"One Can Only Hope"

[cameron]

Hi gang,

Would appreciate your opinions on this new song, a co-write with Robert George. Genre is possibly country, though I'm not sure and curious to hear your thoughts on this.

This is a work tape-- not meant for any listing or commercial release-- but I'm also trying to improve my production skills in hopes that some day I can make my own demos (though perhaps I'll have to hire a singer, lol), Any comments on either the song or the recording are welcomed.

Thanks in advance for any feedback you may be able to offer!

Cam

http://camearnshaw.bandcamp.com/track/one-can-only-hope (lyrics are there too)

[Axuel]

Thats a good country song.

Best Regards,
Axel

[cameron]

Thank you, Axel!

Only got one response for this one-- which is a bit worrying I suppose-- but I'd love to get some more feedback even if it's not flattering. Please don't be afraid to hurt my feelings, lol.

My own gut feel is that the verses might need some work but hopefully the chorus is nearly there. Mostly I'm interested in the song itself-- this is really just a songwriter work tape after all-- but I'm always interested in any suggestions that might improve my production skills. Drums are always the hardest part for me, and since I'm not a guitar player, any guitars on my tracks are either VST played from a keyboard or loops.

Thanks in advance!

[bucyboy]

Hi Cam. I don't know if I'd consider this todays country, but you know with the right instrumentation anything can be "Country". I like the song, it reminds me of a movie scene when it gets to the part of the story when everything is going wrong just before something great happens. I'm not to sure if it'd be a good fit for country radio because of the negative situation. It seems now-a-days they are looking for nothing but up, happy happy songs. I'm hoping this passes in the near future and they start playing more "real" meaningful songs. It seems that the powers that be have been stuck in this mode for a long time. I can't listen to country radio for very long. I actually heard the same line in three different songs of the top 40. It's really getting old. Until then, like Ralph Murphy says, "don't try to sell them a two story when they're looking for a ranch."

Just my opinion. Nice job as always!

Buc

PS- Congrats on all your recent success! Well deserved!

[VanderBoegh]

Hey Cam, this is a tough one to pinpoint in terms of genre. My first instinct was country, but it's not current country. Maybe 1990's country, but definitely not today's country. With a change in instrumentation and some spacey synths, you might be able to turn this into one of those cinematic alt-pop songs that plays well during montage scenes of TV shows.

~~Matt