Jared James Nichols Proves He is More Than a Guitarist on His Latest Self-titled Album

Jared James Nichols is back with his latest album, Jared James Nichols, which was released on January 13. The album was released via Black Hills Records and was recorded at Blackbird Studios in Los Angeles and Sienna Studios in Nashville. It was produced, engineered, and mixed by Eddie Spear who has worked on music for artists including Billie Eilish, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Zach Bryan and Slash. This is Nichols third studio album following the release of his debut album Old Glory & The Wild Revival in 2015 and Black Magic in 2018.

The Wisconsin native is one of the most wicked guitar players you will ever see. Known for his use of his single pickup Les Paul Custom named Old Glory, he has won both the Gibson Les Paul Tribute Contest as well as the Musicians Institute Most Outstanding Player Award. In early 2016, Music Radar named Jared as one of the “Top Upcoming Guitar Players in the World”. He is also one of four Gibson Guitar global ambassadors joining Lzzy Hale, Slash, and Dave Mustaine.

With the preponderance of pop and metal, it is refreshing to see the resurgence of blues rock-based acts like Jared James Nichols. Nichols creates amazing sounds utilizing a single guitar pedal and amp. Instead of using a pick like most players, he only uses his thumb and fingers reminding one of guitarists like the late Jeff Beck and Mark Knopfler. There are very few people that have picked up a guitar who wouldn’t feel envious of Nichol’s guitar work on tracks like “Easy Come, Easy Go”, “Down The Drain”, “Hallelujah”, and the rest from the new album.

While Nichols is known for his prowess with the guitar, it might be tempting to overlook his vocal capabilities. However, this would be a mistake because his singing on the album could easily stand by itself. It is rare to see this combination of guitar work and vocals together. It’s like merging Jimmy Page and Robert Plant into a single person.

This was my first exposure to Jared James Nichols. I came away really impressed by his latest album. To support new album, Nichols has two upcoming album release shows on Tuesday, January 17^th at The Basement East in Nashville and Thursday, January 19^th at The Peppermint Club in Los Angeles.

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Post by Scott Raymer (Website | Instagram | Facebook)

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