Month: July 2020

Broadjam Artist: B.Still
Song: A PARALLEL UNIVERSE

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Michael Marans (Music Technologist)

Pro General Comments: The concept of parallel universes "leaking" is way cool, and you've done some interesting sound design to reinforce the idea. The problem, however, is that the overly washy/reverby production works against the theme, as the individual components are often too smeared to maintain their distinction (and subtlety). Put another way, you've created a wall of sound, but the individual bricks are lost in the mortar. I'd suggest remixing the piece with ALL reverb eliminated so that you can truly determine how all of the parts work together. Once you've made the arrangement work "dry," add reverb back in selectively both as a means to enhance particular instruments and to provide (in small amounts) the "glue" that holds the entire mix together. Hint: Try using delay rather than reverb on the lead instrument(s). (Stereo: 1/8th note L, 1/4 note R, or 1/16th note L, 1/8th note R.) You'll find you can create a big ambient space wiothout introducing the "wash" that's currently detracting from the mix. Lower scores in the check boxes are largely due to reverb-heavy production. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised (and perhaps challenged) by taking a "dry" approach and adding the ambience back in subtley and sparingly.

Quote From Pro: The concept of parallel universes "leaking" is way cool, and you've done some interesting sound design to reinforce the idea.

Broadjam Artist: Phil Bouldry
Song: Convertible Summer

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

Pro General Comments: Please note: I don't comment on quality of individual instrumentation as my expertise delves more into overall performance, marketing, melody, etc Good description, you catch the summer vibe very well. When trying to get your songs cut or used in media, it is always a good idea to have uptempo happy songs whenever you can. Your verses and their description do their job and paint a picture for your listener. Nice visual description. Convertible Summer gives a listener a good strong image, right away you know what it will be about and you catch the energy of that. You progress your story which keeps the interest of your listener and very important to do. Lead us on a journey, keep our interest.Don Henley wrote the Boys of Summer and that captured the nostalgia of our long lost carefree days. You both hint at the nostalgia. You may want to check out his song and you can see why it became a hit. Studying similar themes in a hit song can be very educational and give you a reference point for your own songwriting.Henley's "Boys of Summer" is about a man who is longing for these carefree days and his lover, his description is very picturesque but with an underlying haunting feel. It's always a good idea to delve as deep as possible to stir up the emotion in a listener. But I can see youYour brown skin shining in the sunYou got your hair combed back and yourSunglasses on babyI can tell you my love for you will still be strongAfter the boys of summer, have goneSince you started such a great story, you may want to give us just a little bit more, deepen the storyline. Add some more drama to hold our interest. A song that has everything rosy doesn't have the same impact as our singer saying at the end something like, my lady is so far away, how I long for those good ole days, but I feel her slipping away...... Leave us hanging for the resolution and then give it to us at the end.Something along the idea of "the good ole days are coming my way ... cause my lady... she says she's coming to stay.".... End it with a resolution of sorts, will make it more satisfying. Depending what way you want your song to go. Happy it seems. (feel free to use ideas)

Quote From Pro: Strong happy summer vibe song that makes you dream of those carefree days.

Broadjam Artist: VALEXIS
Song: Fairy Tales

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Doug Diamond (Music Supervisor, Engineer, Producer, Composer )

Pro General Comments: Hi Valexis (Ana?) -Thank you so much for letting me know about this great tune of yours. Excellent all-around. I've known and worked with Mark Zubek off and on for years and have even done a radio interview with him. I have incredible respect for him, his talent, his label, and his work, so great job bringing him in as the producer on your song. Great fit!Well, where to start? I love this song... excellent craftsmanship for sure. It appears you wrote it all yourself. Is that right? A firm grasp of song structure is apparent, as is great lyrics, and the all-important "it factor", which I think this song has.Fantastic hook/chorus! This may be the best aspect of this song - and that's saying quite a bit. The music production is superb from start to finish, a-la Mark Z. I don't think I'd change a thing with anything there.I really like how the Bridge changes things up quite a lot - very nice.Lyrically, you're spot-on too (thanks for providing those in your profile). I could suggest a couple things lyrically that I thought of, but they're not really "gotta fix" issues... it's really more, if you want to address it, I think it'd make the song that much better. I feel like the pre-chorus may have the words "killing me" in it too much... it's mentioned four times in two lines. I'd probably use a different word once or twice. Maybe "destroy" or "wasting", or "debilitating", or some other word(s) that mean similar things, just to give some variety. And having the word "autocracy" in there - how brilliant is that? You also have a few other 'sophisticated' words in there too - meaning, for Pop music, at least. "Capsizing" and "mesmerizing" - both excellent choices for lyrics too - and they work well.I like how this song really kind of has darker-type, "downer" (from an emotional standpoint) lyrics - and yet - the chorus is really a Pick-Me-Up and makes you feel good listening to it. How's that possible? I'm not sure, but I guess it is!Another idea: "Fairy Tales" is good as a title, but I'd consider something a tiny bit more memorable maybe something like "Fairy Tales (Your Autocracy)" or something like that with the parenthesis, giving people a little more to remember. Just an idea...Vocally, I feel like they are very well-done for the most part. There is a place or two where I think some slight tuning might help - or - perhaps one more take singing those spots not much though and I'm being nit-picky about it. I think it's 98% excellent, but there's a little more room to make them that much better, if that makes sense.Overall, excellent work! Not much I would change about this song at all. It's really pretty much 'ready to go' in my book. I know you have submitted it for a few things of mine, sync-wise already and know that we've already pitched it for some things. We'll keep our fingers crossed, but my guess is I know at least one catalog that will reach out to you about "Fairy Tales" and want to get it added into their system asap. The lyrics are a bit specific for many types of sync scenario/placement opportunities, however, just the right sync thing *has* to exist somewhere out there, for this song.Hope that helps, and feel free to write me if you have any other questions.Thanks!-Doug

Quote From Pro: VALEXIS' "Fairy Tales" has one of the coolest Pop hooks / choruses I've heard in a while. Excellent songwriting craftsmanship and production value. Great job! A must-hear!

Broadjam Artist: The SuBourbon Blues Project - Chris Ford
Song: Where Concrete Meets The Grass

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Chris Keaton (Music Publisher, Artist Manager, Song Plugger)

Pro General Comments: From the viewing of the title, "Where Concrete Meets The Grass" I was intrigued. In fact I had absolutely no idea where this song would go. Beginning with the first note, I had a feeling this would be good. From a sonic perspective, the intro is great and when the vocal starts it opens up to a whole new vibe. Great voice for this type of song. The listener can feel the honesty and pain in the singer's heart through his expressive and emotive voice.Also the 6/8 feel really works for me. I am a sucker for this groove. Interesting to me that the high hat does not drive the beat. (If I were to offer a suggestion it would be to allow the high hat to play eighth and swing the whole groove. To me its would be less stiff and have a cooler overall vibe. But that's my personal opinion.Typically this kind of song can come across as trite due to an overused subject but to me the distinguishing quality here is the voice. It really leaves me wanting to hear more. The emotion is just so real. Heartbreaking. Poignant. A real, gritty slice of life.Would love to hear this guy/band play and sing live.The lyric tells a great story. The arc of the narrative really works and the story is easy to follow. The lyric allows the story to unfold in front of the listener in a crystal clear visual manner. One can actually see this guy, feel his pain and frustration. Wow.

Quote From Pro: A real, gritty slice of life.

Broadjam Artist: Valerie Ahneman and Bon Chic Bon Genre
Song: Mon Beau Sapin / O' Christmas Tree

Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Robert Dellaposta (Writer, A&R, Publisher)

Pro General Comments: This is a holiday classic done in a contemporary light lounge jazz style. It reminds me of the retro cabaret style that was popular in the 30's and 40's. Excellent vocal. Excellent pitch and phrasing. You kept it interesting and cheerful. The French interpretation is perfect for a music library or a music placement company for use in a Christmas movie or Christmas TV show Ala Hallmark. It was light, cheerful, carefree, festive and captured the holiday spirit. The saxophone added the right touch of jazz flavor. An accordion would always be an option if you wanted to enhance the retro French cabaret style. the ending was a little too long for my tastes but it doesn't distract from the overall arrangement. I would have preferred a longer intro and a shorter outro. It's hard to cover a classic and make it original but you did a good job. You shouldn't have a problem placing this song for the 2020 Christmas programming. Good luck.

Quote From Pro: Turn back the clock and imagine yourself in a French night club in the 1940's at Christmas time. Valarie blends retro and contemporary to create a hybrid that will entertain and make you smile.