Ben Nichols of Lucero has announced plans to release his new solo debut. The record is titled The Last Pale Light in the West and is due out January 20, 2009. Nichols entered the studio this past August with Rick Steff (Cat Power, Lucero) and Todd Beane (Glossary) to record this seven track mini-LP which features songs inspired from the Cormac McCarthy book Blood Meridian. Nichols self-released a download-version of the album earlier this month.

In related news, Lucero has signed to industry giant, Universal Records, and the band will be heading into the studio to record music for their sixth studio LP at the end of 2008, which is scheduled for release in summer 2009. Nichols also did a song for All Aboard: A Tribute to Johnny Cash where he contributed his take on "Delia's Gone" to the compilation CD (out now on Anchorless Records). All profits from sales go to the Syrentha Savio Endowment (SSE), a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to underprivileged women who cannot afford the expense of fighting breast cancer. That album is streaming here.