Timeseven – “Without You”
Timeseven – “Without You” – Single Review
Been quite the productive year for Timeseven…
A good one too for that matter. “When You’re Home” would still definitely be up there with the better tracks I’ve heard this year, and the single we just reviewed a couple weeks back called “When We Were Young” was also pretty decent too. All really well-played stuff, handled by professional studio musicians and whatnot…admittedly, it’d be harder for them to take a wrong turn than a right one given that this is what they really all do for a living. I don’t wanna say we should expect professionalism from Timeseven, or anyone else for that matter…but by the same token, it’d be pretty damn hard not to either I suppose.
Led by the songwriting and guitars of William Hayden, Timeseven always seems to have it together, and “Without You” is no exception to the high standards they’ve established in the past. They’re not too far removed from something I’d normally listen to in my own personal time outside of being your friendly neighborhood music critic this time around…”Without You” has a lot in common with mid-career R.E.M. actually. When I looked at the words on paper, I felt like this particular single might end up with a few spots where I’d naturally resist it a little…I mean…it’s a love song and it’s extremely tough to reinvent those at this stage of the game and how many of them there are out there throughout music’s history. That being said, when I got around to pushing play, I didn’t find any obstacles or sticking points that would be something to complain about – the professionalism of Timeseven took over and got them through any concerns I might have thought I’d have. I’m not here to be the guy to tell ya that they’ve managed to reinvent the love song, because I don’t think that’s the case at all – but I also don’t think that it has to be, ever. There ain’t nothing wrong with a song done right y’all…and that’s the facts, Jack.
So…sure…there are a few words here and there throughout the lyrical imagery of “Without You” that’ll feel familiar or similar to something you’ve heard in a love song from the past & such, but that doesn’t hinder this single from being the quality cut that it is. I’d put this somewhere in between what you’d find in an artist like Chris Isaak’s catalog and the mid-career R.E.M. I pointed out earlier on…so I guess that gives “Without You” a natural 90s vibe to it if you’re looking at it from that perspective. You’re never going to find me complaining too much about anything that would remind me of that era…that’s when I was doin’ all my growing up…I’ve still got plenty of love for anything that would take me back to that time by comparison. “Without You” has an inherently smooth sound combined with a noticeably dusty wisdom…I love the vocals from Brad Williams on this song, the guitars from Hayden, and what is a genuinely essential contribution to this song from keyboardist Scotty Willbanks as well. Trust me when I tell ya, the list goes on and on…the drums from Daniel Sadownick are completely perfect, the bass from Alison Prestwood is as well, and so is the mix from Grammy-winning engineer Darrell Thorp. I could list each of their extremely impressive resumes, but that’d keep us all reading this review into next week. Suffice it to say, like I was alluding to from the very start, Timeseven is constructed entirely of pieces that work…they all eat, sleep & breathe music around the clock, and it’s something you can truly hear in what they create together in the end results. “Without You” ended up surpassing any expectations that I could have had, which I’ll admit to tempering slightly after the last single, “When We Were Young.” That was still a justifiably good tune in a variety of ways, but it didn’t quite have the magic that the first impression of “When You’re Home” instilled in me, and it didn’t quite reach the mesmerizing sound that “Without You” has either. Not that comparing songs isn’t apples & oranges in just about every scenario, even if they come from the same band or artist, but it’s unfortunately part & parcel of what we naturally do as critics, listeners, and fans. So I suppose the question becomes, does “Without You” overtake the top spot from “When You’re Home” for me? Honestly, there’s a good chance that on the right day that it does…”When You’re Home” is a really great song, but “Without You” is another outright exceptional cut from Timeseven that further proves this is a band that has extraordinary capabilities and true talent, but also has a songwriter with the kind of vision required to bring you out of your world, and into theirs.
Yessir…I’m feeling mighty inclined to give “Without You” the largest thumbs-up I can from the two that I’ve got…if there’s something they could have done better, I’m not sure I know what that could be. The music is flawless, the vocals are fascinating, and the song itself is brilliantly haunting like the wisps of a memory in a dream that you can’t quite recall, but that gives you a feeling you’ll never quite shake too.
“Without You” gets its official release on December 12th this year…until then, find out more about Timeseven from the official website at: https://www.timesevenproductions.com
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