Critique it 'This Time'

[djdale]

OFFICIALLY RETURNED FOR THIS LISTING:CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY HITS a la TRACY LAWRENCE are needed by this star's own Independent Record Label, for his next project. This listing did appear as a Dispatch in order to get the label an immediate batch of songs to listen to, so if you already submitted to D080829CO you may want to submit different material for this one. GREAT songs that say something unique, touching, meaningful, compelling, etc. are needed. All tempos will be considered but mid to uptempo will be preferable here. A slightly Traditional approach is okay for this one, but the overall sound should be current. Conversational lyrics that tell a story, draw the listener in and "grab" with the hook will attract the most attention here. We'll need to be really selective for this one, so PLEASE send in great sounding Demos and most of all... make sure the songs are fantastic! Please submit one to three songs online or per CD, include lyrics. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI and must be received no later than October 13, 2008. TAXI #S081013COSong was ON TARGET for this Artist.Screener's Comments:Strong heartfelt lyric and one w/the ring of truth. Nicely done.however the theme may be a bit heavy for an artist this youthful. I didn't know Tracy Lawrence was so young? Must be a different Tracy Lawrence...maybe Tracy Lawrence Jr? All 7's except for Lyrics 8Buddy Jewell gets a 7 for lead vocal. LOL

[carlosgomez]

Good production and good vocs. A good song with a good sound. Of course I am jealous.

[ontariolightning]

I have to agree with the critiquer, not many country artists wouldn't want to put themselves in a bad light even if it ends happy, plus tracy lawrence likes to also sing songs about drinking and a song about getting help to become sober wouldn't really fit in too many country artists cdsit's a damn great song though, it's just not what they want, i could listen to it over and over though!

[claire]

Read the lyrics to "Little Rock" and "That's Why I'm Here". Yeah, I didn't think Tracy Lawrence was that young either! I did think that the lyrics were too raw for a mainstream country artist, which is what Tracy Lawrence is. He doesn't do edgy. As for the vocals, it's very likely that the reviewer doesn't know it was Buddy Jewell. I would have given Buddy more than a 7 Claire

[djdale]

Agreed on all parts there folks -- EXCEPT - I should have had higher marks on production/engeneering/arrangement/vocals.I hired the best and paid mucho for it too. I just have to remember that these screeners ears must get tired and throughout the day, all the music gets mushed together.We'll see with the next listings, and I am going to do some tweaking with some of my other songs.I've already got some others I'm going to collab with, so I look forward to being busy.Thanks for all the praise peers!Dale

[jwebbinspired]

Dale, Don't give up on those two songs. They sound great. By the way Tracy will be 41 in January. And thank you, I'm glad you liked "You're Still the Lord" we'll see, I'm still waiting on a response.Andy

[djdale]

"I've Givin' Up Givin' Up". Now THERE'S a title of a country song! SOMEBODY WRITE IT!Dale

[claire]

Omigod. Buddy Jewell sang demos for years before he won the first season of Nashville Star. Several of my friends have demos that Buddy sang on. He had a few years of recognition off the show but with all due respect, Buddy Jewell is not the king of Nashville demo singers and he's been kind of out of the "isn't that Buddy Jewell" recognition thing for a while. He has a really good voice, as do most top notch Nashville demo singers, but he is not immediately recognizable. If the Taxi screener didn't recognize your demo singer's voice, he didn't recognize it.

[djdale]

If the Taxi screener didn't recognize your demo singer's voice, he didn't recognize it. With all due respect, Claire, if the A & R person listened to and studied country music as a career PAST and PRESENT, and listened to MANY demos he/she would have recognized his voice, but this is just in my opinion.I would recognize, let's say, Trace's voice, or even Blake Shelton's, or Clay walker's, even though Clay has been off the radio for a while. Heck I'd even recognize joe Stampley's and Mickey Gilley's voices, Janie Frickie, even the late Amie Comeaux.Be honest, you would recognize his voice. Why shoudn't I expect my screener to be any less as versed?It's the industry THEY are SUPPOSED to know, and we TRUST (with blind faith) these A & R people KNOW the industry they are screening for, PAST and PRESENT.Dale

[claire]

Be honest, you would recognize his voice. Why shoudn't I expect my screener to be any less as versed?Honestly, I wouldn't recognize his voice from any number of other good mainstream country artists. Trace Adkins has a very distinct voice. I don't recognize Blake Shelton from anyone else. I recognize Josh Turner's voice. I recognize Vince Gill's voice. Without knowing which artist has recorded which song, if I hear a country song played cold (nobody tells me who the artist is) I can't distinguish a lot of the current crop of male singers one from another. My weakness, obviously.I guess my point earlier was that we send songs out there and we graciously accept the verdict, no matter how much it ticks us off. We go home and complain to our SOs and our cats, but we don't rail against the decision because in this town people remember that more than they remember the song. The screener didn't recognize Buddy Jewell's voice and that's the screener's failure - but it's also the screener's decision to forward or not. This is the equivalent of my sitting at a pitch session with a publisher and having him pass on what I know is a hit song, and you smile and thank him for his input and then you go home and punch out the wall and call him a bad name. And then you let it go and move on to the next situation. Just my opinion.And the cold cruel fact of life in this town is that nobody knows and everybody has passed on a hit song at one time or another. I don't trust anyone with blind faith to recognize a hit.Claire