Impressed by “Sunny and 75,” I was eager to see what this guy had in store for us. The moment I heard “Yeah,” I was immediately drawn in. With the typical country boy, country night and country girl grabbing everyone’s attention, the subject is ..ehh. Same ol, same ol. But that’s ok, because the delivery of the song and the melody are spot on. This is my favorite song on the album and makes me feel...just happy.
Aside from “Sunny and 75,” my next few favorites are, “Baby You’re in Love with Me.” A song about that all to cocky country boy we all know. That one who thinks they have the ladies hooked… and he does. The mid-tempo melody makes you bob your head and sway your body. The lyrics get a little repetitive, but I like it. “Gotta Love it” is another fun song. Nichols delivers an authentic Country sounding vocal while pointing out all the things in life you Gotta Love, including that someone you love, who is loving you right back. As a woman, I know many of us like to play hard to get, “Let Me Fall in Love with You,” is a guys perspective of what he sees, all the things that are driving him crazy in that very moment. It’s a live in the moment; just let it happen kind of song and it makes me smile.
Slowing it down a tad “Love Has a Way,” includes lyrics that explain just that, how love makes you do all sorts of things. It’s just a sweet country love song. Another sweet and slow song, “Better then Beautiful” is one of those feel good girlie songs. The song describes every feeling that a woman wants her man to feel about her. Every woman wants her man to tell her she’s beautiful, and beautiful means so much more then just physical and this song captures just that.
You can’t have a Country album without a song about drinking a beer right? I’m pretty sure, “Open Up a Can” isn’t about a soda. This is a Friday afternoon, work week is over sort of song. “There’s only so much you can stand before you open up a can.”
While crickets tend to be used in many Country songs, Nichols uses his title track as a tribute song to the little insects that drive of us nuts, but we wouldn’t want to live without. It’s a cute song that is exactly as the title describes it. Traditional Country is represented by "Old School Country Song" and a cover of Merle Haggard's "Footlights," a song that was one of the first songs Joe ever sang.
“Crickets” is a jammed packed album with many different songs and while some of the songs do fall within the cliché of country music out there, the delivery is different. Nichols isn’t a stodgy Traditionalist (though he can do that just as well as anyone), and he’s far from Pop/Country. His sound is authentic and his vocals are smooth. I believe he is an artist who is completely underrated. The songs on this album feel fresh, just the type of sound country radio needs.
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