Jeb Loy Nichols, the UK-based, US-born artist and songsmith, has been putting out his own singular brand of smoky retro soul for over two decades, gathering a fervent cult following along the way. Nichols, backed by his touring band, The Westwood All-Stars, will release a new studio album, JUNE IS SHORT, JULY IS LONG, on Compass Records (UK only). Raised on bluegrass and country & western music, Nichols discovered southern soul when he was a teenager. From there it was off to New York City and hip-hop, then to London and reggae and dancehall. It was this potent mix of genres – classic American roots music and Jamaican reggae, dub and dancehall – that’s since been his signature. Having spent brief periods in Missouri, Texas, New York and London, Nichols found his home in a remote smallholding in the Welsh hills in the ‘80s. This back-to-basics, rural lifestyle is mirrored in his approach to music and the art that graces his album covers and informs his videos. JUNE IS SHORT, JULY IS LONG, his 11th solo release, is a cross-genre collection that documents his journey from being born and raised in the American Midwest through to his current life in the rolling hills of rural Wales. “It’s full circle,” he says. “I started off in the Ozark hills and now here I am, in the hills again.”

“His music is, as it has always been, an intimate fusion of country and soul.”  —­MOJO