Joe Nichols Man With A Memory CD

If you think that photogenic young country singer Joe Nichols looks more like a Calvin Klein model than a honky-tonk warrior, just count your blessings that he doesn't feel bound to don an ill-fitting cowboy hat in the vain quest for the kind of phony image purveyed by far too many of his peers. Similarly, MAN WITH A MEMORY finds Nichols unafraid of sounding contemporary without completely abandoning his country roots. There's no hokey, half-assed western swing number tossed in here for "authenticity;" instead, the songs seamlessly blend rock, pop, and country in a manner that finds Nichols sounding equally at home with all three. That said, he does possess enough of a sense of history to pay homage to country legend Tom T. Hall by covering "Life Don't Have to Mean Nothin' at All." And it's no shameful thing when a Hall song turns out to be one of the best on anybody's album.

"Brokenheartsville" was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.

Personnel: Joe Nichols (background vocals); Brent Rowan (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, baritone guitar, gut-string guitar, tiple, background vocals); Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, mandolin); Dan Dugmore, John Hughey, Tommy White (steel guitar); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Chris Thile (mandolin); Aubrey Haynie (fiddle); Tim Lauer (accordion, Fender Rhodes piano, harmonium, Wurlitzer organ, Mellotron, keyboards); Gordon Mote (piano); Shane Keister (Wurlitzer organ); Shannon Forrest, Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Harry Stinson, Vince Gill, Wes Hightower, Liana Manis (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Ed Seay.

Recording information: Cool Tools Audio, Nashville, TN; EMI Studios, Nashville, TN; Ocean Way Studios, Nashville, TN; OmniSound Studios, Nashville, TN; Tin Ear Studios, Nashville, TN; Tree Studios, Nashville, TN.

Personnel includes: Joe Nichols (vocals); Brent Rowan (acoustic & electric guitars, tiple); Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar, mandolin); Dan Dugmore (steel guitar); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Chris Thile (mandolin); Aubrey Haynie (fiddle); Tim Lauer (accordion, Wurlitzer piano, Fender Rhodes piano, harmonium, organ, Mellotron, keyboards); Gordon Mote (piano); David Hungate (bass); Shannon Forrest, Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Harry Stinson, Vince Gill, Wes Hightower (background vocals).

Entertainment Weekly (8/2/02, p.75) - "...Blue-collar meditations on love, loss, and the crapshoot of life..." - Rating: B