Is this Contemporary Country?

johnhampt · Post by **johnhampt** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:54 am

hey Hummingbird, if you are going to jump in my thread, you need to give me some feedback on my song. If this were American Idol, I guess Steve would be Simon. Are you more like Paula?

sgs4u · Post by **sgs4u** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 10:03 am

Quote:hey Hummingbird, Are you more like Paula? Vikki effortlessly dispenses more wisdom, than Paula could ever pretend to. And I am no Simon, I care a lot more about people than I do ratings.

hummingbird · Post by **hummingbird** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 10:41 am

Quote:hey Hummingbird, if you are going to jump in my thread, you need to give me some feedback on my song. If this were American Idol, I guess Steve would be Simon. Are you more like Paula? I will as soon as I get home to a computer with speakers (and I'm taller than Paula )

johnhampt · Post by **johnhampt** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:13 pm

Added a subtle piano when drums kick in. Piano strings over solo and last chorus.

matto · Post by **matto** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:47 pm

To answer the initial question...sorry dawg...I'm not feelin'it dawg, it's not bad it's not bad but I'm just not feelin' it today dawg... Seriously though, no it's not really contemporary country, it doesn't really sound like the stuff coming out of Nashville these days.It's not even so much the music as the lyrics, which are too scattered and unfocussed and don't have that country feel to them. The lyrical concept here is also not "original" and unique enough to stand a chance for Taxi's Nashville listings.It's really difficult to get that right and only hours upon hours of immersing yourself in it will ultimately lead you to getting a feel for it.Melodically you're mostly doing okay, although the chorus sounds too much like the Eagles, so kind of like traditional country pop. And god you're REALLY making us wait for that chorus, don't you? Nobody In Nashville would ever wait this long, that's for sure. That chorus HAS to come in after "I prayed that one was you", or not only will no A&R person or publisher ever get to hear it, but you'll even lose your "civilian" audience .Harmonically this song works "aiight" and could work for contemporary listings. I would beef up and modernize the production and lose that harmonica in the beginning that's kinda yesterday...but really, without a very substantial lyric re-write and a less substantial melody re-write that would be sort of a waste of time I'm afraid.I do love your voice and would say it's clearly the thing that's most "country" about this entire song (other than the fact tyhat it's buried in reverb...edit, make that delay, apparently ). Country songwriting is a very tricky thing, and the bar is set sky high for Nashville listings. If it doesn't have the feel of something coming straight out of Nashville (lyrically, musically and even production wise, you'll have a hard time getting forwarded.The best advice I can give you is to listen to contemporary country radio every day, get to know all the songs, analyze them and see what they're talking about - and HOW they're talking about it - and you'll be on your way.Best of luck to you!mattoPS...I guess this is what Steve calls "being slapped around", but it's really not meant in a "slaphappy" way. I'm just telling you my HONEST opinion. Hope it helps!

johnhampt · Post by **johnhampt** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:55 pm

Bro!!! Stop the horses!! Harmonica??? That is a super old version. I need to see if it's still up there. That is an embarrassment!! Check it out again. You should hear an entirely different version....Ok, I still had old version up. Sorry. I recorded that thing in the mid 90's. That harmonica was so corny ( like Sesame Street ) and the intro was way too long. Still too long now? I know the formula is get to the chorus in less than a minute...

Casey H · Post by **Casey H** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 2:04 pm

Quote:and I'm taller than Paula and probably more sober...

sgs4u · Post by **sgs4u** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 2:08 pm

Quote:To answer the initial question...sorry dawg...I'm not feelin'it dawg, it's not bad it's not bad but I'm just not feelin' it today dawg... I do love your voice and would say it's clearly the thing that's most "country" about this entire song (other than the fact tyhat it's buried in reverb...edit, make that delay, apparently ). mattoPS...I guess this is what Steve calls "being slapped around", but it's really not meant in a "slaphappy" way. I'm just telling you my HONEST opinion. Hope it helps! I believe John, you were the first person to use the term slapped around. I just quoted you.And btw, when Matto listens to my country songs, he NEVER says anything nice about my singing... (and yes Matto, I'm totally OK with it.)thx for stopping by Randy, er Matto.

hummingbird · Post by **hummingbird** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 4:57 pm

Hey there....finally had a chance to listen to this. Nice country feel, for sure. I know the hook is in the first line of the first verse, but you need to get to the payoff of the chorus within the first minute. I do like the melodic contrast of the chorus and there's some nice work on harmonies and guitar.I would encourage you to work first on the lyrics of this song. Think of traditional country songs like "Sweet Dreams" or "Crazy" or "Walk the Line". I'm a fan of using imagery & conversational text to tell the story... and it's hard but in writing we need to try to eliminate cliches and common rhymes. In addition, the structure of the lyric needs to reflect the need for contrast between sections, in meter & rhyme. You can say a lot in just a few words..."Belinda was mine 'til the time that I found herHoldin' JimAnd lovin' himThen Sue came along, loved me strong, that's what I thoughtBut me and Sue,That died, too.Don't know that I will but until I can find meA girl who'll stay and won't play games behind meI'll be what I amA solitary manA solitary manI've had it here - being where love's a small wordA part time thingA paper ringI know it's been done havin' one girl who loves youRight or wrongWeak or strongDon't know that I will but until I can find meA girl who'll stay and won't play games behind meI'll be what I amA solitary manA solitary man" - Johnny Cash

deantaylor · Post by **deantaylor** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 11:55 pm

Hey John,My suggestion is to tighten the lyric, try to get a little cuter with the wordplay (like you do on CATCH AND RELEASE ... of course the song styles are different, so 'cute' means something a little different, too) and go vcvcbc, so you get to the hook faster. And you probably need a bigger hook and more lift to the chorus. Whether it is contemp or traditional ... I don't know .. it is all country to me, but I like the sound and feel of it.Dean

Is this Contemporary Country?

Re: Is this Contemporary Country?

Re: Is this Contemporary Country?

Re: Is this Contemporary Country?

Re: Is this Contemporary Country?

Re: Is this Contemporary Country?

Re: Is this Contemporary Country?

Re: Is this Contemporary Country?

Re: Is this Contemporary Country?

Re: Is this Contemporary Country?

Re: Is this Contemporary Country?

Who is online