I’m Alright

  • Artist: Will Owsley
  • Album: Owsley
  • Label: Giant
  • Year: 1999
  • Producer: Owsley
  • Engineer: Tom Lord Alge, J.R. McNeely
  • Studio: The Outhouse (Nashville)

Notes:

Distortion -
Will's vocal begins panned right, and distorted. But it's always risky to have something as important as the lead vocal hard panned, so it makes its way to center half way through the first verse. As a special effect, it makes the small opening attention-getting and interesting. Had it remained hard panned and so distorted for the entire tune, it would have grown distracting.
The distorted vocal returns - this time left dead center - at the re-intro after the guitar solo.
Electric guitars are huge. The playing is most important. His instruments (guitars and amps) come second. But the distortion and layering make it the best kind of ear candy.

Compression -
Tom Lord Alge is a master of compression and this recording serves as a great reference for In-Yer-Face vocals and punchy, roomy, timbrally vivid drums with a touch of added sustain, all courtesy of some fast compression, brilliantly applied.

Time Reversal -
There's a nice little guitar strum palindrome at the very end of the tune. Will Owsley lets the last chord ring. That single strum is copied and reversed and placed at the end of the decay of the actual strum. The result: Strum decays slowly, then UNdecays back up to full volume before ending abruptly. Song over. Next!


Sources

Back to the full Recordingography

Share