Month: July 2016

Broadjam Artist: matt taylor
Song: It Doesn't Matter Now Kmix3

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Tirk Wilder (Songwriter, Performer)

Pro General Comments: Okay, Matt,Just to be right up front, I really like your stuff. The music is great, I love the feel. Shows unlimited potential. REALLY.Also, to be a up front, I have written a song called "As If It Matters", which my co-writer and I have been considering changing to "It Doesn't Matter". This is to give you a heads up on the title. I didn't steal it from you, I stole it from someone else many years ago. (Joke!)The bad news is that the better I like your stuff, the harder I have to be on you. Because you are cruising around the rim of writing an unforgettable, I'm going to have to give you some SEROUS criticism to get you there. Note: CL=Casual Listener. This is someone who doesn't know you, someone who's never HEARD of you, who is hearing your song for the first time. It is his/her perception that is most important to you, the songwriter. Your lyrics show flashes of brilliance. There is an almost poetic feel to your conversation. But you are still making rookie mistakes.You are saying pretty much the same thing in all your verses, just with a different set of words. It's all to express the ennui. Yet you don't have a set of circumstances you have shown the CL to cause the CL to care, especially after you've told him/her your feelings in the first verse.You should REALLY consider giving the CL some specific information about why you feel the way this song says you do. If not in the first verse (I would strive to get it in there somehow, maybe a few IMAGES?) then at least have the second verse dedicated to it.So you have to make the CL listen and become involved in your CHORUS. Let's take a look.but it doesn't matter now [I like the sound and the feel of the way you did the hook here]with all the time that's past [but I'm none too crazy about THIS lyric. It's a serious clich, right where you can't have a clich (in the chorus). The CL doesn't know what happened to cause this ennui, so can't possibly identify the amount of time that's PASSED (note spelling), or what that MEANS---hence, the CL is not getting involved emotionally.]It doesn't matter now [Still like the hook here. Kinda sorta background]those dreams were never meant to last [WHAT? How 80's. You can do better than THIS, Matt.]It doesn't matter now [I'll still believe the hook here, but you MIGHT be able to come up with something just to change up the flow the third time around ("Lives are scattered now", for example)]It's all working out for the best with all that life has put me thru it's put me to the test [This is garbage. You're using "it's working out", which is an utterly meaningless clich, in about three different places in this song. And EVERYBODY's life has put them to the test. Cliches. Poisonous].Continued in Artist's Question section

Quote From Pro: This guy has universal potential. Like, NO doubt.

Broadjam Artist: Tony DeSimone
Song: Stay Beautiful

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Jonathan Stone (Publisher)

Pro General Comments: Really good all the way around. Reminds me a little of U2. I think this will have great opportunity for film and TV use as well. Its clear that the author/artist is experienced and professional. This is a perfect example of writing an idea that has practical application to many visuals which is great for sync opportunities. The lyric never really gets to specific and they bring forth a very positive message "Stay Beautiful" inside. Don't know if this was the author's intent but never the less it opens up a wide variety of potential uses by doing same. I often get songs pitched to me and the artist wants to get syncs, which all tracks have potential for such, but as soon as you go off into subject matter that is too specific like "my pet butterfly flew away" your song can only be pitched for projects about pet butterflies. You get the point. It could be that the artist here just wrote from his heart and out came the perfect "sync" song. I hope thats the case, so much the better. Or perhaps we have a wiley craftsman here who intended to write a song just for sync ops. Doesn't really matter. Regardless, he has one here and he would be well served to get this out to as many film and Tv libraries as he can that accept outside "songs" and see what happens.

Quote From Pro: Tony DeSimone nails it with "Stay Beautiful". Great track, message and performance! Check it out!

Broadjam Artist: Ian Lee
Song: Runaway with me

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Malik Williams (Producer, Artist, Engineer, Composer)

Pro General Comments: Hey Ian,First off.. I really like the diversity I'm hearing in your music so far. I listened to this one a bunch of times and there's a ton of potential for this song.This is a cool grove with a sing-along chorus. This song sounds like a true story for sure. Most listeners can probably relate to a story about the knight in shining armor that tries to save the helpless little girl, take her to a far far away and live happily ever after! Good job with that! I like the vocal style, attitude and tone, although I think the verse performance could be a little tighter and in the pocket. I like the big chorus vocals and you did a pretty good job layering those parts. Especially at the end of the song. I like the big chorus vocals and you did a pretty good job layering those too and I can really hear the "voices" well in the mix.The instruments were very well produced. The drum execution and arrangement caught my attention for sure. You bass is simple and holding down the groove and the guitar parts and the sound is pretty retro. Nice stereo imaging with the guitars too! Overall, I really do think this song has a lot of commercial appeal.

Quote From Pro: This is a cool grove with a sing-along chorus!

Broadjam Artist: IamLegendBeatz
Song: Choose w/ Chorus Drums

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Diana Williamson (Songwriter, Music Supervisor)

Pro General Comments: Please note I do not rate instrumentation as my expertise lies more in overall presentation, marketing, lyrics, etc.Great track. Your vocals work nicely to promote your song and the arrangements are very tasteful, not too much and not too little- so another words you have a great sense of proportion.It has that deep, poignant delivery overall appropriate for the occasion. Song has a really pleasant groove and the keys and synths work well to support your theme.You set up conflict "that you were never going to fall in love again"- which is good. Songs need conflict to keep interest. Maybe suggest something about them that let you know they were the one? The keeper?You are far ahead of a lot of people and lucky that you can not only write but record your own material- which is a very great advantage in today's market.

Quote From Pro: Track would fit nicely for a TV show about weddings and proposals.

Broadjam Artist: Ian Lee
Song: Lonely nights

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Malik Williams (Producer, Artist, Engineer, Composer)

Pro General Comments: Lonely Nights is very catchy and smooth! Out of the three songs, this one is my favorite and I like the intro a lot. It's simple but it sets the mood. This song's instrumentation reminds me of The Script but the more I listen to your vocal tone, I hear the same voice texture of Bruce Hornsby and Christopher Cross (I mentioned him before). I couldn't figure that out at first but... I really mean that as a compliment! This song style is very different from Runaway With Me and Rainbows Without Rain. It makes me appreciate you more as a songwriter. Diversity is good, especially considering the music licensing and song placement route. Nice arrangement on this song as well. My only constructive comment is in the chorus vocals. I feel that the backing vocal under your lead lines could be a bit tighter but it's not super critical if you're not able to go back to edit. Intonation and timing is something to pay attention to anyway. Spreading or panning the vocals out can remedy this as well. Just treat the voices like another acoustic instrument to have fun with. It helps to have another set of trusted ears in the room too. The overall production and mix of this song is really good. It seems that you have a recording formula that works well. The guitar mix, tremolo effects and stereo imaging of your guitars sound pretty full and interesting. You should definitely stick to this recording and engineering methods. It's definitely working for you!Very easy listening and the market is definitely there for you as an artist, for film and tv placements or even to pitch for other signed artist looking for songs.

Quote From Pro: Very easy listening and the market is definitely there for you as an artist, for film and tv placements or even to pitch for other signed artist looking for songs.

Broadjam Artist: PYSONGS
Song: SKYLIGHTS

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Jonathan Weiss (Music Supervisor, A&R)

Pro General Comments: This song has some well put together, yet familiar sounding chord changes. At some points it sounds like the changes could be something like an early Sheryl Crow song, with horn and synth arrangements that sounds like its from the 70s. Overall the song and production sounds very retro to me. That's not always necessarily a negative thing, however in this case, I felt the chordal structure was inventive and something you don't hear a lot of these days in contemporary pop music. Structurally, the song took quite a while to develop. To kick off the song, it sounded like a stripped down rhythm section and evenutally at 0:51 a full horn and background vocal arrangement came in. It wasn't until after 1 minute in, that the full rhythm section came in. This is a long time to develop for a pop song. In order to grab the listener's attention right off the bat, I would have come in right at the top with a full compliment of the arrangement and instruments, then have the breakdown come in the middle of the song. Pretty inventive background vocal arrangements throughout and a full sounding wall of sound type arrangement once the song gets going. Perhaps with a bit of a restructure, the sectional contrast of the song would work better and have more potential commercially.

Quote From Pro: An inventive retro wall of sound type sound that is reminiscent of an early Sheryl Crow arrangement.

Broadjam Artist: Jim Reeder
Song: I Believe

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Dave Hnatiuk (Music Supervisor)

Pro General Comments: Hi Jim,Thank you for your patience in receiving my review. I have been BEYOND busy lately which I am thankful for! Generally speaking, this is a classic song with a ton of emotion behind it, a very inspirational message, and generations of fans and listeners who have experienced it in a variety of different ways and contexts. I think your simplistic instrumentation choices were the right way to go here. This song is all about the lyrics and the vocal melody, and the instrumental aspect of the song is very much secondary. Good job on this.I think the general mix and production is fine although I would DEFINITELY consider pulling back on the delay effect on your vocals. The delay gets so intense at times that I seriously cannot decipher what your lyrics are saying, and for a message heavy song like this one, you cannot risk any one not being able to understand the lyrics. And by the way, I'm listening to your song on a perfectly working pair of Genelec 1030a studio monitors.

Quote From Pro: Jim Reeder was smart to accurately cover the classic song "I Believe" written by Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl and Al Stillman in 1953 and made popular by Frankie Laine's original performance. It's my belief that Jim Reeder's cover of "I Believe" could be a useful alternative version of the song for those media producers who cannot afford to license more well known versions of the song.

Broadjam Artist: Daniel
Song: Fall out of Love

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Jonathan Weiss (Music Supervisor, A&R)

Pro General Comments: Solid pop song with a powerful chorus which is complimented by a full background vocal arrangement. Very good sectional contrast between verse, chorus and bridge sections. Think I would make the beginning synth drone a bit shorter and come with the vocal a bit sooner. Lyrically and chord change wise, the verse does a good job in setting up the powerful chorus. When the full chorus kicks in, the fuller sounding arrangement in this section masks a bit that the song to me sounds like its still in demo form. I'm listening to hear if it could be broadcast on TV and at this point, I think its close, but still needs an overall cleaner production sound that could probably be achieved by getting into a better studio and perhaps using a producer. Guitar and synth sounds specifically could be updated to glean a more contemporary sound. The good news is that the basic structure, vocals and lyrics are all in good shape, now its just coming down to enhancing the overall sound and making the arrangement at the beginning a bit more compact. Great use of the pre-chorus, which really sets up the full chorus. Great job in putting together the oohs and aahs of the background vocals during the chorus, really fills out the overall sound.

Quote From Pro: A solidly structured pop rock song that has a strong, identifiable lead vocal and memorable hook.

Broadjam Artist: RekLes Studios
Song: Buried Alive

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Shawn McKenzie (Producer, Artist)

Pro General Comments: You're sitting on a cool track, but you don't get to hear much of it as you have vocals riding from beginning to end. You should give your music some breathing room, by creating a 4-8 bar intro buildup and then lead into the chorus, it makes it more radio friendly that way. Your vocal styling is a little on the dated style, not a lot of dynamics in the phrasing of your words. In saying that, what is old is new now, so it could possibly work in your favour. . In the future when you are crating sung choruses don't make it too wordy, you can say more with less. Plus when a vocalist is performing live the song it allows them to catch their breath. Your vocals styling reminds me of Young MC. I could see this track being placed in a TV series or movie Drama relating to your subject matter, you can definitely get the song licenced. Take advantage of those opportunities. You have the ability to create a picture so that your audience gets involved in your song. Today's lyrics don't deal with much in terms of subject matter, with the exception of a few rappers, good to see that you stay true to your art. Keep going for it.

Quote From Pro: You have the ability to create a picture so that your audience gets involved in your song. Today's lyrics don't deal with much in terms of subject matter, with the exception of a few rappers, good to see that you stay true to your art. Keep going for it.

Broadjam Artist: Nabii
Song: Infidel

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Diana Williamson (Songwriter, Music Supervisor)

Pro General Comments: Dear Nabil:Please note I do not comment on technique- of instruments and vx- my expertise lies in overall presentation, lyrics and marketing.First off, you were right- the home recording is perfectly fine to showcase the song. You have one of the hardest parts down, you have a great vibe in this song and it comes across very clearly.And second you have a great message. It's a message that you're aware of - is a very very tricky one to put across. You've done a great job so far and there is probably some more tweaking you can do to make it realize it's full potential.So let's start with the great stuff first. Your voice and your use of bg vocals is very EASY ON THE EARS! Almost hypnotic- so that is a strength of yours in your arsenal.Most great songwriters have a strong message to impart and this fuels their songwriting, so it's a great topic to chose. And you are right, you have to be very careful with this type of subject matter- but it's an important one. With these types of songs its best to clothe them in an artistic story type way to take away some of the "preachiness" or to make the message more palatable.In Marvin Gaye's "What's Going on" he tackles the brutality of war and senseless violence by asking a question "Mother, mother, everybody thinks we're wrongOh, but who are they to judge us Simply because our hair is longOh, you know we've got to find a way To bring some understanding here today"Or John Lennon's song gets us involved by telling us to: "Imagine" Imagine there's no countries, It isn't hard to doNothing to kill or die for, And no religion too, Imagine all the peopleLiving life in peace...They're two of the very best songs written on the subject of war, violence, religion. It would be good to study them to see how they can take such a "heavy" topic but make it something people want to hear. It may give you some ideas.

Quote From Pro: Artist has a wonderful simplicity and vibe in this track that presents a powerful message.