Genre Help

[riHDer]

Hi.
I wonder if I can get some suggestions as to what genre this song might have the best fit with. My co-writer and I were shooting for Contemporary Country
but when we brought in the piano player he gave it a little jazz flair which we loved but it changed the feel of the song. Now I'm thinking it is more Singer-Songwriter.
Can I get your opinion?
Listen to"Someone I Can't Live Without" at www.taxi.com/jsarasmusic
Thanks

[Kolstad]

I don't think the jazz voicings in the piano takes away from it. It can still work in a country context, many country players and artists are playing and listening to jazz after hours.

Artists like Clint Black, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson and others have done jazzy stuff, so I think it could actually make the song stand out among the many southern rock clones at the moment. I could hear artists like Tim McGraw or Brad Paisley doing a jazzy tune someday soon, but true, there are not too many at this particular point in time. But that's not to say they don't suddenly decide to do a country jazzy album.

It's important to have songs that sounds a little different in your portfolio IMO

For this, I would consider a more country sounding demo singer and adding a pedal steel, though (maybe take the 'pluncking' lead in there out).

[mojobone]

Jes' needs some pedal steel, (and possibly a different sort of singer, sorry) if you're shootin' for a country sound, and no, the piano's not too jazzy.

[riHDer]

Thanks for the help. The singer is my co-writer and he really doesn't have a country style. I thought of adding some dobro. The review I got from 2 screeners said it wasn't contemporary country. They always ask for something new and different and when you give it to them they freak out.

[mojobone]

People don't really want new and different; they jes' think they do, heh. Anyways, contemporary country is kind of a special case; it really means refried southern rock, jes' mixed better.

[Kolstad]

Mojo hits the nail in the coffin', I think. 'New' is one of those blank words you can fill your own meaning into. In music, it means filling out the 20% of a song that's open to creative efforts, with experiments. 80% of the song still needs to be 100% recognizeable (sometimes we call that honoring 'tradition', sometimes we say that you can't alienate your audience, sometime we say it needs to have a clear genre identity.. all of which means the same thing), and it ALL has to sound great

[majorshadow21]

Okay,

I'm a genre-challenged individual myself, however, I feel like country from beginning to end. Powerful lyrics and vocals. Musical Arrangement, right-on.

Thanks for sharing