8 Tracks: Of Southern Soul With Jeb Loy Nichols
Sometimes it's nice to turn off the noise, shut down the whir of machines and distance yourself from the electronics which can dominate life. In these times Jeb Loy Nichols provides a perfect accompaniment. His take on funk and soul is subtle and warm, approachable and easy to immerse yourself within. Influenced by the haze of hip hop and the clubs of the 80s and 90s his music is a mish mash of style and pace, wholeheartedly interesting and enigmatic. Next year will see him release a new album titled 'The Country Hustle' on City Country City Records.
We caught up with Jeb Loy Nichols to talk southern soul. See his selections below…
"Southern soul is more than a geographical distinction, it’s music born in rural soil, part country, part blues, part gospel. It grew up listening to Hank Williams, Lightening Hopkins and Mahalia Jackson. It’s hard hitting music for hard hit people." – Jeb Loy Nichols
This was recorded in New Orleans and comes across like a stone country song. It contains all the great Southern Soul hallmarks; regret, restraint, redemption, mercy and grace, all served up somewhere between a country church and The Grand Old Opry.
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Big John Hamilton Take This Hurt Off MeThis was recorded in New Orleans and comes across like a stone country song. It contains all the great Southern Soul hallmarks; regret, restraint, redemption, mercy and grace, all served up somewhere between a country church and The Grand Old Opry.
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Larry Jon Wilson "Sheldon Churchyard"One of the great, neglected giants of southern music. This song is Larry Jon at his best, a gothic tale of half moon skies, ten cent lives, conjure women, and abandoned church yards.
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Frank Hutton/Frank Hutson- Old Man MeA lo-fi gem of Georgia soul that comes straight out of the church, sounding like a song that’s been around forever.
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Johnnie Taylor - Ain ' T That Loving You ( For More Reasons Than One )My favourite Stax track. This is Memphis’s answer to Motown, a song that inspired a great reggae version by Alton Ellis, a song that launched Taylor out of the gospel scene and into the soul world.
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Robert Parker I Caught You In A LieAnother New Orleans track, arranged by the genius that was Wardell Quezergue. The greatest horns ever put on a soul track. So laid back it’s horizontal. Another southern groove that inspired a reggae classic by Louisa Marks.
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Joe Simon WhenThis was recorded in Nashville by white session players, written by two white soul fanatics, and sung by one of the great voices of southern soul. This is where black, white, country and soul get messed up for real.
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Annette Snell - You Oughta Be Here With MeAnother Nashville recording, written by the great Paul Kelly, this is so beautiful, so delicate, so soaked with need and regret, it could have been sung by Tammy Wynette or Patsy Cline.
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Tony Joe White - Did Somebody Make A Fool Of You (1973)Tony Joe White released a string of essential southern soul records through the late sixties and seventies. Songs like Rainy Night In Georgia, Willie And Laura May Jones and Polk Salad Annie told the forgotten story of the south, a south populated by working people who barely scrapped by, who lived at the end of gravel roads and rarely left them. His songs are always soulful, always southern, and always funky.
