Search - James Nixon :: No End to the Blues

Wow

bigdaddymedic | east tennessee | 02/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"just like nick this cd rules.... if you get the chance to see him on stage at the gibson show case in nashville tn, you better go. he is awsome live. and he will make you feel like an old friend."

Solid Stuff -

Rob | N'ville. | 06/11/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This guy's got a great voice, the real deal. A hard-workin' vet with excellent chops seasoned by life. The CD is filled with solid songwriting (12 single writes by Nixon & 2 co-writes, songs #10 & 12, with Richard Fleming), good production & dandy players. But it's Nixon's really fine vocals that shine, shine, shine. He has alot of facets in his voice that he controls & utilizes to perfection. There's a soft, gentle touch he employs sparingly and effectively, a passionate soulful growling edge and even an excellent high falsetto'ish voicing he uses that's provides a nifty contrast & impact scattered throughout his emotional, dead-on-the-money performances. It's just really good to listen to a pro's pro doin' what he does with gusto! And just so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle, I've got to mention Nixon's strong, strong guitar work. Obviously capable of holding down the axe sideman slot with any band in the biz, his playing is inventive, rock-solid & never overdone (thus leaving just the good stuff)! Highlight tunes beyond the title cut, for me, include TRYING TO HOLD ON with it's nice background vocal (Mary-Ann Brandon) & song tension, SUNDOWN BLUES with that cool high vocal deal, & the great delivery on ONE MORE CHANCE WITH YOU. The #12 cut, I'M YOUR HANDY MAN is a really nice song with a spare, kind of haunting vibe provided in large part by the wonderful, moody harp-playing of Shannon Williford. Matched with Nixon's smooth guitar & perfect vocal the song really shines. Williford also does the harmonica work on a few other tunes to great advantage & effect. He really adds to the production w/o getting in the way. This leads to a few comments on Fred James production & guitar work. The guy really seems to know what he's doing, letting the productions serve the songs & the singer! Also, his own rhythm & slide work adds nicely to the project. One more kudo to Fred James: my understanding is that he's a nice white guy who digs R&B and the blues and puts his money where his mouth is to get it to happen. Good deal. The other players are all equally as good. Brian Owings (drums) & Jeff Davis (bass) lock it down, Billy Earhart does nice work on keys & Dennis Taylor offers some real nice sax work. Overall this is a mighty good CD by a mighty good artist!"