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It's not just that this Arkansas native's leathery, edgy voice conjures up Haggard, Jackson, and Travis. Too many recent case histories demonstrate that such traditionalism won't necessarily survive Music Row or radio's dictatorial requirements. Joe Nichols provides a heartening exception to that depressing rule. The songs may cover predictable ground, yet their spicy ingenuity and Nichols's hardy voice prove consistently satisfying. He tackles the philosophical tune "The Impossible" with understated finesse. The same applies to his spins on loneliness ("You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet"), love ("Can't Hold a Halo to You"), barroom nostalgia ("Joe's Place"), and impossible women ("She Only Smokes When She Drinks"). What could have been a predictable Western-swing two-step on "You Can't Break the Fall" appears in an unexpectedly elegant, '50s cool-jazz veneer. His rendition of Tom T. Hall's loopy, satirical "Life Don't Have to Be Nothin' at All" fits glovelike into this mix. Few debuts are flawless, but this comes so close that it whets the appetite for the next time. --Rich Kienzle