Thinking of Joining..How do my songs stack up ?

[cosmicdolphin]

Hi everyone....newbie here

I've been writing and recording songs for pleasure for a long time and I keep thinking it's time I tried to do something more with them than burn free CD's for my friends & family but I'm really not sure if I've reached the level to get any success. You know how it is with folks you knw , they'll tell you how great everything is even if it sucks...to most of them it's amazing that anyone could ever write a song at all never mind a hit. I'd like to sign up purely as a songwriter to pitch my songs ( my vocal talents are 'limited' )....To join Taxi would be ALOT of money to me which is tight at the moment so I wanted to be sure I'd have a good shot at some level of success before I tell my wife I spent our rainy day money !

Here's some links to a couple of recent tracks , if anyone could take a listen and let me know if I'm in the ball park or not it'll help me justify my decision

https://open.spotify.com/album/0H5WvUa9 ... 6_ZOfq8lMA

I guess if I was writing to fit the listings I may well write differently but folks seem to like the first song ' Destiny' and think it's pretty catchy , so if you're only going to listen to one I'd suggest that track and let me know what you folks think.

Thanks !

CosmicDolphin

[elser]

I listened to the first and last song. I think your stuff sounds good. Production is pretty good, you've got a good knowledge of song structure. Some of it sounds dated but that's pretty common around here. Your voice sounds pretty good but I think you would benefit from a tasteful application of Autotune.

If you haven't already go check out the 'Forwards' section to get an idea of what get's through. Think of Taxi as just one avenue in your pursuit and be willing to learn the way the things are done around here and you just might find some success with it.

Good luck, Elser

[shaman]

Hey...I like your stuff...I agree with the other reply a little dated but it works. I do like Beautiful Game. It's all in the direction you want to go in and u have good song structure. I would say join Taxi as a resource /tool. The forums are great and it is worth it. Just remember Taxi is a tool and you get what u put into it....use it to your fullest.

Good luck fellow Brother in Arms
John
www.strangetimesmusic.com

[orest]

I agree that it sounds a little dated, but I think there's a market for it anyway, especially in some movies and TV-shows.
An auto-tuner could be useful in some places, and I would like to hear the vocal more up front, especially during the chorus.

If you would like more constructive critique, post 1 song at a time.

[glender]

Destiny seems like a complete song. Sort of a throw back to the pop rock of the 80's. The vocals seem to be mixed at the same level as the rest of the music so I really couldn't pick out the lyrics on the first past. The 1st time someone listens they probably won't have any idea what the song is about "lyrically" so if the music dosen't hook them in and bring them back they may not want to listen more than once, as was the case with me.

If I was going to pitch this song, I'd probably want to record it with a stronger lead vocal, someone that can get out in front of the music and really deliver. On a positive note I thought the recording and the mix were pretty good. I think the talent is probably there too

gl

[ottlukk]

You're probably tired of the same comments, but the vocal doess need to be more up front. It seemed like the dynamics of the song didn't change, like they flatlined at about the same level. Maybe it's my headphones? But, you do have talent, I liked the song. Production and structure very well done.
Ott

[DorothyWallace]

I think your stuff sounds really good. I like the song "Destiny". I was kind of hearing a Kelly Clarkson style female vocal with a more updated sound.

As far as joining Taxi, I'd wait until you have money to spend on production. The place I'm using is almost $1000 per song. But I think it's worth it if they can get a very contemporary sound.

Personally, I was a member of Taxi years ago when I was trying to make it as a singer/songwriter. It's not great for that because of the mental torture of people picking apart your really personal songs. I just joined again a couple of months ago to focus on trying to write for other artists. I think it's really great for that and also for Film/TV placements. I've been looking at the listings that are due 1 or 2 months from now and listening to all the "hit" radio stations to get familiar with what is popular. Then I try to write something that fits a particular listing. I usually will post the song in "Peer to Peer" and send it for a custom critique. Then based on the feedback, I'll send it to get produced.

I'm still new so I haven't had any forwards yet. You should stay in the forum and keep getting feedback on your songs. Then join when you have the money.

I hope that was helpful. Good luck!

Dorothy

[cosmicdolphin]

Everyone, thaks so much for your advice & comments.

I do have a bit of a retro sound I must admit. As a child of the 80's I guess I'm bound to get influenced by the stuff I grew up listening to...hey I thought that sound was coming back into fashion now

I'm going to lurk around here & listen to what gets forwarded before I take the plunge. I guess writing for yourself is different from writing to someone elses brief , so that set of tracks was written purely for my own enjoyment , not with an eye to pitching them anywhere. Really I just want to write tracks for other artists , I don't know how good they want the demo's to be nowadays to spot potential.

I think I really need someone else to sing for me to show the songs at their best and you guys have confirmed what I knew inside, I enjoy the songwriting and production side of things but not performing so I think I'll try the collaboration route for vocals when I do eventually join up.

Dorothy I was shocked to hear you spend around $1000 per song to get a demo made I'm stuck doing everything in half a single car garage about 8ft square I'd be interested to hear what they come up with , so you must point me towards one of your produced tracks. I really wouldn't have the spare money to do that , I was hoping I've bought enough gear over the years to get me close enough without spending money to send things out.

Thanks again everyone , I'll be lurking & listening and maybe commenting on a few posts if I have something positive to add to the discussion.

CosmicDolphin

[slowdance]

Hi,

Liked the song "Simple"...well produced....yea you'll fit in...welcome

Regards,
Dick