotive.  Throwing a bit more wit and rock’n’roll into the mix may have suited Jimmy Hall better.
 
Ready Now is out now on KTBA Records, and can be ordered here.

Listened to lately . . .

Jane Lee Hooker – No B!

That's "No B" as in the line "No B-O-Y" from Muddy Waters' 'Mannish Boy', because Jane Lee Hooker are an all female group. Geddit? They might just as well have titled the album "No BS!" though, because this five-piece sure as hell don't mess about.  I copped hold of a download of this album last year, and wish I’d listened to it more often.  These New Yorkers have taken a collection of blues classics, and infused them with the punkish spirit of CBGBs. 

Jane Lee Hooker - bashful souls

But don’t go thinking that means they’re amateurish three-chord wonders.

Although there’s plenty of raw energy at play, they make good use of dynamics, and the twin guitars of Tracy Hightop and Tina ‘T-Bone’ Gorin are cleverly layered at times.  Meanwhile Dana ‘Danger’ Athens is a real blues rock bawler, but capable of clever phrasing that brings to mind the likes of Alex Harvey, especially on the Adam and Eve tale of ‘In The Valley’.  (And if you things those nicknames sound corny, the rhythm section is made up of Hail Mary Z on bass and Melissa ‘Cool Whip’ Houston on drums.  Er, okay.)

They set out their stall with a raucous rendition of ‘Wade In The Water’, before getting their teeth into Johnny Winters’ ‘Mean Town Blues’.  The likes of ‘Champagne And Reefer’ and ‘The Hunter’ also get a serious workout, and the closing ‘Shake With Me’ is a belter, with a delightfully wonky shuffling opening before the playful guitar interplay gives way to wild duelling.

As simple as the approach may be, No B! is a set crackling with energy and wit.  Want something bold and brash to clear the cobwebs?  This is it.

Jane Lee Hooker are touring France and Germany in October and November.

A new album, Spiritus, will be released on Ruf Records in November.

Geoff Achison – Another Mile, Another Minute

Australian Geoff Achison has evidently been knocking around for ages, but only came to my attention when I caught a snatch of him on the radio earlier this year.  His latest album Another Mile, Another Minute came out in August, and songs like ‘Working My Way Back Home’ recall the relaxed sophistication of Chris Rea, complete with a similar warm rasp of a voice, and in this case some Latin percussion.

That may be his default setting, but the acoustic-driven ‘Delta Dave’, a tribute to a famous Melbourne busker, demonstrates he can pursue other avenues too.  ‘Sum Peeples Got All The Fonk’ is a clever piece of downbeat funk lamenting the singer’s lack of grip on modern ways, and the downbeat ‘A New Bad Habit’, with its loping bass, ticking drums and smooth

Geoff Achison - groovy, baby

horns, is just one example of Achison’s way with a literate, original lyric.

Featuring 14 tracks and running to just over an hour, the album feels a tad overlong.  But there’s plenty to enjoy here from someone marching to the beat of a different drum, and producing imaginative, well-played material.

Another Mile, Another Minute is released by Jupiter 2 Records.

Jared James Nichols – Black Magic

Every time I see a photo of Jared James Nichols, his back is arched, his hair flailing, and what can be seen of his facial expression suggests agony/ecstasy.  It doesn’t bode well.  But actually Black Magic isn’t the one-dimensional display of shredding that I feared.

On this evidence Nichols believes that brevity is the soul of blues rock – 10 tracks, barely 30 minutes – and so has sidestepped over-indulgence.  On the other hand ‘Last Chance’ sets sail with a widdly guitar opening that gives way to a thunderous riff and pounding drums that, together with some banal lyrics (eg “Your mind is fuckin’ blown”), are less than inspiring.  There’s some light and shade and a convincing degree of force in ‘The Gun’ though, one of a few mid-paced stomps on display.

There is some variety too, in the funky strut of ‘Honey Forgive Me’ with its female backing vocals, and the shuffling rhythm of ‘Got To Have You’ with its good-time riffing around the chorus, even if it’s a bit slight in the end.

A real plus point though, is that Clark Singleton’s subterranean bass offers a useful counterpoint to Nichols’ squealing solos.  It growls away on ‘Don’t Be Scared’, underpinning a stuttering riff, rumbles around for fun on ‘What Love’, and complements Nichols’ chiming guitar work on closer ‘Home’.

All things considered, Black Magic has some good moments, but there’s plenty of room for development.

Black Magic is released by Listenable Records on 27 October.

The Bad Flowers – ‘Thunder Child’

The new single from Black Country heavy rockers The Bad Flowers, ‘Thunder Child’ blasts off with heavy riffage and lung-bursting vocals, clattering drums, lead-weighted bass – and some naff, back-of-the-fag-packet lyrics.  There’s a mildly interesting middle eight though and some signs of dynamics via a sort of quieter section.

Back-up track ‘Lions Blood’ is equally energetic if a bit soulless, with a dull chorus and more weak lyrics.  But at least the opening riff has a pleasingly tangled quality, like a distant echo of early Rush maybe.

It’s all pretty breathless stuff, but if nothing else the spirit of NWOBHM is still alive and kicking – and I’m old enough to remember what it was like.

‘Thunder Child’ is out now.