Ricky Joseph – “Codeine”
Ricky Joseph – “Codeine” – Single Review
Not bad Ricky, not bad.
Word on the street is that “Codeine” comes out April 3rd at some point…but it’s honestly hard to say. Trying to track down the details of who Ricky Joseph is, what he’s up to, where he’s been, where his music is…all that normal stuff…will pretty much lead ya right down the rabbit-hole of the internet and scouring through page after page trying to figure out if…you know…he really even exists? I love a good mystery, don’t you? I can find an old article from the summer of last year that alluded to a different song called “Ponderosa,” that was rumored to be his debut single to be released in September of last year…and yet, no “Ponderosa” can I find out there online. A couple of ghost-shells of old pages on music sites out there that may or may-not be this particular Ricky Joseph, I cannot confirm…but you get the idea – he’s elusive…and most of this mystery remains unsolved…at least for now. It took me forever just to track down his real page at Instagram, which does indeed contain a pre-save link to “Codeine” – so…I guess fingers crossed…you might just be hearing your first RJ tune soon, and seeing him pop up online. For the record & to be fair, he’s already got 113K’s worth of followers right now, so maybe this is only a mystery to me at the time of writing this review…maybe I just don’t know where to be lookin’ for that “Ponderosa,” and maybe it’s out there somewhere. He’s already got more support in his corner than we’ll ever have here!
Anyhow! The point I’d personally be making is, we can spend a lifetime in the shadows even when we put ourselves out there in the middle of daylight…so let’s get a move on compadre…no reason to keep the music all hidden away over there Ricky! This ain’t my first rodeo with situations like this, that I can tell ya…and more often than not, there’s a reason as to what’s happening somewhere in behind the scenes. Usually, it’s the result of an artist building up material for a full-scale launch onto the internet & whatnot, and I’d suspect that’s what’s happening with Joseph’s music & career at the moment. Dude’s good though, no doubt about that…I’m not hearing anything in “Codeine” that I’d change. The writing is strong, the vibe is intentionally hazy, melodic, and a lil’ on the dark side too…I mean, what’d you expect from a song titled “Codeine” y’all? It’s acoustically-based for the most part, but it’s got all the pieces of a full-band involved too…the ol’ bass, guitars, drums…the core essentials, you dig? What a track like this really has going for it…and why I’d be the first to encourage Ricky Joseph to start gettin’ a heckin’ MOVE ON…is because he’s clearly got that X-factor personality that will turn good songs into great ones. He’s got the serious storyteller-type of aura at the center of a track like “Codeine,” a stellar voice that’s got the right personality to fit with this whole mysterious beginning he’s rockin’ with so far and the dusty sound of a song like “Codeine” – and he’s got what’s more or less a flawless tune here with this single. He’s made some time for the instrumentation to stand out & shine as well, which I also appreciate. All-in-all, “Codeine” is a decent tune y’all…clearly it’s on the early side of Ricky’s career overall when it comes right down to it, but if this is where everything more or less starts for the guy, I’d be very excited about the prospects & potential of where his music goes from here. Assuming he gets things MOVING, of course. Which I’m sure that he will, right Ricky? RIGHT RICKY? For sure he will. Talent like this dude has got doesn’t tend to stay secret forever, and sometimes it just takes a little push from some jerk like me, and someone or several someones out there there pokin’ him with a sharp stick to get things goin!’
I like it. It’s like a Lou Reed song without it being Lou Reed, you know what I mean? “Codeine” is very much a tune that’s about the fuzzy state of bein’ high & bein’ numb, but written from a really tasteful & real genuine perspective…and I’d expect that it’ll have no problem securing a favorable verdict in the court of public opinion. He’s got all the right pieces of the puzzle in place…the sparkling jangle of the guitars in this tune is exceptional stuff too that’ll have you feelin’ as good as the man himself is when he’s singing this song…or is at least until he hits up that Novocain. Not sure you’re supposed to be takin’ too much of that stuff my friend…I just don’t know that it’s as much fun as the “Codeine” & whiskey combo you’ve been rockin’ otherwise, but I could be wrong…and if I am, please let me know. #FOMO
You’ve got a full green light from me here Ricky. No reason to not be gettin’ this music of yours out into the world, and pronto my friend. You’ve definitely got a gift for songwriting, a voice that’s got a stellar mix of true grit & melody combined, and musicianship that’s right on target. “Codeine” is a great start, and I’m looking forward to hearing more from this dude when the fog of mystery clears up as he rolls along. Keep your eye out for this single’s official release this April; let’s all make sure we hold him to the date on the third y’all…artists like this just tend to take those first steps towards the spotlight cautiously, but trust me when I tell ya, the rest afterwards come naturally. Dude’s got the kind of authenticity it takes to carve a real career out of, artistic depth in his songwriting, and a sound that could certainly earn him longevity.
Find out more about Ricky Joseph at his official page at Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rickyjosephmusic
Pre-save his upcoming single “Codeine” at Spotify right here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/rickyjoseph/codeine
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