Month: September 2020

Broadjam Artist: Jim Covington
Song: I Cried, Please Let Me Try !

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

Pro General Comments: From the title of the song I really had no idea where this sonic adventure would lead. The opening banjo lick is inviting and leads right into the first line of the song. From there the narrative unfolds. The lyric allows many visuals or the listener to recreate the scenes of civil war times from the perspective of a Virginia homesteader (being from Virginia I could really see the images int his song). As the story progresses the listener is taken through scenes of youth, war, strife and some remorse.Here is where I get a bit confused. Mr. Covington describes the songs as contemporary country. In my professional opinion, that is not the audience for this song. I would humbly suggest Americana as the correct format for the song. Americana encompasses folk, country, and many other indigenous music forms in which the song seems a better fit and stands a better chance to be heard and enjoyed by many.The sentiment I get from the song is heartfelt. Finding a family heirloom like this and taking the sentimental journey are very personal yet universal feelings. The write has a done an excellent job of guiding us along the way.Instrumentally the track works very well. At times the mix seems a little muddy but the lead and backing vocals are always out front and intelligible.Thank you for allowing me to the review and respond to your song. I wish you all the best!

Quote From Pro: The exceptional lyric allows many visuals or the listener to recreate the scenes of civil war times.

Broadjam Artist: Groovie Selecta
Song: 'so d tingo' (It is wat it is)

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

Pro General Comments: Hi there.Please note: I don't comment on quality of individual instrumentation as my expertise delves more into overall performance, marketing, melody, etc The structure of the song is very good, it moves and keeps your attention, it has a good flow. So you know how to structure a song which isn't always easy for everyone. I like the title- it is straightforward, simple but also is engaging, philosophical. I like the bell sounds at the top, it opens up the song nicely. It gives a good contrast to the intense vocal.The vocal is intense and the arrangement seems to work for the song as well. I'm not too sure about that "child-like" vocal in the very beginning (7 second mark)- it seems to take away and be distracting to the song. Although the other BG vocals do add an interesting layer to the song and help bring it to life. Very nice layering. Also when you are pitching a song hoping to get it placed in a film or TV show, any voices that may not come from you, can make a music supervisor uneasy as they don't take chances on people they don't know if there sounds like a sample that is used, that may not be cleared. Another words the easier you make it for them, the better your chances.It is a good song. If you want to elevate it some more- which is why I'm hoping you are asking for a review - as it is always great to ask an outside person to get some objective feedback. We can't always see or want to see what needs to be done in our own work. I would say that a slight change or build to the chorus - a bit more of a melodic change up, escalation would make it more enthralling to a listener.You want your listener to walk away singing your song and you do make it catchy, but perhaps you could make the melody a bit less repetitious so that your listener can remember it and sing it. That's when you know you made it catchy and it is really working. But it does work as is, just something to keep in mind. Not sure if you wanted a bridge but adding a bridge that takes your song away from the intensity can also be a good trick to keep their attention. Something totally fresh to break up the dynamic. You have a way with bg vocals, perhaps an acapella part?It is helpful to include a lyric when you pitch, and it is hard for me to make out the words, however the flow works and so you are certainly on the right track. From the description on your page it appears that you picked a very good theme to sing about. The songs that come out of what we really feel needs to be said, can be very good when we are stirred by something versus a formula song. And those songs seem to touch people more which is what a songwriter hopes for.Since you write in the Reggae/ Caribbean genre I would pitch your songs to film/TV that use this type of music. Make sure you have releases for any people that helped out on the track and mention this when you pitch. You have a niche market and music supervisors are always looking for this type of material, especially if you can say you have releases for everything. Good luck with your art and keep up the good work!

Quote From Pro: Groovie Selecta delivers an intense, heartfelt reggae track that could spice up the right movie or TV scene.

Broadjam Artist: John Francis Cooper
Song: Everywhere I Look

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

Pro General Comments: Conceptually and melodically, the song evokes a peaceful, tranquil type of musical environment that if fleshed a bit more arrangement wise, possibly by adding a bridge or a B section, could help to elevate the emotion even more. The opening keyboard intro was well conceived and set up the rest of the arrangement well. Once the rest of the instrumentation comes in at 0:33, the listener can hear the synth strings brought forward into the arrangement. I would suggest trying to update some of the synth and keyboard samples to ones that are more contemporary sounding, as well as far as the strings, more organic and less synthetic sounding. It's good enough for a demo version to be able to get the main melodic elements of the song, however, for any kind of pitch for a film/tv type of placement or in a library, than an update of samples would be required. As mentioned, the main melody has a kind of melancholy, yet uplifting emotion to it, that brings the listener in, however, I think by adding a B section to contrast with the first section would help to flesh out the arrangement more. The overall performance is pretty solid.

Quote From Pro: An uplifting, yet tranquil type of main melody comes forth in this song, which is mainly derived from a keyboard and synth string arrangement.