Joe Nichols - Revelation

Joe Nichols's acclaimed 2002 debut was refreshingly free of artifice, brimming with honest, straightforward songs that put him in a rare position. Few critics' darlings deliver commercial success, but Nichols confounded that equation by delivering hit singles, formidable album sales, and three Grammies. His sophomore effort (again produced by Brent Rowan) mixes jovial, breezy honky-tonk ("Don't Ruin It for the Rest of Us" and "What's A Guy Gotta Do") with smart oldies picks: Gene Watson's 1979 hit "Farewell Party" and the title track, an obscure 1972 Waylon Jennings album cut. Nichols's evocative tableaus continue with a winning rendition of Iris DeMent's poignant "No Time to Cry." Poignancy, however, must be handled with care. It packs an emotional wallop when used sparingly, as it does on "If Nobody Believed in You." But too many similar tunes--"Things Like That (These Days)," for example--erode the impact. Nichols earned the right to strike out in more ambitious directions, and while nothing here is below par, he needn't have played it quite this safe. --Rich Kienzle Amazon.com

A Revelation indeed

I knew from his debut cd Man with a memory that Joe Nichols had a great Country voice and delivered both up beat songs and ballads with a traditional feel.
But on his 2nd album he uses his voice almost as a sheer instument of poignancy.
Songs like "The Shade", "Singer in a Band", "I wish that Wasn't all" "If Nobody Believed in You" "Things like That These Days" and especially "Farewell Party" "Revelation" and Most of All "No Time to Cry", Joe takes me in like very few singers could ever hope to do.
His voice sounds poetic on these tracks.
And of course he delivers great uptempo modern country with "Don't ruin it for the rest of us" and "What's a Guy Gotta Do".
Great follow up. May 22, 2007

Revelation-Joe Nichols

The only redeeming song on this disc is track 10...What's A Guy Gotta do. It's fun, upbeat, and a great dance track. The rest of the songs are slow paced and depressing. January 27, 2007

Good album from a rising star.

Joe Nichols burst on to the national scene with 2002's Man with A Memory, and although I liked the singles released from that CD ("Brokenheartsville", "She Only Smokes When She Drinks"), I didn't buy it. Even the first single from this album was not impressive enough ("If Nobody Believed In You") to make me buy it.

The next song to come out was "Whats A Guy Gotta Do". That is the third best song on the album, but what spurred me to buy it in the first place was the realization that the title tune "Revelation" was indeed a cover of one of my all-time favorite Waylon Jennings gospel songs. (although theeditorial review by amazon.com calls it "obscure", I've been listening to it all my life) Nichols gives an impressive voice tyo the lyrics and proves to make the song as haunting as Jennings version.

Nichols also does a very good version of the Gene Watson tune "Farewell Party". Being a classic country fan, I like cover songs when they are done well as (or sometimes better than) the well-known versions.

Also good on this album is "Don't Ruin It For The Rest Of Us", a great honky-tonk style song. About the only song I didn't like at all was "I Wish That Wasn't All". Overall I like Nichols as a singer, but a little less melancholy and more upbeat songs would have earned a 5 star rating. July 7, 2005

Easy Listening

When I first listened to Joe Nichols' Revelations my overall feeling was that it was a little average. But, upon listening to it again I quickly changed my mind. The songs tell great stories and are easy to listen to; not to mention how relaxing Nichol's deep voice is. He sounds great on all the tracks and mixes up the mood with more upbeat songs like Don't Ruin it for the Rest of Us and What's a Guy Gotta Do? A great CD to have for the ride home from work or school to help wind down. June 5, 2005

Joe Nichols

This is the new Joe Nichols. He started his revalation with the video "if nobody belived in you". It was a good video but a little chezzy. Joe is a very good singer and he is one of my favorates. August 11, 2004

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