CODY JAMES – SACRIFICING DREAMS

Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from Green Bay (US) artist, Cody James. Sacrificing Dreams was released on February 3rd 2023, and for fans of funky blues rock, this is one you’ll not want to miss.

Cody grew up around music and played in several different rock, punk and metal bands before deciding to go solo. He plays every instrument on this track, and it’s an impressive display of musicianship.

Sacrificing Dreams begins with a funky blues repeated riff on a clean-sounding electric guitar. Drums and bass join the mix and the guitar riff repeats again. You can’t help but be nodding slowly already!

The repeated guitar riff is a great feature of this track and returns regularly to bring the listener back in and make them feel at home within the song.

When the vocals come in, they’re clear in the mix and just right for this kind of funky blues rock. They have just the right amount of gravel on them to give them an edge, and they’re very pleasant to listen to. Every word is easily discernible and Cody’s voice shows the confidence of an artist who’s been performing for a long time.

We loved the layered vocals in the choruses. Not following the melody, but creating an “ah” wall of sound to bolster the lead vocal.

The guitar solo over layered guitars is a gorgeous touch and had a superb tone and great note choices. It has a very bluesy feel and is understated and laid-back. Sacrificing Dreams has some lengthy instrumental moments which give Cody James plenty of time to display some quality musicianship.

The song returns to the original riff at the end and is a perfect way to bring it full circle.

Ideas from our ears

A boost in the top end centred around 9kHz with maybe an additional high shelf boost in the top octave would add some extra brightness and presence and allow the snare wires and cymbals to come through a little more. A single-band compressor on the top 2 octaves is a great way to control peaks caused by sibilance in the vocal track too. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.

Final thoughts

Sacrificing Dreams, by Cody James, is a beautifully chilled-out and relaxing late-night blues track. We highly recommend a listen to this talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter.