Dated melody....

[guitarhacker]

I'm new to Taxi. I have submitted a few songs to a number of listings. Two have replied.... (for the purpose of this thread) one got a really good response and review.... however the song was ultimately returned because the melody was "dated". So what should I be looking at and doing to update this melody to be acceptable as a contemporary country tune?Here's the link to the song....http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... nstructive comments welcomed.thanks...

[yammer107]

Hey GuitaHCountrys not my forte' so dont get too hung on me.... on the other hand I can hear some old school Willie Nelson type vibe immediately (I like Willie by the way), I guess cause you sound a bit like him. But I'd be confused by 'melody' as oposed to 'treatment' of said melody.... I could see pullin back the lap steel, and adden some modern country guitars & harmonies to bring it forward a bit.... But changin melody is almost like just askin you to write another tune ..... or rework the vocal line (?)Just my 2.... Good luckChris

[mojobone]

Production values aren't contemporary; this sounds very dated, sorry. Probably misses the 'broadcast quality' bar, as well. I wouldn't say your melody's dated, cuz a good melody is timeless; I believe what you need is a stronger melody and a fresher set of changes. Plenty here to build on, though; the subject matter is timely, and the concept is excellent, though it does seem that you're pontificating in the chorus a bit, sounds kinda preachy. Check out Jamey Johnson's "In Color", for a more modern approach. C-