AC Ballad?

[Zaychi]

Any comment appreciated!

https://soundcloud.com/zaychi/we-dont-t ... No5ValvZwi

for listing:

MODERN ADULT CONTEMPORARY BALLADS with Male or Female Vocals are needed by a very successful Music Publisher with a long track record of placements in Film, TV, and Commercials.

This Publisher is searching for Down-to-Mid-Tempo Songs that might fit on a playlist with the following references:

"All of Me" by John Legend

"Photograph" by Ed Sheeran

"Hello" by Adele

Please submit well-written Adult Contemporary Ballads with great melodies, inviting rhythms, and instantly memorable choruses that'll have listeners singing along by the end. Both stripped-down performances and more filled-out arrangements could work for this pitch. Whichever approach you decide to take, your production and any virtual instruments or samples you use should be polished and modern – nothing dated will work for this request. Heartfelt, well-performed vocals paired with well-crafted lyrics could be the cherry on top!

Avoiding references to specific names, places, dates, times, brands, and profanity will likely be the most appealing to this client. Do NOT copy the referenced artists or songs in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a guide for texture, tone, and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed.

Quoting the Publisher: “Only artists/writers affiliated with ASCAP or BMI are eligible to submit their music for this opportunity.”

The specific deal points will be handled on a case-by-case basis. If you’re inclined to do an Exclusive deal, please don’t submit material that’s already signed with other libraries or publishers. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to submit to this opportunity. Please submit as many Songs as you’d like, online or per CD. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PDT) on Wednesday, May 26th, 2021. TAXI # S210526AC

[melodymessiah]

i think this is a great example of when NOT to sing on your own songs. your vocal makes it sound very dated. you could have written the best song in the world, and it would still sound dated. hire a demo singer!

[Susanstunes]

Hey Zaychi,
I must say your song moved me. The emotional impact is very powerful.
Susan

[DanWessels]

Your voice reminds me of Trent Reznor's, so put that in your back pocked for sometime in the future!

That being the case, I don't think this would fit AC ballad asked for, this sounds more like an acoustic version of a Nine Inch Nails song. Try working with other vocalists who sing in a more pop style.

[Zaychi]

Pretty cool track. Feels more like Chanson than AC to me. The voice double/over-dubbing (0:26 onwards) does not work so well for me since the track is so minimalist there (later it's less noticeable). Some de-essing is needed (eg. 1:21). Overall, the piano and the percussion feels a little muffled. However, the percussion tells me "rock", somehow. The biggest issue possibly is your voice. Not because it would be bad, rather because this type of voice is not in fashion. Masculin voices are kind of out - boyish is in all across the board. But even with John Legend's voice on it and the production improved, I would possibly not classify this as AC.

Tom

Thanks. Brought some extra highs in on the piano against the muffled-ness, and some more de-essing than was already there. You don't believe how much space the voice double adds on the first chorus, leave it out and lose the width, so I didn't)))

And about masculinity vs. boyish, I hope the Italian win on Eurovision can turn the trend around!

[Zaychi]

i think this is a great example of when NOT to sing on your own songs. your vocal makes it sound very dated. you could have written the best song in the world, and it would still sound dated. hire a demo singer!

Would you expand a bit on that, if you can? What makes it sound dated to you? Is it in the expression/articulation, or in the actual notes of the melody?

[Zaychi]

Hey Zaychi,
I must say your song moved me. The emotional impact is very powerful.
Susan

Thanks, Susan... that's what we all do it for in the end, touching someone's heart. I'm so glad it I did that today!

[Zaychi]

Your voice reminds me of Trent Reznor's, so put that in your back pocked for sometime in the future!

That being the case, I don't think this would fit AC ballad asked for, this sounds more like an acoustic version of a Nine Inch Nails song. Try working with other vocalists who sing in a more pop style.

Well that's not the worst reference for a back pocket for sure! Time for some retrospection about vocals I guess...

[melodymessiah]

i think this is a great example of when NOT to sing on your own songs. your vocal makes it sound very dated. you could have written the best song in the world, and it would still sound dated. hire a demo singer!

Would you expand a bit on that, if you can? What makes it sound dated to you? Is it in the expression/articulation, or in the actual notes of the melody?

i was referring most of all to the TONE in your voice. it just reminds me of something way back when, not contemporary sounding at all. i hope i don't sound too harsh here, but do you listen to the mainstream charts at all? cause i see a lot of members getting their songs returned for not sounding contemporary, and then asking on the forum what they can do to fix it. and when i listen to their tracks i get the feeling that they haven't tuned into contemporary pop music at all, like their references are back in the 70's or 80's. remember that your competing with the top guys in the industry, those who live and breathe this style. if you don't, i don't think you can compete, at least not when it comes to writing hit songs.

[DanWessels]

Well that's not the worst reference for a back pocket for sure! Time for some retrospection about vocals I guess...

I feel ya, man. I resisted asking anyone else to sing on my stuff for a long time, and did it for the first time just two weeks ago. I was on zoom call with the vocalist while she recorded at home, so I could listen and giver her feedback/encouragement. It was a lot of fun, and really made the song for me!