JUDGE

RATING

COMMENTS

01-Michael Spencer

6.3

Very good guitar work here and touching lyrics. The background vocals at first seem out of place although they seem to come together better at the end

02-Paul Ward

6

another inspirational slice of folk pop, and again rather floats and doesnt go anywhere, although when you turn it up the guitar work is quite nice, the vocals seem a bit non-committed, and overall just seems an average song

03-David Tallent

8

Critique: Wonderful song with great lyrics, vocals, and musicianship. Very detracting was the instrument in the left channel that was distorted, sounding like "static" sometimes...obviously a recording or engineering problem.

05-Harry Francis

5

comments: Melody definitely needs to be more melodic for people to remember. I had a hard time remembering any parts of the melody after listening to it. Guitar needs a little low end to it I think.

06-Jim Gietzen (JimmyZ)

7.5

Critique: Guitar and vocals were nice. The guitar had a nice rhythmic hook to it. The echo of the vocals in last part of the song sounded cluttered.

07-Michael Flanagan (Hazelglow)

5

I’m fairly certain that your harmonies are probably as you intended them, but to me they sound quite random and accidental in most places throughout this song. I think is partly off-key singing and partly a balancing issue (ie. the intended dominant vocal line isn’t strong enough relative to the harmony); but whatever it is it doesn’t work for me. Kinda sounds like you’re singing several unrelated tunes at once all on top of each other, particularly in the second half. There’s obviously good instrumental skills here, but combining that with chords/melodic structure that doesn’t really go anywhere, I find the overall effect is there’s not much to latch onto as a listener – it just meanders on by and you could easily miss it.

08-Todd Vandemark

8.5

Very cool atmosphere, loved the guitar melody and lyrics. Vocal arrangement needs to be redone, however; Harmony is used too much and would benefit from single takes with harmony emphasizing points of the wonderful lyrics, I think. Would give higher marks, but I know this song will improve with slight tweaks to arrangement and production. Keep up the good work!

09-Mikhail Pesok (Sand)

5

Yes, this is the vocal I like! The baking vocals are distracting, unfortunately. The production and vocal capabilities don’t really allow for the backing vocal complexity you strive for. Maybe you should just drop them. Peter Gabriel’s new album "Up" has an amazing example of desynchronized backing vocals ("don’t try it at home" I call it), especially on the song "Growing Up". At one point you have something similar going on, but it just doesn’t work. Also, the vocal seems out of tune at times and it hurts the melody of the song. The guitar strumming is fine, though picking requires more work – a little hectic.

It’s a decent spiritual song, I guess… However, lyrics don’t do justice to this music and voice! "You know you’re gonna cry, as you start to fly, His gentle melody makes me sing…" "You", "his" and "me" used in one sentence. Why would "you" cry, "me" - sing, and the "gentle melody" (that’s a cliché) would be HIS? It’s a bunch of overused expressions mixed together, creating a very pretentious verse.
There’s a lot of abstract trivialities expressed, but nothing concrete.

10-Bobby Caputo (Bobbio)

6.2

Background vocal needs to be pushed back..sounds like words were written first..not fitting smoothly...very nice overall feel...lyrics nothing special, but the line "Does your soul light up as he fills your cup?" is excellent.

12-Markus Lorber

7.5

The recording isn't the best one, but I can hear how powerful this song would sound if you played it
with a band. It's a great one! The vocals are a bit confusing. Maybe you should try to arrange them a little more (maybe set the harmony voice just one certain phrases and don't let it sing the whole song through). But that's just my opinion. I like your voice. Beautiful lyrics!

13-Doogle

5.5

The production is similar to your previous songs I've heard and my previous comments to large extent apply here. A positive message is conveyed. I do like the guitar work and the sound you have developed to your own style which is both unique and very listenable.

14-Don Lyman

7.5

Critique: Nice vocals -- could be stronger though. Haunting melody and guitar work. Harmonies could be tighter -- don't synch up in some places. Nice lyrics, imagery.

15-Painter

7

I love the flow of the song- really nice lyrics and pretty feminine sprit that explains a search to be free. The vocals are a bit scattered on this song though. And it could have more power- more oomph! Very nice though