Country Song - Feedback Requested

[acousticeel]

Hey all, I'm new here and this is my first post so hope I get it right - I'd appreciate any comments, good or bad, on this country song. I'm attempting to make it "contemporary country" but I'm not sure I've accomplished that. Anyway, here's the link and the lyrics. Thanks in advance....http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... eSomething About Our LoveHand in handDancin slowDown on the beachWhile the summer winds blowYou feel the sandIn between your toesAnd you can't tell the starsFrom the lights belowThese quiet timesWhen we're aloneNo need to sayWhat we both knowThere's something about our loveThat keeps us holding tightThe love and devotion Runs deep as the oceanAnd out to the satellitesThere's something about our loveThe rising tideAnd the moon aboveMake up for wordsThat I fall short ofBefore we knowIt's time to goAnd it's late at nightAnd we're driving homeYour favorite songOn the radioYou sing to meIt's how I know[repeat chorus]Funny about you and meHow we keep holding onHow we keep growing strongHow well we get along[repeat chorus]

[rsilva]

I think you have a pretty nice country song there.I'm know expert when it comes to country songs, so I might take this as a grain of salt, During the first chorus, starting at "The love and devotion" all the way to the end of the chorus, I'm not sure if there were any background vocals there, if there were, I might turn them up a notch.But its a catchy tune that is stuck in my head, so that's a good sign, right ? Good Luck and nice song !

[matthoggard]

Hello acoustic.Welcome to boot camp!! (JK)The production as it is now is not country. The steel guitar fill is a nice touch. In this presentation what youve got is a great Pop/Country crossover tune. The guitars are way too rock-n-roll. The melody has a pop feel to it. I like the music and the melody alot. The way the lines are sung doesnt flow very well. It seems as though the singer is unsure of how to fill the space with the lines. It jsut needs to be sung with a more relaxed approach so the lines flow together more.To make this country, Back off the gain on the guitar. You need a lot more twang in the sound.Also the distorted guitar is too loud in the mix. If you added an acoustic track (doubled and panned say 9 oclock left and 3 oclock right you would have a nice pocket to add your twangy guitar and steel guitar fills. Contemporary Country is still very acoustic based. It needs more picking underneath the verse rather than chunking on the bar chords. The lead fills are very cool but the sound is too rock.Title: "Something about our love". Very catchy and is for sure a "radio" title.Verse 1: Converstional and paints a good opening picture which is all important in mainstream country.Verse 2: Very impressive imagery. I can see myself on the beach at night. And the last line "Its how I know" is a great segue into the last chorus. Good job.Chorus: Has some "lift" but might need a bit more. There is too much space between the lines. I know in Rock, the space is for the power chord fill that is there but for country you should let the lines flow together more. The lyrics are simple and (no offense) just "cheesy" enough to be on mainstream radio. Good imagery and emotion. Just needs better delivery.Your bridge at the end is way cool. It sums up the story nicely.The production as it is: More pop/rock. Could be pitched/submitted in the pop categories.OVerall production just needs some refinement. If your going for country then youll need to try different instrument sounds and have less of a rock-n- roll feel to it.There are several of us here that are trying hard to get our country songs heard. Look in the forwards/ success stories section at the top. Claire has had 2 forwards on country listings. Listen to her songs and writing technique. Its a clinic in how to write country music. Nice song. Its definately catchy. (stuck in my head atm) Thanks for posting and welcome aboard.Matt

[feaker]

eelNice tune. I don't know if your are the singer or not, but all his words abruptly stop.Let them words ring a little bit. Matt said something about a relaxed approach.That's all I see needs a lil help.good luckPaul

[acousticeel]

Hey again. Wow, that's some serious feedback! Fantastic.... Thanks for the warm welcome too. I never quite understood what "contemporary country" meant. I just thought it was supposed to have a modern rock edge to it. Guess it would've been smarter to ask someone... I've got a much better understanding now. As for the singing, yea that's me, which is part of the problem, but I get what you're saying. I've done and re-done this thing a dozen ways but now at least, I know what I should be shooting for. I'll keep at it and re-post. I've been "lurking in the shadows" since I joined taxi a couple of months ago just checking things out, and it's nice to finally get involved with all the great people on this board. I'll definitely check out Claire's stuff too..... Thanks again.Jim

[matthoggard]

YO!Alot of the newer "country rock" does have a rock feel to it but if you listen to the production youll still notice the guitars have that old southern twang. Listen to a few fun tunes by Cross Canadian Ragweed or Gary Allen. Youll get a great Idea of what the sound is like. FInd your local country station that plays the new hits and within 10 minutes youll see what im talking about.You have a great style anyway.M~

[heinsite]

howdy acoustic!i too hear this as more pop than country--hell i might focus on it's strong pop elements--the bridge is very good, so is the rest of the music too man. what i would do (easy for me to say...) is modernize the lyrics to more of a "today" vibe, and at the least, make two versions. the lyrics are a bit too general and a bit too cliche for contemp country today (yeah, listen to the raydeeoh) and not poppy enough for pop, so either way (or both ways) the lyrics will need a rework IMHO.but i DO like the flow, the structure iMHO is very cool, it's in there man,...the best, welcome to the laughing academy!!warren

[cameron]

Hey Jim,This is a good tune, but I agree with Warren that the lyrics (and overall theme, which is a bit too general) probably need to be reworked for contemporary country. You've done a pretty good job of the recording (although the guitar sounds a bit out of tune at the start) but with some lyric fixes I think the song would be strong enough to warrant a pro demo. If you want to get a real country sound, and can bear to part with the $$, I would send it to a Nashville studio. They'll give you the real deal and should cost you less than $600. Several of us on the list use nashvilledemostudio.com, although there are plenty of others.Good luck with it!Cameron

[wta]

acoustic, this is a great tune man, really. I hung to the end too. Most of what I would have said has been said so I just wanted to say in my ears this is a tune worth getting nailed down! You know it reminded me of another artist the whole time, the music that is not the vocals and at the end it hit me, Bryan Adams. There where several pop bands in the eighties that had as simalar feel up in Canada where I come from. The Northern Pikes also had a similar feel with the chord progression and guitar tones, the steel guit is a different touch but... My two cents on the vocals in the verse would be to have a similar approach as the bridge and carry out the last vowel of the last word a touch longer and stretch the last word each line and imo that could really give a nice fullness you the lines in the verse. The current approach is cool too and I'm sure its intentional, maybe doing a bit of both may be a thought... Great tune, its got a beat and I can dance to it... I give it a 40... '-) wta

[djdale]

Hit pop song. I'd sign this one! Get it pro demo'd man!Dale