Jeb
Loy Nichols – Long Time Traveller (On-U Sound Records)
LP
/ CD / DL
5
February 2016
9
/ 10
‘The high priest of Country cool’ releases a
country/dub crossover album.
Originally released in Japan in 2010, Long Time
Traveller is finally released in the UK.
Containing tracks re-recorded from Jebs album Now Then and The October
EP, and recorded and mixed by Adrian Sherwood, the track listing has been
re-arranged with four of the tracks appearing on the cd version as a bonus
listing.
Originally from America’s Midwest, Jeb arrived
in London in 1981 looking for a sixteen-year-old Neneh Cherry whose family had
lived close by in New York. Also at the
squat where Neneh lived was Ari Up, ‘Junior’ Williams and Sherwood who recorded
two tracks with Jeb almost straight away.
Within eight months he had made London his home.
Now living in the Welsh Borders, he is a cult figure
of Americana and a former member of alternative Country band The Fellow
Travellers, and his interpretation of Country with a reggae and dub twist is
absolutely sublime. It’s gorgeous, simple
reggae with the clinical On-U sound and the dubs are so superbly subtle that
they are nothing short of brilliant.
What is often thought of as a derisory genre is
given a whole new twist with the dub element.
Listening to the tracks on Long Time Traveller it becomes apparent that
there is a connection between Country and Reggae that may often be
ignored. Album opener To Be Rich
(Should Be A Crime) not only contains a strong socialist commentary but also
shows the link between the two music types is not far smaller than some may
think. Some superb dub touches endorse
the point.
Jeb’s voice is soft and pure; in many ways it can
be compared to that of Martin Stephenson (or vice versa) complimenting the
simple music beautifully. Each track is
as delightful as the last and each one carries a hook and memorable chorus with
those enchanting little Sherwood touches along the way.
Among the many album highlights come The Day
You Came Over The Hill and Lonely King Of The Country, and the seven alternate
mixes on the cd version (or download card if you get the vinyl edition) add yet
another dimension to this very talented artist.
Links
On-U Sound Records
Jeb Loy Nichols website
Jeb Loy Nichols on Twitter
Jeb Loy Nichols on Facebook
Martin Stephenson
Adrian Sherwood
Published on Louder Than War 01/02/16 - here
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