Since his earliest infatuations with guitar, Buffalo Nichols has asked himself the same question: “How can I bring the blues of the past into the future”? After cutting his teeth between a Baptist church and bars in Milwaukee, it was a globetrotting trip through West Africa and Europe during a creative down period that began to reveal the answer. “Part of my intent, making myself more comfortable with this release, is putting more Black stories into the genres of folk and blues,” guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Carl “Buffalo” Nichols explains. “Listening to this record, I want more Black people to hear themselves in this music that is truly theirs.” That desire is embodied in his self-titled debut album—Fat Possum’s first solo blues signing in nearly 20 years—composed largely of demos and studio sessions recorded between Wisconsin and Texas.

He lets his modern blues simmer and smoke, avoiding pyrotechnic blister. Somber and guarded, opener Lost & Lonesome pins the simple tools behind most of the album – evocative acoustic guitar, barely there’s percussion, and Nichols’ wisely pleading voice. It sounds just right weighing the heaviness of heaven and hell (Living Hell) and suffering (Sick Bed Blues). With Another Man, the artist deploys his age-old storytelling method on modern police violence. Alongside roots cuts, Nichols tries on violin-supported singer-songwriter stylings and retro rock friendly for Black Pumas fans.