Country submission, up to par?

[skibalz1]

Hey everyone,
I'd be gratefull if a bunch of you could take a listen to a song before I submit it. The 2 listings I am considering for the song are S110422CO & S110414CO, both looking for country or contemp. country at heart. The song is mid tempo but I believe has a big enough hook at the chorus.
Please also give me honest feedback on the recording (an area I have been told off and on needs improvement) Please it would help if you were specific in any critizism so that I can correct things or rethink submitting it. Thanks to everyone, and good luck with your own projects.
The song is titled "All fades Away" and is on my TAXI page
www.taxi.com/steveski

Thanks again

Steve

[bwd]

Hi Steven. I really like your voice. It sounds really cool on the double tracked lines and the harmonies. The mix is a little cluttered. You need to shape the guitars in terms of EQ, level and pan to leave some space for the vocals. The 12-string and the slide/steel guitar lines are very nice. That little guitar lick at 1.33 is not needed. I feel that you’re keeping the drums low in the mix because the drum sound isn’t that great. You can pick up loads of advice on the forums on finding good drums samples. In my quest to get a decent drum sound I’ve just bought Addictive Drums and I like what I hear so far! I’d also suggest you put your lyrics in your post. Most of the country guys do that. It sounds like you might have had “ecstasy for breakfast”! I enjoyed listening. Everything you do sounds pretty authentic to the genre - it just needs the right mix. Cheers, Doug

[ThirdStrand]

I really like the lift into the chorus, the way that the vocals sit back in the beat right there - soulful, bittersweet, just great.

My ears aren't completely tuned for what's current in mixing country, but I was aching to hear a closer, more full-bodied guitar sound (definitely mic technique would be a big part of this, but some work on the eq/comp setup could still help), warmer and maybe a little more midrangy...feels a little scooped-out. The piano is fighting with the bass for space, so definitely some roll-off there, and some emphasis of essential higher frequencies could help settle it in the mix and bring the bass forward...could just use less piano overall, come to think of it. I like really centered mixes a lot, although I'm not great at it myself, since having a lot of things dead-center or close means that you really have to rely on careful eq to carve out space for everything.

The background vocals on the chorus feel a little unsupported all the way out to the left to me, even though I LOVE the way they merge with your lead, so I might set up some subtle textural element that uses the entire stereo field prior to that point, even if it's only ambiance/verb returns. I also miss the drums, like Doug was saying, because I really want to feel that groove locked D and B on this song, so all the expressive things you do with your voice have something to pull against. Could also use more dynamics in the arrangement...maybe it's cliche, but wanted that verse after the bridge to really strip down, maybe just acoustic and vocals, then maybe some cool metric sting to lift into the next chorus, and elide those last two choruses somehow. Maybe the playout with "All fades away" at the end could also go back to stripped down and intimate, so you get the big resolution at the end of the last choruses and then sort of a bittersweet reflection at the end...that would tell the story better for me, I think. Might also tighten up the instrumental right before that - at that point in the song wanted to drive a little more inevitably to the conclusion, but if that instrumental was really bleeding off energy between the big last choruses and the a more tender playout, it might work.

To my untrained (but appreciative) ears where country is concerned, this seems to really nail the "contemporary, but with lots of authenticity and homage to roots" line, which I love. Playing is solid, singing is great. I think these are both listings for demos, right? So even if you just did a vocals up mix to make sure the story is really present and went with it, it feels like a great submission to me, though for a TV/Film listing you'd definitely want to work the mix, maybe replacing or re-recording some stuff if you can't get it tight and present working with the sounds that were originally captured. Thanks for sharing it - really great song, great storytelling - you seem like a master of the genre, which I have so much respect for...something I have yet to accomplish in any area where I work.

All the best with it!
Matt
www.taxi.com/mattcurleemusic

[skibalz1]

Thank you both, Doug and Matt for your input. I'll be spending some time on a much cleare,r more stripped down mix, since it is for a Writer/pub listing. I know I need to update my drum sounds which come from an ensoniq EPS sampler. I have added new "sets but ost of them still don't compare to some of the new stuff on the market. Also thanks for the props on the vox, in the case of this song I felt that the very dry, wide backups added something new to the traditional country sound.
I still ask anyone with some time to give a listen and pitch in, I need all the help I can get after a number of returns you start to get all bit discuraged you know?

Steve
www.taxi.com/steveski

p.s. I WISH I had had ecstacy for breakfast, but off course they were only eggs (toiday), but it made an excellent point about how people hear things differently if your vox is not out front.

[ThirdStrand]

in the case of this song I felt that the very dry, wide backups added something new to the traditional country sound.

Shoulda been more clear - I like 'em too...just was wondering if some subtle texture that would sit outside of 'em might help them settle slightly in the mix. Was actually my favorite moment in the song when they showed up!

I need all the help I can get after a number of returns you start to get all bit discuraged you know?

I hear ya'...totally feeling that myself right now. It's been making me want to catch up on "Lost" instead of keeping on creating. The discouragement is definitely my worst enemy in the creative process. Dude, your music is really connected - I'm sure that's the core reason it's gone the distance in the past, and will continue to.

Think I'll have some eggs for dinner...

Matt

[kenmassey]

Hi Steve, I agree with Matt and Doug in that I couldn't make out the vocal so I didn't get the story. You're on the right path so keep on keepin on. I feel your pain too, the returns are discouraging but this is how we develop our craft! Mixing is an art of its own and I'm one who is struggling to get this part right too! You've come to the right place, the folks here at the Taxi peer to peer forum and very friendly and helpful! Ken

[nick.moxsom]

Hey, man, good song.

You clearly have no problem writing a solid structure. As for the genre, I'm afraid I'm pretty clueless, esp when it comes to contemporary country, but I agree this needs less piano. I couldn't help thinking the key was too high. I've been there many times myself, where the song feels good in a certain key, but then the pitch I have to sing in brings in a different dynamic. Reminded ma a bit of the Who, for some reason – the harmonies, I think, whereas I picture country as deeped, more 'cowboy' voices. Anyway, worth a passing thought...

Don't get disheartened. The majority of people in this world cannot write a song and wouldn't know a good one from a hole in the ground. You have that ability, which puts you in a talented minority. If you are writing for demos, esp outside country, it's all about the quality or newness of the song, and not so much a mix issue. One of the hardest things is to be selective and stick to what you're best at. Ask everyone you know, they'll tell you.

Keep it up. What else is half as much fun? Not even ecstasy for breakfast, (although that might actually run a close second....)

Nick

[cameron]

Hi Steve,

I've spent a lot of time in Nashville over the last two years, and participated in a whole lot of "pitch to publisher" meetings where 20-40 songwriters play tunes for the pubs and then we all listen to the critiques from the panel. I've learned a lot from these.

First of all, I think your song is pretty solid, although I too couldn't understand the lyrics very well. I don't think it's a song that's going to make them do back flips, but a good professional Nashville demo might give it a fighting chance.

The problem you're going to have is that a lot of pubs and A&R people in Nashville have lousy imaginations, and furthermore, they get dozens of demos submitted to them everyday that were professionally recorded and sound exactly like what you hear on radio. They're not going to risk their reputation by passing a home-made recording up the chain unless the song is an undeniable hit. When you think about it, why would they when they already have dozens of killer songs to choose from?

As unknown, out-of-town writers, we need our songs and recordings to be better than what their own staff writers are already sending them. That's not easy, and even when you attain that level, you're merely getting your foot in the door. I know several very, very good writers with top-notch songs and demos that have been doing this for years and don't have any cuts yet. Relationships are the key in Nashville, and it can take years to build them and to get to the point where people will start to notice your abilities.

After two years, I now have a half-dozen publishers and two record labels I can submit songs to whenever I have something that I think fits what they might be looking for. If I submit more that a couple sub-par demos, I run the risk of not being taken seriously in future, and the next time I submit something they might not even bother to listen to it.

Check out these guys if you want to see where the bar is set:

http://andrewscottwills.com/fr_home.cfm
http://www.reverbnation.com/mikewillis

Andy Wills (who I met right here on the Taxi forums) is as close as anyone I know to breaking through. He has the current single out with Andy Griggs. Andy Griggs star has faded a bit since his peak 7-8 years ago, but it's still a solid cut for a songwriter to show on a resume.

Mike Willis is also a demo singer, so sings his own material.

Both these guys are co-writing regularly with other Nashville writers and building relationships in the industry.There are dozens (perhaps hundreds) more just like them in Nashville. And these are just a couple of undiscovered writers. You should hear what the established writers are doing!

Jason Blume told me that he has never heard of an unknown writer submitting a song that blew everyone away and made the writer famous on the strength of one song. The House That Built Me (Miranda Lambert's hit) is as good as any song I've heard out of Nashville in awhile, was written by two of Nashville's top writers, and yet it still took seven years for them to get it cut.

I don't mean to discourage you. If you really want to succeed in Nashville, by all means you should go for it. But you need to know what you're up against to compete successfully.

Good luck on the journey though!!

Cam

[waltl]

Steve,

I enjoyed the song. I wasn't able to make out all the lyrics, but the words I heard sounded very effective. One point: I do not think I heard "All Fades Away." I was expecting to hear that in the chorus or at the end of each verse.

Walt

[theoldman]

Hi Steve--

I like the song. Like the others, I think it has great potential. Their advice is always good.

About being discouraged, I agree with Cam. I had a similar experience in the eighties down in Nashville. I was pitching songs to publishers on a one on one basis. Yikes! Your skin gets really thick after a few of them. While I got a few dozen published, I really needed to live there and network to get the most out of my songs.

Keep at it - don't give up.
Best of luck,
JT