Easy Now
Jeb Loy Nichols brings an organic warmth to his down-home fusion of  retro soul grooves that call to mindAl GreenandBobby Womackand  country-folk arrangements (guitars that sound like dulcimers or mandolins).  Though some hear a vocal resemblance toJames Taylorin Nichols's  quavery tenor, he also recalls theBandat their most  liltingly melodic andJohn  Hiattwithout the angst. This release sets the title's mood with some  comparatively slight, wispy fare (the tone and textures of "Letter to an Angel"  and "Better Than Beautiful" leave more of an imprint than the songs) before  progressing to more substantial material. With the harmony-laden balladry of  "Heaven Help Me," the solo "Mostly Bittersweet," and the spare transcendence of  "Not the Only Man," Nichols finds a perfect marriage of sound and sense.--Don McLeese