I put this song together in response to the ad for Contemporary Christian songs (TAXI # Y120224CC). This genre is totally new to me, but a friend of mine had lyrics, so I took a stab at it. Please let us know what you think. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
The song is called "In Your Grace" and can be found here -
http://taxi.com/acousticeel
Thanks in advance,
Jim

IN YOUR GRACE
J Edwards/P Kiwala

[V1]
The road that brought me here was so uncertain
Dead ends and dillusion at every turn
Broken, lost, and hopeless when you found me
and led me from the point of no return

[Chorus]
In your grace, all my days
keep my faith, come what may
To live forever in your light
Walk forever by your side
All my days, In your grace

[V2]
And now I realize there was a reason
For every turn I made along the way
Salvation was to be my destination
And every hour of my life I will remain

[Repeat Chorus]

[Bridge]
Through the valley of the shadow
I know I won't be afraid

[Repeat Chorus]

Hey there!

Track is really well played and produced! Good job!

Only two things caught my ears/eyes as needing adjustment.

One: my spell check/radar goes haywire at cliches like
"point of no return" or "come what may."

Two: I think the double-tracked vocal works against you,
especially leading off the song with it. It contradicts the
very personal nature of the narrator's message.

But, hey. What do I know!?


Like I said, Good job!

Hey burpo, thanks for the comments. We'll have to work on those two cliche lines and see what else we can come up with. I'll also try the verses without the 2nd vocal part. I never thought of it diluting the message, but you make a really good point. I'll have to consider that in every song I write from now on. It's the kind of thing that can make a really big difference in the end product.
Thanks again,
Jim

Jim,

Liked it..solid groove......good luck with the fit.....contemporary christian can be a tough one at times...

Regards,
Dick

Jim

Very cool indeed.

The production seems to be quite good except for the quality of the vox.

Your voice is on pitch and is cool. Sounds like you are not using a quality mic????

sincerely

Paul

I like the tune but the vocal quality is lacking like someone else pointed out. It sounds really close.....maybe some verb to give it space.

Hay all. Thanks again for the feedback. Yea the vocals sound a little weird but it's not the mic, it's me. I've been experimenting with different filters on my vocals, as well as with singing different distances from the mic. It seems I sound best when I sing quietly and close to the mic but I have trouble switching between the quiet parts and the loud ones. There was a lot of "punching-in " going on there too. Also, my mixes always seem to have too much high-end for some reason. They sound good in the headphones and thru my speakers, but sound like ass in the car. I try to get the best possible mix, then run it thru Ozone's brickwall limiter to pump up the volume. Any help on this end would be appreciated too. I'll re-sing and re-post once I finish the lyrics. Sorry it took so long to respond but I've been slammed at work, and at home too.
Thanks,
Jim

Have you explored compressors?

I am very familiar with this genre and the a la's.

The lyrics of the song hit the mark as far as a spiritual message with a crossover appeal, but I did not find them particularly original or inspiring. It is very tough to be either of those in Contemporary Christian. You are trying to appeal to a broad audience with a message that has been told for 2000 years.

I would change the line "Broken, lost and hopeless when you found me". God knows all and therefore knew where you were the whole time. He didn't find you. You found Him. But honestly, I'd ask your lyricist to go back and really figure out what he wants to say about being in the Grace of God. It is a big deal. These lyrics don't make me feel like it's a big deal. God offers His grace for free. He sent His son to die and pay for our sins so we can live for eternity. I'm not trying to evangelize here, but if you're going to write a song about this grace afforded to you by God, make me feel like it is incredible and life changing. Because it is.

What I hear when I listen to Switchfoot, Reliant K and Jars of Clay is a very current sound. Switchfoot uses some retro sounds, kind of like Lenny Kravitz, but they sound very now. I'm not a huge Jars of Clay fan, but their production is modern. In my opinion, the production of In Your Grace didn't sound like the a la's. If I was listening to Pandora with the a la's played back to back and your song came on, I don't believe it would fit in.

I hope I don't come off too harsh here, but once upon a time I wrote what I thought was a worship song. It was called I Will Praise Him and I thought it was fantastic. Somebody called me out telling me it was uninspired, regurgitated crap. After a few days of feeling really insulted, I realized he was right and it made me a better writer. It's hard enough to write a good song about any subject. When it comes to writing about the Creator of the universe, the bar ought to be higher.

One Christian's opinion.

Ron

RonKujawa,
Thanks for excellent feedback, and sorry it's taken so long to get back to you. No offense taken and I totally get what you're saying. You're right, lyics are tough no matter what, and this kind of song does deserve a high bar. I'll get with my friend again, and see what else we can come up with. We've made a few changes since I first posted this, but will see if we dig deeper. We only have a few more days before the listing expires. As for the music, I went to the Jars of Clay website and listened to their media player, then you-tubed "We Will Follow". That's the one I got my inspiration from (no pun intended) and is the kind of feel I was going for. Thanks again.
Jim