This album came out back in 2001 (or at least that’s when I got my review copy). Here’s what I said about it then (with some minor editing):
Jeb Loy Nichols has a style almost as unique as his given names: One-third classic American country, one-third Memphis soul and one-third Jamaican reggae. Unbelievable as that combination might sound, this Wyoming-born, Missouri-raised, New York-schooled and London-based troubadour not only makes it work, but makes it pay off.
This sophomore CD is a lush and laid-back document. Tunes like Perfect Stranger and Hold Me Till I Fall drift by on gentle, lilting waves of guitar-strummed melody as Jeb Loy delivers his intimate and melancholy musings in reedy, nasal tones reminiscent of John Prine. At times, it may be a tad too laid-back — for all their prettiness, none of these tunes really stick in your brain once the CD’s over. Once Nichols can craft tunes as distinctive as his style, his time will truly have arrived.
