Joe Nichols does it all on III, from heartbreaking ballad to up-tempo (read: radio-friendly) novelty songs to pure honky tonkin' goodness. And he has improved his game across the board. The ballads here - "I'll Wait for You," "Just a Little More," "My Old Friend the Blues," "Talk Me Out of Tampa" - are stronger than earlier Nichols ballads like "That Would Be Her," "Can't Hold a Halo to You," and "Things Like That (These Days)." Novelty songs like "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" and "Size Matters (Someday)" are less self-consciously clever than earlier Nichols songs like "Cool to be a Fool" and "Everything's a Thing."
Nichols has always been a great singer, and it's hard to imagine him putting out a bad record. Still, while "Man With a Memory" was an impressive debut and "Revelation" was a fine collection, his sound seemed rooted in contemporary country. Sure, there were occasional nods to traditional country - a Gene Watson cover here (Farewell Party), a Merle Haggard / Iris Dement cover there (No Time to Cry), but filled with quite a bit of enjoyable fluff for radio airplay.
In comparison, III seems to be rooted in traditional country. Nichols' voice works its magic in ways that call to mind George Jones, Merle Haggard, early George Strait, Keith Whitley, Vern Gosdin, Daryle Singletary, and a bunch of other torchbearers for classic country. But it's not imitation; it's uniquely Joe, classic country with a modern bent delivered by one of the best young voices in the business.
He's getting better and better. I'll be first in line for IV.
I really enjoyed the selection of songs on this CD. Joe Nichols is a great singer and I love his music. I let my sister borrow this CD and I never saw it again...so I just bought a second copy. No borrowing this time!!
Joe has made a good classic country song. The tequila song really went big, but in my opinion its not at all the best one on this album. Joe has a very distinct voice and plays that well into the music.
I was not excepting such agreat singing. Joe Nichols is another great singer of country music... thanks again
The new CD from Joe Nichols is fantastic. His music gets better with every CD. Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off is very funny especially after watching the video for the song. Size Matters is another pretty good song. My favorite song on the CD is I'll Wait For You. This song is a tear jerker. It is about a man who can never make it on time to come home when he goes out of town. The last verse is the saddest. His wife passes away and he never makes it to the hospital in time to say goodbye but his wife writes him a letter and it says I'll Wait For You at the pearly gates but I will tell St. Peter I can't go in until my love gets here. WOW what a powerful song. Joe Nichol's should get more recognition than he gets. He is a powerful singer with a powerful voice. Should I Come Home (Or Should I Go Crazy) is another song that should be a single.
Joe Nichols is Good As Always!!!
