LimeWire Music Blog

Take one listen when Joe Nichols sings and one thing is apparent. He is a country singer. That direction has been very apparent from the start — even when it “cost” him a chance to go with another style. “I had a rock and roll phase for about ten minutes when I was in the ninth grade,” the singer joked to LimeWire Music Blog. “I was in a rock band until I sang my first rock song, and the drummer said ‘You might be a little too country for this band.’ I said ‘I figured I was, but I thought I would give it a shot because y’all seem like pretty cool guys.” In spite of losing that position, he is glad that things have worked out like they have. “I don’t think I would have a chance to be anything other than a country singer.”

Many people are glad that Nichols has continued to follow his heart, as his latest Universal South release, Old Things New, is receiving some of the best reviews of his career. The singer says that he feels the title is a proper one for the disc, as it sums up where he is in his life presently – both professionally and personally. “It does,” he admits. “I think it’s an appropriate title for the album. It means a lot of things. My passion for traditional country music is alive and as strong as ever. That old drive is new again in me.“ The music on the disc might very well remind one of another era. “It comes from the time that I think country music was at its purest — in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. I think there are songs on here that sound like that, but I’m proud that the record is able to sound modern at the same time paying tribute to records past.”

“I think they feel like old friends — like people you know and are familiar with, and they take you back to another place in life when things were more simple. That’s what country music used to be about…. songs take you back to another place in your life where you feel like you visited your Grandma’s house. You feel comfortable—like you’re back home.”

Nichols is mindful of many of those records that have touched a chord with fans of the format over the years. Since his Man With A Memory album broke his career open in 2002, Nichols has put his touch on classics such as “Farewell Party” and “Should I Go Home (Or Should I Go Crazy” from Gene Watson’s catalog, and has also recorded cover version of classics such as “If I Were A Carpenter” and “Cash On The Barrelhead” with Dolly Parton and Rhonda Vincent, respectively.

LimeWire asked Joe about the reasons that songs like those continue to make an impact. He didn’t hesitate, saying that “I think they feel like old friends — like people you know and are familiar with, and they take you back to another place in life when things were more simple. That’s what country music used to be about…. songs take you back to another place in your life where you feel like you visited your Grandma’s house. You feel comfortable—like you’re back home. That’s what is great about country music. I don’t know if rock and roll is like that, but I know country is strong in the family, and I think songs like that are why. Old friends can do that.”

Speaking of “Old Friends,” that leads to one of the most talked about songs of Nichols’ career, one that has not yet been released as a single. Titled “An Old Friend Of Mine,” the song has been praised by fans, critics, and even some of his fellow songwriters and artists. Country Music Hall Of Famer Bill Anderson, who has two cuts on the disc, said of the song (which he didn’t write), “It will give your goosebumps goosebumps.” A somber cut about a person’s struggles with addiction, Nichols didn’t write the song either — though he could have.

“It’s a great compliment to sing a song that’s not written by me, and people think it is,” he says confidently. “I think Conway Twitty was one of the best at delivering a song. Everything you heard him do, you thought he wrote it. When I hear people say ‘I thought you wrote that song, it makes me feel good because part of my job is delivery. I think that more importantly on this song—it’s about telling my story. I might not have written the song, but I could have had the pen and paper handy. It tells my story to a T….It says everything I wanted to say and exactly how I want to say that. Sometimes when you match the right song up with the right artist — magic happens. Now, while I won’t say that this record is ‘magic,’ because that sounds a little cocky, but this song found its right home. I think that sometimes, songs have a funny way of doing that. I’m very proud that I was able put the song on this record, because it means a lot more to me than just being a song on the record.”

Nichols, who has faced a battle with addiction over the years, said that his inner circle had some concerns about him recording the song—which hit close to come. “The beautiful thing about the people around me is that everyone cares about me personally, and professionally,” he says. “When I have a song like that one, when we first presented it as something I wanted to cut, everybody kind of cautioned me and said ‘Are you sure you want to do this? It’s a scary song, and can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Are you sure you are ready for this?’ I said absolutely, and thank you for loving me and telling me and cautioning me about writing a song like this.”

In addition to promoting the new album, Nichols is also gearing up for his upcoming run on Broadway, playing the lead in the stage adaptation of Pure Country. He says that he has seen the George Strait 1992 film several times, and it definitely left an impact.

Recording the song itself turned out one of those stories that just seem to happen in Nashville. “We were done with everything on the album, and it was the very last thing we cut. I asked for just 20 or 30 minutes at the end of the day on the very last tracking session. I said ‘Just me and a piano — let me have just that time and see what happens.’ Brent Rowan said ‘Absolutely. This album can’t happen without it being done.’ We went in at 5:30, Gordon Mote — an amazing man and piano player, and myself. We had to be done at 6, and we went in and cut it and left it alone. That’s exactly what we did when we went in the studio. What you hear on the record is exactly what we did…There’s no corrections….we had a practice run through it, recorded it, and we were good to go….It’s not perfect….If you listen to it, you can tell…but we got exactly we wanted to get out of it, which is raw emotion. It told the story!” It’s definitely a song, and a message that needs to be heard. In this writer’s opinion, the song stands side by side with classics like “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and “When I Call Your Name.”

There are other tracks on the disc that stand out, such as the title cut. Written by Paul Overstreet, Buddy Cannon, and the afore-mentioned Anderson, Nichols says that recording the song (which features Vince Gill on harmony) didn’t even resemble work. “I don’t remember if it was Willie Nelson, but someone like him once said ‘The job ain’t singing,’” he said. “That’s my hobby. The job is what we have to do surrounding the song. We have to go in and have strategy meetings, and marketing.” Of the business side of music, he said that “Those are the things that can become tedious, but singing songs like this one makes me feel good. It satisfies me someplace somewhere that only hardcore traditional songs can do, and Bill, Paul, and Buddy certainly didn’t need a cut from little ole me, but I’m proud they let me have the song. It’s a perfect anchor song for this album.”

The album has already spawned two singles, “Believers,” and the current single, “Gimmie That Girl.” Of the song, Joe says, “That song is definitely the most progressive thing on the album. I think it’s an appropriate single for where we are in launching the record. It’s a tempo song. It sounds a lot like ‘Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off’ did when we put that song out there. It’s loose, it felt good, about halfway through the song you’re tapping your toes and rocking your head. It’s that kind of song. I’m really proud of the production on the song. Mark Wright did a great job producing. It feels good, it sounds good, I’m glad people are playing it!”

In addition to promoting the new album, Nichols is also gearing up for his upcoming run on Broadway, playing the lead in the stage adaptation of Pure Country. He says that he has seen the George Strait 1992 film several times, and it definitely left an impact. “I saw it in the theater about four times, then on DVD. I’ve always wanted to be like George Strait. From the first time I remember, I thought Merle Haggard was the coolest singer I’ve ever heard in my life. I still think he’s one of the best country singers ever, but I’ve always wanted to be George Strait, and of course, all the girls wanted to be with George Strait. He’s one of those guys — just one of the coolest ever. The movie was great, and it did a lot for country music. I never imagined sitting there in the movie theater that I ever would have a chance to meet George Strait, much less play the character in a Broadway musical. I had no dreams of doing that until I started singing every night on stage. I act crazy every day, so I might as well try my hand at acting a little bit on stage.”

One question that I couldn’t resist asking was if the famous line “Go on, Get Your Ass Outta Here” that George Strait’s “Dusty” character told a pre-Friday Night Lights Kyle Chandler would appear on stage. “You know, I think it will,” said Joe with a laugh. “It would have to. The script that I’ve got doesn’t have that exact line in it, but they’ve re-written it a couple of times because people have said ‘You’ve got to have that line in there…it’s the best line in it.’ I think that will be in the musical.” He says that everything is shaping up quite nicely for the show, which starts in 2010, with co-star Lorrie Morgan. “The songs are really coming together too. It’s going to be a nice production. I’m really looking forward to it.”

For more info on Joe, log on to Joenichols.com, and for more information about “An Old Friend Of Mine,” and how it is affecting others, take a look at anoldfriendofmine.com.