Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to The Century Band’s latest single, January, which was released at the end of 2022.
January is a song about getting older: about life and loss and coming to terms with the natural world around you. It is about feeling lost on your own journey through the inevitable but learning how to accept the wonder.
From the moment the song starts, you feel a sense of 70s nostalgia wash over you. January has a comfortable and authentic feel to it. It makes you want to curl up by the fire with your slippers on. January refreshes you.
At the start of the song, we noticed a Counting Crows feel to the track. Vocals, provided by Marc Delgado, reminded us of Bob Dylan and we love the storytelling feel this song has. Delgado, being from Woodstock has somehow managed to encapsulate that Woodstock Festival feeling in this song.
We love the dynamic landscape of this track and the gentle rise and fall which helps to maintain the listeners’ interest at all times. The slide guitar incidentals are to die for, and a simple slide guitar solo in the middle makes for an interesting change up. The breakdown after the solo, with nothing but lead vocals and occasional strummed guitar, shows Delgado’s voice off perfectly. There is plenty of extra and subtle instrumentation used to fill out the sound: we caught the occasional piano and organ in places.
Ideas from our ears
A couple of EQ cuts in the vocal track could help it fit in the mix a little better. One around 400-600Hz to reduce a slightly ‘boxy’ sound, possibly from recording in a small space. The other around 5-6kHz to reduce some sibilant peaks. These peaks can often be avoided by turning the mic at an angle instead of straight on. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
Fans of the Travelling Wilburys will absolutely love this laid-back nostalgic folk-rock song. Interesting lyrics, thoughtful composition and a maturity from a bygone era make this a very pleasant listen. We’re looking forward to hearing more from The Century Band.