The unique wide-ranging musical curiosity of a debut like Cody Webb’s is noteworthy enough. He isn’t content with churning out a shallow set of honkytonkers or rock spiked modern country gems; instead, the half dozen songs on his self-titled solo debut takes unexpected risks and gives him an excellent forum to showcase his diverse and flexible voice. Webb’s singing makes great use of the melodies in each song without ever letting the music descend into schmaltz and melodrama. Instead, it is imbued with real drama that never panders to its audience and instead challenges listeners with the quality of its personal statement. Make no mistake that Webb wants to please his listeners, but these are six songs reflecting his passions and desires. It gains additional punch from his tightly wound guitar lines seemingly always geared to attack, but never overwhelming the remaining instruments.
“More Than A Little” is, easily, the EP’s best example of how skilled Webb is at weaving his guitar work into a larger attack. He never pushes the envelope too much and draws attention to himself at expense to the song’s melodic virtues. His vocal has light-footed confidence that never abrades the listener, but nevertheless takes control from the first line and never surrenders it. “She Ain’t Right” succeeds largely because of its humor, but it’s quite a solid musical composition with memorable parts that segueing naturally into one another. “My My My Girl” is one of the EP’s more memorable moments thanks to its unique sonic turn – this song bubbles at a sustained temperature, but never quite boils over and the restrained tension will keep listeners riveted from the first second on. The second half of the EP opens with “Love Me Like I’m Gone” and it sends the home stretch off into the stratosphere with just the right amount of force. Webb’s vocal strengthens the overall effect with a punchy vocal.
“Nothin’ on You” has exceptional vocal delicacy that comes as a surprise after the pyrotechnics opening the EP’s first half. The lyrical work is among the EP’s most exceptional moments. The final memorable moment on Webb’s self-titled debut is the song “Better at Night” – which pays deference to all of the tropes implied by its title while still managing to allow Webb a chance to put his distinctive fingerprints on those elements. It ends the debut with its head held high, fists pumping in the air, and feel the full breadth of youthful energy.
It’s easy to lose faith in the ability of the modern entertainment culture and music industry to produce great artists, but they are still emerging. Despite whatever superficial elements they have to draw attention to themselves, their defining value will be based on talent alone. Looks fade. Voices, like everything else human, eventually fade. However, the one thing that remains, talent, can guide careers from their first release to last. Cody Webb is abundantly talented and he won’t be going anywhere but up from here.
9 out of 10 stars.
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Cyrus Rhodes
