As the 21st century has rolled on, more traditional styles of music have been neglected for the most part by newer styles of Electronic based music on the charts. This means that some Rock and guitar based musicians have unfortunately taken a back seat in popularity for their music. Despite that, some amazing musicians and releases are out there in any case. Bluesman Buffalo Nichols is merely a good example of such a 21st-century musician who deserves more attention and respect in a musical context. This album is his debut release and has received some critical acclaim for it. Let’s dive in and hear it, and hopefully, it will sound decent.

Lost & Lonesome begins with some awesome acoustic guitar and slide guitar playing. It sounds unforgettable, to be fair, from the start. Buffalo Nichols sings in a clear, deep voice and perfectly articulates the musical poetry at hand. A really amazing tune to hear, this has much more longevity and staying power than many of his R&B contemporaries on the charts. All in all, this is a great song. The slide guitar, again, is absolutely pretty and delicious sounding. A sad sounding tune, but something definitely worth listening to. It is a really deep and image evoking song in a depressing sense. All in all, this does sound really great. Buffalo Nichols wishes for some company here in a world full of evil, and this is fairly relatable nowadays. A great start to this debut album, and certainly worth hearing. The outro sounds nice with the acoustic guitars and slide guitars making an impact. Excellent.

Living Hell begins with some delicious and awesome acoustic guitar playing, quickly joined in with a 4/4 kick drum beat. This sounds ridiculously good and evokes some deep and interesting emotions abound. Buffalo Nichols sings in a clear but Bluesy voice, and he definitely delivers as a musician. Nonetheless, this music sounds incredibly great and has Buffalo Nichols questioning the meaning of existence in a world gone wrong. The singing and playing of this song are absolutely fantastic, and even if Blues-based Rock has had its day commercially, Buffalo Nichols and others in the scene still shine bright. Rather catchy music as well, this is a very solid and amazing listening experience. A deep, soulful and interesting tune to listen to, our friend Buffalo Nichols does not sound very happy or positive. Still, he delivers very well here and he sings the Blues very well. A great tune, once again.

Sick Bed Blues begins with some fingerpicked acoustic guitar and some cymbal crashes. Buffalo Nichols sings about being lying sick in bed, possibly ready to die. Common colds are something that everyone gets from time to time, so this song is fairly relatable as a tune for the listener out there. A really awesome tune, despite its miserabilism, it continues to showcase Buffalo Nichols’s unique and extraordinary Bluesy talent. The second half reaches an emotional climax with our main man singing about the Doctor’s diagnosis. Really sad music, but not deliberately mopey like Coldplay, it’s just realistic and well-delivered. Another solid slice of music that sounds inspired, and yes, is worth your time and ears.

These Things does sound a lot like Nick Drake from the start. It has sparse acoustic guitars and slide guitars to match. Buffalo Nichols sounds like a true Bluesman, and he paints a picture of sadness and misery clearly. A sweet violin piece enters, and this becomes very emotional and moving in general. This is an unofficial concept album about one’s difficulties in life, and this is another excellent tune to listen to. To be fair, this album is also a really excellent listening experience throughout and although its negativity will not appeal to everyone out there, it is a fine, beautiful and excellent listen musically. This track is no different. A very big tearjerker tune that lasts for three minutes and already sounds timeless. A great song from start to finish.

How To Love begins with more deep and bottom heavy sounding acoustic guitar work, and Buffalo Nichols sings from a deep and emotional place musically. This is obviously a bit of an emotional love song devoted to a lady, and he looks back at a failed relationship with hope for the future. A 4/4 kick drum beat then enters after some time, and this moving music sounds really catchy and excellent. This is already a classic album, although, in today’s postmodern world, this isn’t radio ready material in terms of commercial appeal. Still, this is another amazing and interesting listen from Buffalo Nichols that has some delicious slide guitar soloing and a great array of tasty Blues music derived sounds and an intelligent intention musically. Really awesome music to listen to. It ends with a fine outro of acoustic guitar playing and the 4/4 kick drum beat. Brilliant.

Another Man launches straight into another awesome acoustic ballad about the concept of death by gunshot. Not exactly pleasant lyrical material, but the musical quality, playing and singing are absolutely top-notch. Buffalo Nichols does an amazing job musically here and easily proves you don’t need to be a sell-out to create great music. He sings with a deep respect and knowledge of music past, present and future. A really sad lament of a tune, this is a Southern USA African-American musical tale that deserves respect. In the USA, gun deaths and capital punishment are a threat to people’s lives and this song articulates that concern very well. A very good listen, very USA based but with broad appeal. Another great tune.

Back On Top begins with heavily reverberated drums, mellow electric guitar and launches into a very good electric Blues piece. Again, this is an awesome and fantastic listening experience with more unorthodox slide guitar as well. A really thoroughly forward thinking and awesome tune to enjoy, this is one of the best examples of 21st century Blues. Kingfish obviously has a rival here. All in all, this is a really enjoyable tune about sharing drinks with a lady of one’s desire. A cool and interesting listen with a nice slide guitar solo, Buffalo Nichols proves his underrated worth as a singer, lyricist and musician. This does sound really great and is a warped Blues tune. It finishes with some cool drum rolls. Sweet.

Sorry It Was You is the last track here and has some more deep and interesting acoustic guitar playing, along with some treated guitar overdubs and some more Blues based singing. Soon enough, this tune launches into a layered piece of Blues Rock magic that sounds really awesome. This is a decent finish to a rather short yet bittersweet album to listen to. There is a strange slide electric guitar solo that sounds really warped and odd here and is a crazily good listening experience. A consistently good listen and something worth remembering, this is pretty music. It ends with an acoustic styled jam and fades out softly to conclude the song and album.

This is one of the greatest debut albums of the 21st century. It has enough consistency, mellow sounds and a great musical sense that Buffalo Nichols deserves more praise than most here. Indeed, he has a bright future ahead of him musically, even if he is not as popular as Ed Sheeran out there. Should you listen to this album? Definitely give it a spin, especially if you dig the Blues.

An underrated and outstanding effort.

9/10