However, it was his next album, 2005's Pacific Coast Highway, which broke his career wide-open. The title track peaked at number ten on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart, and became a huge radio favorite. A second single, "Summer Nights," fared even better hitting number one. Nils followed up with several more well-received albums, including 2007's Ready to Play and 2009's Up Close and Personal. During this period, he furthered his studio work, producing music for film and working behind the scenes on TV shows like Weeds and Undeclared. He also continued to offer guitar instruction, teaching young musicians, and releasing videos and books.
He returned to his solo work with 2010's What the Funk?, which included the top six smooth jazz single "Jump Start." He then delivered City Groove, featuring the number two charting Billboard contemporary jazz single "Let's Bounce." Alley Cat followed in 2015 and included contributions from Nate Harasim, Ricky Lawson, and others. In 2018, Nils returned with his eighth studio album, Play, which featured contributions from longtime associate, trumpeter Johnny Britt. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi