Album Review: Joe Nichols – Greatest Hits
The class of freshman traditionalists who eagerly took to the airwaves around the turn of the millennium is now graduating to hits collection status, with Joe Nichols’ simply-titled Greatest Hits hot on the heels of November collections from Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton. The Nichols collection is the skimpiest of the lot, clocking in at just over a half hour with 10 songs.
Trouble is, Show Dog-Universal has diverged from a straight by-the-charts ranking with some frustrating choices that actually make the album less interesting. “It Ain’t No Crime” appears in place of the higher-ranking “If Nobody Believed In You,” and “She Only Smokes When She Drinks” and “Another Side of You” (both #17) get leapfrogged by “Cool to Be a Fool” (a #18 in 2003). If the label really had their hearts set on including “Crime” and “Cool,” they could have done us the small favor of also including the other three, all serious ballads whose inclusion could have made this feel like a more well-rounded collection.
As it is, this Greatest Hits seems inordinately focused on ditties. For those who’ve come to know him chiefly through his albums, and the stunning deeper cuts like “Man With a Memory” and “My Whiskey Years” contained therein, it’s amazing how frivolous Nichols seems when viewed from a singles standpoint. A collection built on the likes of “Gimmie That Girl,” “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off,” “It Ain’t No Crime,” and “Size Matters (Someday)” does little to reveal why the Arkansan crooner has been hailed as one of the great voices of his generation. “Brokenheartsville” and “I’ll Wait for You” offer fleeting glimpses, but the real story remains hidden away on the albums.
If Joe Nichols finds a quiet moment to sit down and listen to these 10 songs from start to finish, I hope he’s embarrassed. Or disappointed. Or at least a little concerned that he might be selling himself short. Because if he’s not, there’s little hope that his next eight years of hits will be any less disposable.
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February 6, 2011
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January 28, 2011 at 6:48 am
I have to say that I was very disappointed myself when I first saw the track listing. It’s pretty sad. And I don’t understand why more songs were not included, either.
January 28, 2011 at 6:51 am
You said “it’s amazing how frivolous Nichols seems when viewed from a singles standpoint.” Excellent point. My favorite track from “Real Things” was “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”. From the first album, I liked “That Would be Her” and “Can’t Hold a Halo to You” besides “Man with a Memory”. For me, his debut album remains his best and that’s disappointing.
January 28, 2011 at 7:36 am
These are interesting points. Sometimes it seems, these days, that the more traditionalist/hard country the artist is, the MORE likely they are to have novelty change-ups singled out, or pushed for in the first place, at least as far as radio is concerned.. That holds for all of the”freshman traditionalists” rightly mentioned by C.M.–and also applies, seems to me, to the Trace Adkins joke records question discussed earlier this week.
(Don’t take this as a general slam at lighter records, btw; it’s not. The question is when enough is enough–and when the range of what talented artists might do and can do gets narrowed in this direction.)
January 28, 2011 at 8:17 am
He has enough “hits” for a Greatest Hits album?? Really?
January 28, 2011 at 8:39 am
He does if you include the songs that peaked in the lower reaches of the Top 20.
January 28, 2011 at 9:09 am
Very good points C.M. I own all of his albums, even 6 of one/early years/self-titled, but I won’t be buying this one. When I plead Joe’s case to people who don’t own his albums I always end up referencing some song that I really like that the other person has never heard.
I really like Farewell Party, Revelation, and No Time to Cry on the Revelation album. Three covers of Gene Watson, Waylon Jennings, and Merle Haggard. I think Nichols holds his own on these songs, but many country fans have never and will never hear them.
January 28, 2011 at 9:43 am
Agreed. And I gotta say, the album cover kinda creeps me out. His face somehow doesn’t look real anymore – it’s like he’s a country Ken doll or something.
January 28, 2011 at 9:55 am
I think its because he’s using Matthew McConaughey Stock Facial Expression #4.
January 28, 2011 at 10:15 am
He’s a heck of a singer.
January 28, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Excellent review, a greatest hits package is often a stop-gap measure during a lull or transition in an artists career. He’s been around nearly 10 years, which used to equate to 10 albums, but he’s around 5 or 6. Figure 3 to 4 singles off an original album and this collection should be 15 songs plus 2 or 3 new songs.
This is likely decided by the execs, Toby and Mark Wright? Either Joe is short on any new material and they don’t want to spend any $$$ on him and are just trying to keep some product in the racks; or they are getting ready to dump him and are just trying to reap a few more bucks with little investment. Or maybe we’ve got the Curb/McGraw deal, where we’ll have 3 GH albums in the next 3 years…
January 28, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Lucas,
It’s a stopgap between the last album and the new one and w/the last one not really selling (singles were), it makes some sense. Considering he’s currently the only SD-U artist outside of Toby on the label getting ANY radio success, I think they’re not gonna cut bait.
January 28, 2011 at 1:15 pm
“Agreed. And I gotta say, the album cover kinda creeps me out. His face somehow doesn’t look real anymore – it’s like he’s a country Ken doll or something.”
Yeah, I thought the cover picture made Nichols look very posable myself. The slightly open-mouthed smile is kinda creepy on a guy like him too. It says ‘I’m thinking about something unsavory’ more than ‘I’m a fun-loving guy’, at least to me.
I definitely agree on the track-listing problems. Why would they only include 10 songs anyway? I would think the label is trying to push more digital downloads of the ballads, but it would make a lot more sense to me to just tack those songs onto the CD and further push those sales.
January 28, 2011 at 4:22 pm
this album reeks of epic fail. “She Only Smokes When She Drinks” not being on there is so wrong on so many levels. That’s definitely my favourite JN song.
January 28, 2011 at 6:22 pm
C.M. said “As it is, this Greatest Hits seems inordinately focused on ditties.” Well, when you’re pitching an album to AirHead Country radio listeners, you gotta do what you gotta do…
PS – This should have been a give-away contest thread! I’d kinda like listening to this CD, but I’m not about to pay for it! (lol)
January 29, 2011 at 1:27 am
You could as easily make a CD-R out of the songs on this album from the Nichols albums you own, and you could add any song you like. What’s the point of this thing?
January 29, 2011 at 1:27 am
I’ll answer my own question: Mo Money!!
January 29, 2011 at 4:53 am
Presumably Greatest Hits typically sell to the causal buyer who hasn’t got the albums. That’s why I find the practice of adding a few new tracks to drag in those who have already bought all the previous records so objectionable. At least this (disappointing though the choice of songs may be) doesn’t do that.