Jared James Nichols’ ‘Louder Than Fate’ Is An Easy Listen For Audiences

By: Philip Sayblack

​This coming Friday, guitarist Jared James Nichols will release his latest album, Louder Than Fate.  His fourth album, it will be released via Frontiers Music s.r.l.  The record will find the majority of its appeal among the most devoted of his established audiences.  At the same time, no doubt casual fans of the blues/southern rock realm will also find something to appreciate about the album.  This is most clearly evidenced through the song’s musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly.  The familiar and easily accessible lyrical themes presented throughout the 35-minute record will ensure that appeal in their own way.  The record’s production puts the finishing touch to the whole, rounding out its most important elements.  Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of Louder Than Fate.  All things considered they make the 10-song record a presentation worth hearing at least once.
Louder Than Fate, the forthcoming latest album from Jared James Nichols, is a presentation that will find appeal among plenty of audiences.  That is evidenced in part through its featured musical arrangements.  From the beginning to the end of the record, the arrangements prove pivotal because of their accessibility and familiarity.  By and large, they are blues/southern rock style compositions that are easily comparable to works from the likes of Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Black Crowes, and even Jason Charles Miller among so many others.  However, there are some songs that are more mainstream radio friendly compositions thrown in for good measure.  The whole makes the record’s musical body easily comparable to works from the likes of the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, The Dead Daisies, Black Crowes, etc.).  Among the most notable of the “pure” blues/southern rock arrangements featured herein is ‘Looks Like That Felt Good.’  The combination of Nichols’ vocal delivery (including his vocal tone), audiences get a song that is immediately comparable to works from Black Crowes.  The bombast of the drums in the opening bars immediately grabs listeners before Nichols comes in alongside the solid, rich bass line.  The whole throughout makes this song easily a favorite among listeners. 
Audiences wanting something perhaps heavier get just that in the album’s closer, ‘Pretend.’  The guitar riff in this nearly three minute song (it clocks in at two minutes,45 seconds to be exact) is really something interesting.  In the verses, it is comparable to works from the likes of Texas Hippie Coalition, Corrosion of Conformity and Black Label Society.  That heaviness is countered by a much more melodic rock approach in the choruses, which is driven more by the bass line.  The juxtaposition thereof makes this song yet another fully enjoyable addition to the record that is sure to engage and entertain listeners in its own way.  That it packs so much punch in less than three minutes makes it a solid finale for the album and just as solid another addition to the album.
‘Killing Time’ maintains Nichols’ southern/blues rock vibe on this record but also incorporates more of a softer, somber melodic tone and mood that is an easy fit, believe it or not, for any active rock radio station’s daily play list.  It has all the markings of those contemporaries to his work and in turn would get easy airplay if it is not already getting that attention.  Between this song, the others examined here and others, such as the album’s almost glam-rock opener, ‘Let’s Go,’ the Jason Charles Miller-esque ‘Ghost’ and ‘Way Back’ and southern/stoner rock anthem that is ‘Dust ‘N Bones’ and the rest of the album’s entries, the whole therein makes the overall musical body of Louder than Fate reason enough for Nichols’ noted audiences to take in this album.
Adding to the record’s interest is the lyrical content that accompanies the album’s musical arrangements.  As noted, the lyrical themes presented here are just as accessible and familiar as the record’s musical content.  Case in point is a song, such as ‘Killing Time.’  This song is one of so many countless songs about relationships gone south. This is obvious as Nichols sings here, “Heard what you didn’t say/I felt you push away/And now I’m second guessing/Every question that I never asked/I see just who you are/You’re just another star…Did you feel there were strings attached/Was I killing your heart/Were you killing mine/Or were we both just killing time?”  He continues, “Keep telling yourself/There’s someone else/Out there/To save you/Run through another one/Dig another hole/That’s what we do/You were made for me/’Cause misery loves company.”  From here Nichols reprises the chorus.  The rest of the song continues in this similar lyrical fashion.  Keeping that in mind, the song is sure to resonate with listeners perhaps dealing with a breakup, especially as the message is delivered alongside its equally subdued musical arrangement, which incorporates strings to add to the emotional depth.
On a happier note is the early entry, ‘Way Back.’  This fun, blues rock composition is that familiar song about just relaxing, enjoying life.  It is that quite familiar working person’s song.  This is evidenced as Nichols sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “It’s been a long week/Been living like a chained up dog/Out here on a short leash/Damn/Every single day feels like I’m living on repeat/Like groundhog day on the mean streets/Well it’s do this/Pay that/Try to tell me how to act/But all I wanna do is kick it way back/Like a black Caddilac/With the bucket seats/Laid way back/Like a 8-track/Pumping something…Gonna crank it like Jimi…”  Some of the lyrics here are a little difficult to decipher fully sans lyrics to reference.  That aside, the message is clear and familiar.  This is a celebratory song about just living life for one’s self.  After having that hard week, this is just someone who wants to relax.  That is all this is, and the lyrics do so well to reflect this.  When the lyrics are coupled with the song’s musical arrangement, that whole makes for even more enjoyment and appreciation.
The rest of the songs featured in this record are, lyrically, each centered on the topic of relationships.  There are the higher moments, such as ‘Running Hot’ and ‘Looks Like That Felt Good.’  There are also other moments, such as the album’s closer, ‘Pretend,’ which finds its subject telling that other person, “Not a moment to get out/Heartbreak and doubt/I give you everything/You know/You turn me into something else/I don’t know myself/But you really got me doing down, down, down.”  From there he notes that “before it ends/Can we pretend/It’s love/For one more night?”  Interestingly enough, the energy in this song’s arrangement is contrary to this all too familiar message.  When that energy and the song’s theme are paired, they make for yet another presentation that is sure to resonate with its own share of audiences.  When this and the other songs all examined here are considered along with the rest of the album’s entries, they make the overall lyrical body of Louder than Fate impacting in its own way.  When it and the albums’ musical body are considered collectively, they make for even more reason to audiences to take in the record.
Putting the final touch to Louder than Fate is the record’s production.  From beginning to end of the album, its production ensures that the album’s sound is expertly balanced between the vocal performances and the instrumental presentations.  Whether in the rare more subdued moments or in the more raucous tracks, the attention to detail in each song results in a positive general effect that makes the album just as worth hearing as the album’s content.  When the album’s production is considered alongside its content, that whole makes Louder than Fate that much more worth hearing and at least one more welcome addition to this year’s field of new rock albums.
Louder than Fate, the forthcoming, fourth album from Jared James Nichols, is a presentation that rock fans and Nichols’ established audiences alike will find engaging and entertaining.  This is proven in part through its musical arrangements, which are largely fun, familiar, blues-based southern rock style compositions.  The lyrical content that accompanies the record’s compositions makes for its own share of interest.  This is because of its own familiarity and accessibility.  The record’s production ensures a positive general effect that will appeal in its own way to the whole of the presentation.  Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the record.  All things considered they make Louder than Fate a welcome addition to this year’s field of new rock and albums that is worth hearing at least once.
Louder than Fate is scheduled for release Friday through Frontiers Music s.r.l.  More information on the album is available along with all of Jared James Nichols’ latest news at:
Website: https://jaredjamesnichols.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jaredjamesnichols
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JJNicholsMusic