III

1	Size Matters (Someday) 2:51
2	Freedom Feels Like Lonely 3:10
3	Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off 3:07
4	Talk Me Out of Tampa 3:58
5	That's What Love'll Get You 2:55
6	I'll Wait for You 4:07
7	Should I Come Home (Or Should I Go Crazy?) 2:43
8	My Old Friend the Blues 3:08
9	As Country as She Gets 3:41
10	Honky Tonk Girl 2:46
11	Just a Little More 4:26

Barnes & Noble

Joe Nichols's third album not only solidifies his position as country music's premier male interpreter, it also serves notice of his developing interest in songwriting. On the bouncy, neo–western swing tune "Honky Tonk Girl," one of two originals here, Nichols delivers his lyrics about an unreconstructed country gal gone big city with a wry, told-you-so attitude that compares favorably in approach and style to Alan Jackson -- company Nichols might get used to keeping. Gradations of love and loneliness are Nichols's stock in trade on III, but he also has time for some clever takes on cultural phenomena, as on the twangy country rock of "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off," about a fetching young lady with an unusual reaction to alcohol, and the hard-country "Size Matters," which describes a needy woman's desiring all-consuming love from a big-hearted man. Nichols is at his best putting across ballads, though, such as the classically styled tear-jerker "I'll Wait for You," an homage to enduring love and unwavering commitment that expresses a couple's abiding affection for each other through the trials of a lifetime. The heartthrob's smooth baritone is most effectively deployed in rooting around in the bittersweet sentiments of Steve Earle's "My Old Friend the Blues" (also covered by Patty Loveless on her excellent album Dreamin' My Dreams), with Nichols's beautifully shaded vocal out front of a spare, folkish arrangement keyed by a gently finger-picked acoustic guitar line. III gits-r-done and more -- and Joe Nichols, that's country right there. David McGee

All Music Guide

Joe Nichols gets a little loose on his third major-label album, appropriately titled III, as evidenced by the very title of its first single, "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off." It's a silly name and would seem like a throwaway novelty, but it's not only genuinely funny, Nichols delivers it with sly humor and a low-key swagger that shows more character, as a vocalist, than he did on his previous albums. And that's the key to this album -- it's the first time that Nichols displays some genuine on-record personality that sets him apart from the Music City machine. While he still has a couple of generic numbers here, by and large the material is much stronger, bearing a harder country edge than the songs on his previous album, Revelation. Since Nichols has always had an appealing twang to his baritone, this harder country bent suits him well, particularly because it's not only present on straight-ahead country numbers like the two-step "Honky Tonk Girl" or Steve Earle's mournful "My Old Friend the Blues," Nichols also gives such softer, '70s-styled numbers like "Talk Me out of Tampa" a touch of grit, which is something he couldn't do on his previous albums. He's managed to steer away from the suburban country tract he was on and head back toward the country, which has made his music livelier and quite entertaining. Nichols still isn't a traditionalist on the level of his clear idol Alan Jackson -- the subjects, sound, and feel are more modern than traditional -- but he manages to strike a good balance of classic and contemporary here on III, which not only makes it his best album to date, but the first to suggest that he's carved out a distinctive niche for himself. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

[Grade: B+] A strong effort.... The first single, "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off," needs no further explanation. It's just pure fun. Mandy St. Amand