Month: August 2016

Broadjam Artist: Martie Echito
Song: MY NEW HOME (Inst.)

Reviewer: Josh Walker

Positive Comments: Real nice beginning! I like the percussion and pad opening. The guitar melody grabs me right away on its entrance and from there on the song never lets go. Great sense of variety in instrumentation, form, and arrangement techniques. Fantastic recording/mixing as well.

Constructive Comments: The ending is pretty sudden, and I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing. It’s definitely not formulaic, and you could argue that it leaves the listener wanting more, but it felt a little jarring to me when it ended. Maybe that’s the intent. In any case, great song!

Broadjam Artist: Steven Furr
Song: Sans Pepto

Reviewer: Josh Walker

Positive Comments: I really like the feel, instrumentation, and recording/mixing! Everything is pretty tight and the groove is nice as well. From the start, the improv melody sounds nice.

Constructive Comments: For whatever reason, at the 40 second mark, all discernable melody stops for almost a whole minute. During that time, song sounds like just a backing track. Then around the 2 minute mark, the guitar resumes its melodic playing. That is very puzzling to me. It really needs something during those gaps, like another melodic instrument perhaps. It’s a great track, just those glaring gaps where there’s no melody kind of leave the song marking time.

Broadjam Artist: Chet Nichols
Song: Jezebel (WINNER: Best Song Award at Broadjam)

Reviewer: Josh Walker

Positive Comments: I like the bossa nova feel and the instrumentation in this song! The harmonica melody was a nice touch as well. I’m not really a lyricist, but I do look for some kind of story in the song, which you have. It’s also well recorded and mixed, and there’s a good balance to the instrumentation. The vocal reminds me of Boz Scaggs or someone similar.

Constructive Comments: I think it could use some added or subtracted instruments here and there, like extra percussion (triangle, shaker, or something). Really the only thing critical I hear from this song is the fact that it’s a laid back feel and I don’t hear a hook that immediately grabs me. Someone from a label listening might pass not because it’s a bad song, but because it takes a while to unfold. That said, I think it’s a cool song!

Broadjam Artist: Dave Haddad (CenterPeace)
Song: Destined to Fly

Reviewer: Josh Walker

Positive Comments: Really nice recording, instrumentation, and feel! There’s no discernable hook of any kind, and I don’t really miss it since it’s an ambient sort of piece. While I’m not one for pigeonholing, I don’t hear this as jazz as much as electronica, like Zero 7 or Thievery Corporation, who I really like a lot. Having said that, the drums really groove and add so much to the feel, as does the muted trumpet sound. The way the arrangement builds is really cool, especially leading into the guitar solo and transitioning out of it.

Constructive Comments: I don’t really hear anything that stands out a weakness. Great sounding stuff!

Broadjam Artist: Uncle Spider & The Electric Dirt Clods
Song: Bringing The Heat / Big Band

Reviewer: Josh Walker

Positive Comments: The harmony and feel are really nice and lounge-like, almost like Moondance kind of. I think the hook is pretty nice and the melody starting on the major 7th supports the jazzy feel. I like the background aahs throughout as well.

Constructive Comments: The biggest thing this song needs in my opinion is realistic drums and bass. It’s hard to make jazz work on an electric kit or programmed drums, and if you can find a good live drum sound it’ll really add to the feel. Or at a minimum if you can replace the ride cymbal sound with one with more overtones and not so pingy that will help.The arrangement also needs something, either like a B section or something, I can’t put my finger on it. I like the feel, but after a while it starts to need a change of some kind. Maybe add a sax or flute improv section.

Broadjam Artist: Brenda Craven
Song: Evening Strut

Reviewer: Josh Walker

Positive Comments: I like the instrumentation in general. It has a cool smooth jazz vibe to it. Maybe even add some vibes or bells on beginnings of some phrases. The pad going throughout certainly adds to the feel.

Constructive Comments: I would look for a different drum sound. For me this is a little too aggressive for the feel. Also you would benefit from a more structured hook in the piano instead of opening the song with improvisation. I would find a memorable melodic hook first and then go into improvisation. I also hear some inappropriate notes in the improv every now and then, like notes outside the key, that distract from the song.I assume you are going for a mood kind of piece, so I know you aren’t really looking for a pop-style form with a B section and chorus and all that. But some kind of variety would be helpful, like adding and subtracting instruments. Adding rhythmic triangle or shaker here and there would be nice, or some kind of sax improv in places if you know any good players.

Broadjam Artist: Junior Murrell
Song: Carnaby Street

Reviewer: Josh Walker

Positive Comments: The guitar sounds pretty good and pretty well recorded – nice work! The rhythm of everything in general is pretty tight and the choice of bass, drums, acoustic-sounding piano works. This has a sort of loungy kind of feel. The acoustic bass sound is not too bad.

Constructive Comments: While this has a good, lounge-type feel, the instruments need to be acoustic or convincing sounding programming for it to work. I know people have a budget, of course, but if you fix the drums, brass (maybe even replace the brass – the song has a laid-back feel and the brass I think distracts from that feel), and piano it’ll go a long way. The drums in my opinion work better playing more of a shuffle with hi hat time and snare ghost notes with the downbeat on three, or don’t play so many notes on the ride cymbal and let the ghost notes on snare carry the rhythm. I use Apple Pro Logic and the drums on there are not too bad. You just have to fool around with the swing meter and the complexity to find a good feel. If you want to message me, I’d be happy to help.The other thing is the song really needs a B section or some kind of variation on the instrumentation. For instance, the lyrics are the same the whole way through, and there’s only one melody line. There’s no change in instrumentation either. The song would benefit a lot from variety of some kind.

Broadjam Artist: David Austin
Song: WHAT CAN I DO TO IMPRESS YOU? (my version)

Reviewer: Josh Walker

Positive Comments: I think the arrangement is pretty good – the guitar hook at the beginning and in transitions works and stands out. It reminds me of Steely Dan or Boz Skaggs somewhat. The drums are pretty solid and the guitar rhythm in general lines up with the drums although it’s kind of loose. I think the lyrics could work with a few changes. The song does have potential in my opinion.

Constructive Comments: The biggest drawback is the recording quality – everything sounds very raw and unpolished. I’m not sure how the guitar is recorded, but there’s a lot of strumming noise that dominates the recording. I think probably clean electric guitar would work better at least for the rhythm and probably the lead as well. There’s a general looseness in the rhythm with the vocals and lead guitar that could be tightened up some by staying with the click track in recording or fixing those places in the DAW. Maybe add a bassline? I don’t particularly care for the vocal – the voice sounds ok, but maybe add some stuff in the DAW like reverb or delay on it, maybe add some string pad to complement the voice so it blends with the arrangement better. But, like I said, I like the song and the arrangement ok, just the delivery needs work.

Broadjam Artist: Geraint Hughes
Song: THEY’RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY HA! HAA!

Reviewer: HarryBudini

Positive Comments: Demented song that could come out from some bizarre seventies’ musical as Rocky Horror Picture Show. The vocal delivery is between singing and acting and it’s very effective. It’s a very well done funny piece.

Constructive Comments: It’s good as it is.

Broadjam Artist: Jon Babb
Song: For My Queen

Reviewer: HarryBudini

Positive Comments: Ready for a movie. Professional. Suitable for a heart-wrenching sequence, a boy joining the military leaving his girlfriend home, the girl watching the guy going away and things like that.

Constructive Comments: Nothing to suggest to improve it.