by Johnny LoftusAs a teenager, Jeb Loy Nichols made his way from Austin, TX, to New York, NY. In the Big Apple, punk rock took root, and continued to be an influence even after Nichols had moved to London. In the U.K., the sounds of dub and lovers rock mixed with his already colorful palette, and Nichols collaborated with fellow genre chameleons like Neneh Cherry and the Slits Ari Up. In 1990, Nichols formed the Fellow Travellers with vocalist Lorraine Morley, issuing No Easy Way on the Ohio indie Okra. A spicy blend of country, folk, and reggae, the album was the first real evidence of Nichols burgeoning talent as an artist who was as at home on the range as he was on the streets of the city. In 1992, the Fellow Travellers released their sophomore effort, Just a Vistor, and Things in Time a year later. Both appeared on Okra, and channeled Cash as frequently as they did Gershwin or Horace Andy.In 1997, Nichols solo debut appeared on Capitol. An ambitious, richly textured album, Lovers Knot featured Nichols nasally drawl and plucking banjo over soul, blues, and reggae influences. Needless to say, it was a little ahead of its time. Evidently, Capitol though so, too: Nichols was promptly dropped, and the record was shelved after only a brief release in North America. Nichols resurfaced in 2001 with Just What Time It Is, issued in America through Ryko and Rough Trade in the United Kingdom. Recorded in Jamaica with engineer Stephen Stanley (Buju Banton, Burning Spear), the record again mixed country & western with soul and reggae. But Nichols sound now also featured a hint of programming, giving it a hyper-real vibe, like a green-lit night-vision image of a front porch. The album was a critical success, and Nichols followed it with Easy Now in 2002