Old Things New

Joe Nichols | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Universal South
• ASIN: B002NPUCOY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,337 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Gimme That Girl

2. It's Me I'm Worried About

3. Old Things New

4. Man Woman

5. Believers

6. Cheaper Than A Shrink

7. The Shape I'm In

8. This Bed's Too Big

9. We All Go Home

10. An Old Friend Of MineBonus

11. Let's Get Drunk And Fight-Live

12. Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off-(Fat Shan remix) featuring Colt Ford

13. An Old Friend Of Mine Video

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Joe Nichols continues to prove how hip and relevant country music can be. With the aptly titled Old Things New, the award-winning, Grammy-nominated singer once again balances artistry with accessibility, applying his distinctive baritone to new songs that define country music for modern times. It's the perfect follow-up to his acclaimed 2007 album, Real Things, which landed Nichols on a multitude of best-of-the-year lists, including those published by the New York Times, Miami Herald, Dallas Morning News, Associated Press, CMT.com and many others.

Old Things New is the sound of a singer who has come to know exactly who he is--and what he does best. "I feel like I'm in a really cool position," Nichols says. "I've found my place by moving deeper into the kind of music I love, which are songs that draw on the traditional side. A lot of country music at the moment is real aggressive and hard. I love that music, but it's not what I do. I've found my niche by doing something outside of what everyone else is doing."

What Nichols does is zero in on his strengths: He gives weight to the heart-stirring message of "Believers" and fills the title song, about timeless and enduring qualities, and the unforgettable "An Old Friend of Mine," about a man giving up the bottle, with the genuine emotion of a man singing about what he knows. Elsewhere, Nichols shows his wide range, from the swing-with-a-smile "Cheaper Than a Shrink" to the jazzy, romantic "This Bed's Too Big," and from the modern upbeat rhythm of "Give Me That Girl" to the lonesome blues of "It's Me I'm Worried About."

All together, the album reveals the talents of a wholly distinctive singer who has accumulated the experience to convey the emotion, or the fun, of each story he has to tell. "I think this album is full of great songs that would sound great on the radio," Nichols says. "But I'm at a place in my career where it's not just about hits, but about who I am as an artist. It's about the work as a whole and what it says about me. I wanted this record to represent the best of who Joe Nichols is, and I'm really proud of what we've done."

This new clarity, Nichols admits, comes from the Arkansas native achieving an inner peace that, in the past, he's struggled to find. "I'm happier and more settled than I've ever been, and that sets me up to be clearer about the man I want to be and the artist I want to be," Nichols explains. "When I've made mistakes, it's because I felt insecure and second-guessed myself. When I've been true to who I am, and when I've given it everything I've got, that's when I've done my best--and found the most acceptance."

Indeed, as with many new stars, Nichols encountered some personal difficulties as his schedule grew busier and the stakes higher. Musically, he repeatedly found success by carving out an individual style that clung to a personal aesthetic rather than fitting into the ever-evolving and expanding sounds of modern country music. With time, just as he found his way as a singer, he began to realize he needed to center himself as a person, too. He married Heather Singleton, who he had known since both were 18 years old, and he took steps toward a healthier outlook on life. Today, Nichols proudly says he has found a sense of peace that has him feeling happier and more focused than ever.

From the start, with 2002's breakthrough Universal South debut, Man with a Memory, Nichols established himself as a solid neo-traditionalist who could balance message songs with aching ballads and breezy, playful tunes that evoke a sly smile. Number One hits like "The Impossible" and "Brokenheartsville" introduced the singer's expressive baritone and the subtle way he could express wisdom and humor as well as pain and pleasure.

Nichols' powerful introduction certainly drew the attention of his peers and of country fans: His first year out, he won the Country Music Association's Horizon Award, the Academy of Country Music's Top New Male Vocalist and CMT's Breakthrough Music Video of the Year.

Over the next three critically acclaimed albums--Revelation, III and Real Things--Nichols secured his spot as a rock-solid traditionalist who could master lighthearted swing, blue ballads and message songs with effortless aplomb and gather #1 hits along the way (to date, Nichols has accumulated three #1 and seven Top 10 hits). Whether grinning his way through "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" or "What's a Guy Gotta Do," or instilling weight and emotion into "I'll Wait for You" or "If Nobody Believed in You," Nichols always sounded convincingly real and believable. Like forebears George Strait and Alan Jackson, Nichols manages to forge a variety of earthy, bedrock country styles into a distinctive sound all his own, all the while sounding as laid-back and natural as the friendly guy next door--OK, make that the extraordinarily charismatic, good-looking guy next door.

He not only drew the praise of critics and fans of old-school country music, but he gathered a wide array of fans across the board who love his authenticity and genuine talent. Only four albums in, he's already received four Grammy Award nominations. One fan, Nickelback singer Chad Kroeger, started covering a Nichols hit during the superstar band's concerts. "I haven't been able to get this song out of my mind," Kroeger said of "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off," in front of one sold-out arena. "I love this song."

On Old Things New, Nichols' new sense of self-confidence helped Nichols assert his opinions more openly in the studio. In the past, he says, he was content to let others make decisions and focus on singing. But he was involved in all facets of Old Things New, a commitment welcomed by co-producers Brent Rowan and Mark Wright. "Not only do I feel I know what I'm good at now, but I also know what I'm not as good at," the humble singer says. "I've always tried to stay open to new ideas and to taking on challenges and stretching. That's how you learn. With this album, more than ever, I feel like I play to my strengths."

Indeed, Nichols points out, the tendency in country is to follow trends and pay close attention to what works for other artists. "If one artist sells five million albums, the tendency is for other artists to say, `Maybe I should do a little of that, too,'" Nichols says. "That can be tough to resist. But something inside me tells me to stay true to who I am and to stay on my own path. I truly believe that, if I do that, there's something different, something better, for me down the road."

Product Description

With the aptly titled Old Things New, the award-winning, Grammy-nominated singer once again balances artistry with accessibility, applying his distinctive baritone to new songs that define country music for modern times. It's the perfect follow-up to his acclaimed 2007 album, Real Things, which landed Nichols on a multitude of best-of-the-year lists, including those published by the New York Times, Miami Herald, Dallas Morning News, Associated Press, CMT.com and many others.

Old Things New is the sound of a singer who has come to know exactly who he is--and what he does best. "I feel like I'm in a really cool position," Nichols says. "I've found my place by moving deeper into the kind of music I love, which are songs that draw on the traditional side. A lot of country music at the moment is real aggressive and hard. I love that music, but it's not what I do. I've found my niche by doing something outside of what everyone else is doing."

What Nichols does is zero in on his strengths: He gives weight to the heart-stirring message of "Believers" and fills the title song, about timeless and enduring qualities, and the unforgettable "An Old Friend of Mine," about a man giving up the bottle, with the genuine emotion of a man singing about what he knows. Elsewhere, Nichols shows his wide range, from the swing-with-a-smile "Cheaper Than a Shrink" to the jazzy, romantic "This Bed's Too Big," and from the modern upbeat rhythm of "Give Me That Girl" to the lonesome blues of "It's Me I'm Worried About."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nichols Mixes Old and New Well, October 27, 2009

By 

Timothy Yap "thy4568" (Sydney, NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old Things New (MP3 Download)

Prime Cuts: Old Things New, It's Me I'm Worried About, An Old Friend of Mine

Over the years, Joe Nichols has carved for himself a niche. While many country artists think that traditional side of the genre is immiscible with the more polish modern sounds, Nichols has found a way to astride both sounds. Nothing best sums up Nichols' approach to country music than the title of this disc, "Old Things New." Taking the rudiments of traditional country laced with twangy guitars, fiddle and pedal steel, Nichols sings about contemporary issues that are invigorating, relevant and age-defying. Not only just sonically, but in terms of the songs' lyrics, Nichols does not just sing the grand swath of themes that safely fall in the canon of country music. Often he would give tried and true subjects a fresh twist. Just like his contemporary Brad Paisley, Nichols is not too reserved enough to throw in a few humorous novelties into the barrel too. This means that there's hardly a dull moment while listening to this new disc. All of this is thanks to producers Mark Wright and Brent Rowan who had helped Nichols secured top notched songs from a red carpet of Nashville scribes such as Paul Overstreet, Bill Anderson, Victoria Shaw, Rhett Atkins, Gary Burr, Jamey Johnson and Shawn Camp.

Without any reservation, the title track "Old Things New," is Nichols' mission statement in song. As Nichols sings about giving fresh spins to his old Haggard vinyls, he is tacitly describing his approach to country music. This Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon and Paul Overstreet co-write is a slice of traditional country steeped with bittersweet nostalgia. Waxing further sentimentality is the steel driven country ballad "We All Go Home." Nevertheless, the much talked about track here is the album closer, "An Old Friend of Mine," a Ray Charles-piano type ballad finding Nichols parting company with alcohol personified as a much cling to friend. Shades much brighter is the Tony Martin, Tom Shapiro and Mark Nesler penned "It's Me I'm Worried About" which sounds like a hardcore Vern Gosdin-ballad made interesting with its unique lyrically twist.

Radio's appetite will be wetted with "Gimmie That Girl" a pulsating slinky rhythmic track that is upbeat and youthful sounding. A couple of tracks reside in familiar tuff: "Believers" is a sonic cousin to Mark Chesnutt's "Thank God for Believers," an inspirational ballad that pays homage to the faithful. As a lead single, it's not Nichols strongest cut as single material. While "Man Woman" is Nichols' take of Brad Paisley's "I'm Still a Guy" a humorous take on the gender divide. Without the wit of Paisley, Nichols' "Man Woman" is passable without being exceptional. Victoria Shaw and Gary Burr's contribution "This Bed's Too Big" is a jazzy-infused seductive ballad. Again it's more on the non-descript side despite the famed writers.

On the whole, "Old Things New" is spliced with threads of traditionalism yet it's not too antiquated that it has no contemporary currency. Nichols certainly has the right balance here in "Old Things New." Though not all the songs are perfect, this is still a viable album as the fresh coat of paint Nichols brushes over the old is fresh yet respectable to the bygone past.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SOULFUL COUNTRY, November 20, 2009

By 

Thierry Guggenheim "t.guggenheim" (France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Old Things New (Audio CD)

The new album from Joe Nichols is a rare piece of soulful and refined music.Production is fine and gives the opportunity to show the artist at his best.Acoustic sound is beautiful and musicality of melodies is great.It's much more than the usual one/two hit(s) album with fillings.It's a collection of great songs played by great musicians.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars please note, May 20, 2010

By 

K. Gaul - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Old Things New (MP3 Download)

Just wanted to note that "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" is the remix version with Colt Ford, not the version you hear on the radio. Most people probably know this; I'm new to Joe Nichols music and hadn't done my research on previous albums. Still good music, just not quite what I expected.