Whiskey for Breakfast

A song about veterans with PTSD.  A cowrite with David Snyder
 
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13532186
 
Hope you enjoy the listen.  Comments welcome.
 
 
 

Very honest sounding song Herb, I really like it. 

Herb, it's good to hear you again.  The message in this song is timely, whether about the civil war or today's battles.  I hear a lot of upper end in this mix but not as much warmth.  That's all I can say, as the performances are terrific.  Congrats!

Herb, excellent mix, as I would expect from you.  I hear what Ed is suggesting about reverb, so its surprising to me that you don't have any verb on the lead vocal.  
 
The only other thing I might comment on is purely personal preference in tones.  I would like to hear a little more "thunk" out of the drums.  Maybe, a touch more Bass.  

Very Nice.
 
Lyrics are spot on.
 
JR

When I saw the title I thought you were covering the traditional fiddle tune, Whiskey Before Breakfast.  Here's our Sock Monkey Version. 
http://www.soundclick.com/html5/v3/player.cfm?type=single&songid=12782327&q=hi
 
Anyway Really like your song well done in a style I love myself.  
But I'll agree that something is too ambient about the vocals and needs toning down. 
And the bass is not really there. It might be masked by the low end of the acoustic guitar. But I like the sound you have going on that nice and full. 

Hi Herb,
 
Really nice song! I have to agree that the reverb on the layered vocal is way too much. I'd try a mix with no reverb for comparison, then find a compromise.We spend all this money on reverb plugins its a shame we never get to show them off
 
Bass could come up a tad, and the kick as well.
 
Great job on this!
 
Regards,
Dan

Me like it!
 
No, there is definitely some reverb on that lead vocal, unless you recorded it in a washtub  :)
 
This is a really good song, that banjo propels it  . . . guitars work a treat. As you come out of that little bridge, dropping in volume, then back to the chorus - really nice arrangement!!!
 
Your voice is pretty perfect for this, just the right amount of twang, and you have a really good voice. But I just thought, wow I could hear Neil Young sing this. Call him up!!!
 
cheers,
-Tom

Great song...  really well done. 
 
Mix-wise, like Lynn I hear a lot of hi and/or hi-mid frequency content, sort of like a smiley EQ curve.  I think a bit more "warmth" in the mids could be a positive for an acoustic based song like this.  Well worth it IMO.
 

Herb, you're the real thing, you really are. This one just made my mouth drop open - your voice is really professional sounding. I love this sone - great songwriting.

Hey there! Nice work guy! 
 
At first I didn't like the distorted voice, but it really fits! It's a cool gritty technique. I would break out the vocals more out front during the chorus - dead centre and clearer (a bit anyhow). The acoustics are nicely panned. Would love to hear a bit more of the drumkit - snare & kick esp. Your songwriting is great. This is a classic country rock piece I could hear on the radio for sure! 
 
Congrats. Great bit of work here! :-)
 
Martin 

Hey, that's a catchy tune right there, mature and great sound.  That could be on the radio easy.  Very nicely played, sir.

WOW! This sounds great Herb! Reminds me of Neil Young song wise but somebody who sounds better at singing. 
Mix wise, this sound perfect on my speakers, nothing to complain about mix wise. I wish I had your mixing skills, I remember a few years ago and hearing how you've continually gotten better. No doubt you've put in the work on the playing/singing and the mixing. 
 
Enjoyed hearing this one very much Herb! Thank you for sharing and Keep on Keepin' On my friend!
 

OK....
 
I haven't been here for a few days.... time to catch up a bit.
 
Martin,
Philz,
Voda la Void,
Reece,
Serious_nioze,
synkrotron
 
..... thanks for the detailed and kind comments.  I have a continuous debate with myself about levels on the vox and the eq as well. As I mentioned earlier, there are no plugs on the lead vox to give it a distorted character. That would be my natural singing there. I tried to put some attitude in this vocal due to the nature of the message that needed to be delivered. The main vox is also dry in the track and only gets a light master buss verb with everything else. There are several layered vocals that are identical to the lead that have more reverb and are down in the mix. I'm thinking that the reverb from those tracks are the source of the "excess" reverb mentioned.
Neil Young is one of my favorite songwriters and guitar players. To get that comparison is an honor. If you notice, the groove is very "Down by the River-ish" in it's feel.... with a bit of swing here and there. I'm sure that was merely a coincidence.
It's good to listen to other genre's from time to time. Glad you all dropped in and took the time to comment.

BTW - I didn't read anyone elses review before I made my comment. So - you know my ears are fresh.