Country Song "Talk about Love"

[watksco]

I'm with Claire and others RE the lyric...I'm left wondering what you're talking about at times - which is a BIG no no for country.Eg. I played the fool - clicheYou blew my cover Now I own it Not sure how these two lines tie in with playing the fool.Plus watch the cliches - this is my big failings so I'm painfully aware of it now.Cheers,Scott

[ideascapes]

Hey Arthur, welcome back. Sounds like this is a song sketch/work tape, so I'll keep that in mind as I comment. I listened twice to get some details.Topic - Claire brings up a good point that critiquers seem to hammer home: your subject has to be universal, yet unique and compelling. "Talk About Love" seems to be worthwhile, but obviously Toby's song was a HUGE hit (crossover, even) and your topic tills some familiar ground, especially at the end ("I wanna hear from you, Can we talk about us?").Lyric - Chits and Scott mentioned some cliche lines; I heard the same thing. Given the title, I would have expected the verse to be actual details about love--how it tastes, feels, looks, etc. Not to say that your approach couldn't work, but the current story line seems to lack detail.Melody - Verses are fine to my ears, chorus meanders a bit, although the later version when you hold out "love" seems to work better.Hope this helps!Vince

[derekmcfarland]

TAXI CUSTOM CRITIQUEStyle X On target for today's market in Country genre__ Not current sounding__ Hard to classifyStyle Comments:Concept, composition, guitar/vocal style fit artist's stated "Nashville market" target.Melody X Good music in verses__ Verses could be stronger__ Good music in chorus__ Verses/Chorus sound too similar__ Memorable Hook__ Hook not obvious enoughMelody Comments:Verse melody works for me. It wasn't too predictable. Had a nice build into the pre-chorus. From pre-chorus to chorus (refrain), however, the energy drops to the single phrase payoff.Structure__ Intro too long__ Well-written structure X Good sectional contrast__ Not enough sectional contrast__ Could use a bridgeStructure Comments:You show a good understanding of song structure. The instrumental break had a 70's southern rock feel to it. I can hear some cool layered harmonies there. The 'double-time' tag at the end did not work for me at all. Lyric__ First line makes me want to hear more__ Engaging__ Cohesive__ Good use of imagery__ Rhymes well__ Communicates emotion to listener__ Lacks focus__ Unique X Too abstract__ I don't understand it__ Too predictable X Too many cliches X Awkward phrasing X Vocal does not help to sell song__ Vocal does help to sell songLyrcial Comments:The biggest concern to me is the immediate connection I had to Toby Keith's "Talk About Me." Even the phrasing in your lyric "Let's talk about" matches the phrasing of that song so much that I thought that's what you were singing at first. The double-time tag at the end also channels Toby. Besides the connection to that song, I found the lyrics to be abstract at times and I didn't know what you were talking about (ex: "I played the fool; you blew my cover; now I own it"). The lyrics didn't give me a visual image of what was going on in the story. As this is a work tape, I won't dwell too much on vocal performance, but it's not there yet.Title X Good title__ So-So title__ Can't determine title by listening__ Could appear in a more strategic place__ Doesn't repeat enough__ Repeats too oftenTitle Comments:The title is intriguing enough to make me want to listen. I would have guessed that the song was about contrasts between talking about "love" and other relatable conversations. Title/hook is OK, the song just didn't go in the direction I would have anticipated. OVERALL COMMENTSArthur, thanks for posting this song for review. You are a good musician and seem to have a good grasp for song structure and melody. I believe you have a good concept here and the title is compelling. The lyrics don't yet fully support that concept, though. There is good energy build from verse to PC, but then one-line chorus loses some steam. The lyrics are somewhat abstract at times and have a 'fatal' connection to a very popular song in my opinion. Now give a rating 1 to 10, 1 being the worst, 10 being the best: 7 Music 4 Lyrics 4 Marketability 7 Arrangement__ Production (work tape)__ Engineering (work tape)NOW. Would you walk this into a label credibility on this music? __ YES X NONOW. Give a reason why did or didn't forward this:Lyrics aren't compelling enough and have strong similarities to another popular song.

[arthurjames]

Hey Vince and Derek!Thanks for taking the time to give some great feedback You both mention Toby's hit and I now remember seeing a video of it a few years before I wrote this (Dec. '06) and probly heard it as I was seeking on my car stereo. I'm not a big Country listener but it may have gotten in there. I'll probly just keep it as a fun one to play at gigs. since it's so much like his I must admit I was trippin' a little when I saw the full-on custom critique form, Derek:oThen it was like Someone took that much time with one of my babies! Very cool and I appreciate it.Great to have folks like y'all here to bounce stuff around with Yours in MusicArthur

[arthurjames]

Oops, missed one! Thank you Scott as well for the comments. Great to meet everyone and look forward to helpin' each other out in the future.Arthur