Broadjam Artist: Michael Clothier
Song: December
Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Doug Diamond (Music Supervisor, Engineer, Producer, Composer )
Pro General Comments: Hi Michael -Thanks for bringing your song to my attention. I really like it and have enjoyed listening to it several times. For the title, I think that just "December" is a little forgettable, honestly. I'd probably call it "December (Still As Night)" - because that brings to mind Christmas more than just the month of 'December', which can mean different things to different people. Just a suggestion.Overall, the songwriting is very strong as are all of the performances - particularly the vocal and the piano, so nice work there. I think the lyrics and the melody are also both excellent.To me, the only part of this song that needs work is the production value. It's just not quite there... good, but not *great*. For songs that I pitch, the production has to be incredible. It needs to sound like something a major label might put out. So remember your competition. If it doesn't sound that great, it generally will have a hard time getting placements. Your tune deserves to sound its best. Right now, it's probably more along the lines of a really good-sounding demo. It doesn't quite have that final polish that it needs. I think part of it is the mix and/or arrangement too. I'd think about having some nice, subtle string arrangement in there, perhaps starting past the halfway mark and building towards the end (preferably real strings though, not synth strings). Nothing too dramatic, but something that adds to the feel and texture as the song progresses. That's just a suggestion, because it's fine without that, of course. The existing recording is ok, but just needs a little work. The piano is a little dull-sounding (great playing though) and I'm not sure about that airy synth sound I'd think about using more building strings personally. Also, there is a click/pop when the synth cuts off at 1:32 and the piano melody starts, so that needs to be cleaned up. Those types of things can't stay in final recordings that get pitched for film/TV/ads because the editors, producers, directors, music sups, will all hear that and either reject the song or make you fix it then, or simply not use it - costing both time and money that likely no one has. You want to have that stuff cleaned up before you pitch it.So the main issue with the song and the overall bottom line is the production value. Otherwise, you have an excellent song that could work for many types of Christmas opportunities.This song could definitely find a home in the right Christmas-type of sync placement. You can email me for more information if you like via our SongHunters website, or my site at www.diamondiscaudio.com.Thanks again and good luck to you!Best,Doug
Quote From Pro: "December" is a great example of what could someday be a new Christmas/Holiday standard, that many could grow to love, and even become part of people's annual Christmas family traditions.
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