Ben Nichols’ recommendation: “I went through my whole itunes library looking for what moved me the most. It was a tough choice. Some things I skipped over because they were too well known or too obvious, others because as much as I love them I don’t listen to them often enough to feel right writing about them. Made a list and narrowed it down to about 15 artists and bands that really hit me where it counts, from the Constantines to The Faces to The Night Marchers to Warren Zevon. But the record that has honestly been the most moving to me and the most listened to in recent times is All Night Bedroom Revival (available for free download) by a guy named Joey Kneiser. Joey Kneiser is best known as the lead singer for Tennesee-based band Glossary. This is a solo record however and I believe Joey plays everything on it. It’s mainly acoustic guitar with a few overdubs but never sounds like it’s missing anything. People discuss “brilliant songwriting” all the time and usually that just isn’t the proper description of whatever they are talking about… but that is exactly what these songs are. Bruised Ribs, The Big Ocean, and Funeral Flowers are three of the most moving on the record. Joey takes the best elements of Rock & Roll songwriting and combines them with the more thoughtful and emotional singer/songwriter style of doing things and comes up with exactly the right mix. Not too simple and not too complicated. Brilliant songwriting.”

MP3: Bruised Ribs by Joey Kneiser

MP3: The Big Ocean by Joey Kneiser

More about Joey Kneiser and Glossary

About our guest author, Ben Nichols: Ben Nichols fronts Lucero, an alt-country band that was formed in Memphis in the late ’90s. The band has been a critics favorite and has a backstory that can only be described as Wilcoesque. Their early albums have won the praises of critics and they have a steady following, but success was limited by the flailing music business. They’ve put out killer albums only to have their labels fold but they’ve persevered by starting their own label and putting on killer live shows. Ben also put out a solo record, The Last Pale Light in the West which was inspired by Cormac McCarthy’s novel, Blood Meridian. Be sure to check Lucero webstite to check the Lucero live dates and listen to album audio streams.