Houston-born, Milwaukee raised songwriter Carl “Buffalo” Nichols cuts the crap. Cuts through labels – they’re for moving boxes. In fact, with lines like “Why wear a hood when a badge is just as good?” in “Another Man”, addressing the American tradition of police killings, and “Guess loyalty’s just a word that slips off of your tongue,” Nichols’ sentiments cut to the quick.

Nichols earned his sound by singing in the Baptist church of his youth, listening to his mother’s Son House, Keb’ Mo’ and Skip James records, playing guitar in hip hop bands and founding a hardcore band in the punk scene in Wisconsin. He also travelled Europe and West Africa, having connected with that area’s music when hanging with friends from there back in the Midwest. He even played in roots duo Nickel & Rose, leaving “the broken record of Americana” after playing a logging festival where a Confederate flag was flying and no one understood why that was questionable.

The most compelling thing about Nichols’ songs is that what you hear is what you get. And the getting’s good. His 2021 self-titled debut album embraces classic instrumentation, bare guitar and vocals, and room, creating a collection that showcases his talent without showing off. It’s largely acoustic, its nakedness meaning there’s no hiding musically nor lyrically. Keeping the burner turned down low, the music smokes and shimmers rather than boils.