Jeb Loy Nichols - Now Then

"It’s all about give and take, " says Jeb Loy Nichols.  "All about tension, about restraint."  We’re talking about his new CD NOW THEN, a collection of songs recorded in Nashville.  "The way the country pulls at the city, the way the old plays with the new."

It’s a remarkable record, a masterpiece of distilled soul.  "This is the record I’ve been leaning towards," Jeb says, "all these years, all this moving around, all this listening and watching."  Hard bargains and divided families, absconders and runaways, holy dread and love, it’s all here.  The record pulses with seductive stories that talk of shifting fidelities and damage limitation.

"I knew I wanted to make this record in Nashville", Jeb says, "because Nashville is nowhere I’d ever want to live.  I love Nashville, but it`s definitely not home.  And I wanted that feeling of being unfixed.  And I wanted to work with Mark Nevers."  Mark Nevers, member and producer of Lampchop, producer of Will Oldham, seems at first an odd choice to work with.  But "Mark`s great," says Jeb, "the best in the world.  I’ve known him for awhile and he brought the exact right feeling.  Dirty and perfect and warm and unexpected."

The record was recorded in five days in Never`s studio in Nashville.  The band was a mix of young and old; Mark brought some members of Lambchop while Jeb brought Muscle Shoals veteran Clayton Ivey and soul legend Dan Penn.  They then brought the tapes back to London where they recorded bassist Wayne Nunes (Tricky, African Head Charge) and backing vocals by reggae legends Roy Cousins (The Royals) and Struggle.  Then it was back to Nashville to record the strings and horns.  "More travelling," says Jeb. "But worth every minute.  It had to be done that way - had to get that mish-mash of people, that gumbo."

It was risky, but it works. The record brims over with conversations between players, between generations, between countries and cultures.  The same give and take that Jeb first heard on southern soul records is updated here.  "It was great to be a part of it, to watch it.  To listen to everyone playing off each other. That’s the point - to tell stories, to listen, to be a part of something bigger and better than yourself."

Fabulous, Fabulous, Fabulous ***** (Record Collector)

"This solo effort (…) is a lovely, wistful album." (Daily Telegraph)

"His music reflects his wandering nature: it’s a little bit country, a little bit soul, a little bit reggae. It’s a beguiling amalgam, and one that deserves a wider audience." (Independent)

"If you like country-soul with the emphasis on soul you’ll be delighted by this record." (www.americana-uk.com)