Month: March 2017

Broadjam Artist: Kathyjo Varco
Song: Imitation

Reviewer: IBP

Positive Comments: Big potential for commercial background. Although the hook is very common, it has an instant impact on the listener.

Constructive Comments: The recording can be improved, sounds a bit hollow and distant.

Broadjam Artist: Keith Burgess
Song: Cries In The Dark

Reviewer: IBP

Positive Comments: Perfectly suitable for soundtrack of a fight scene or motivational music for fitness studios. The beats are really good!

Constructive Comments: If lyrics could be added, the song may have a bigger market potential.

Broadjam Artist: Floyd Kelly
Song: Deep Sympathies

Reviewer: The Bitter Elegance

Positive Comments: This is an interesting blending of tones. I like the sound of the “real” piano (especially with the “blue” notes) super imposed over the highly synthetic sounding pad. Instrumental music is usually a “miss” for me, but this took me to another place in my head visually, and to do that without words is a wonderful achievement.

Constructive Comments: I think that imploring amore standard song-structure could help with the placement opportunities for this song. As it is now, it is kind of a stream-of-conscious format, and I think it could be subdivided into parts that more resemble an A and B section. I also think that as good as the front instruments sound, the tones and arrangements of the percussion parts could be done in a more contemporary soundscape to really take this piece to the next level.Nice job!!!

Broadjam Artist: Jeff Maguire
Song: Light Shine

Reviewer: The Bitter Elegance

Positive Comments: The Byrds/Dylan influence on this is super cool, and in a weird way, kind of hip in 2017. I can completely hear this being used in an ultra cool TV Ad (like iPhone, green energy, or a hybrid car. It also helps that the more classic song structure allows you to have a catchy song without an overt verse/chorus structure.

Constructive Comments: I have no idea what the hook is, as the vocal on this song tends to be in one range, throughout. While I think this could be improved, I think the song already had market potential as listed above. The vocals are a bit loose (I don’t know if I would call them pitchy), but I tend to prefer pitch-perfect vocals on everything I listen to, so my judgement is a little clouded.This was a fun listen, nice job!

Broadjam Artist: Peter Toussaint
Song: Teckel Race

Reviewer: The Bitter Elegance

Positive Comments: The guitar playing is superb. The adding of layer upon layer is super captivating…as soon as you think you have the motif figured out, the Marshall stacks come in and throw the song on it’s side. I can see a lot of possible marketability for this in TV/Film. The intro is super bizarre and cool, and the ending is epic!

Constructive Comments: There are two things really holding this performance back that I think, if improved, could really increase the potential usage for this song. The first on is that the drum track sounds a bit too much like a drum machine (I do not know if it is). The reason this is problematic is because as the lead guitar swells and pushes and pulls against the pocket, the drums stay static and the groove gets lost in the din of guitar. The other issue is that the mix is a little off – the main guitar that comes in is just too hot against the rest of the instruments – it could be significantly lower in the mix without losing presence.Good work!

Broadjam Artist: Sam Cooper
Song: JUST NOT GETTING CAUGHT (featuring Ray Dahrouge)

Reviewer: amy abernathy

Positive Comments: I loved the bluesy country rock to this song. It’s part country, part blues and a little rock n roll.It was a nice clean recoding and the singer had a nice raspy tone to his voice. Cool song.

Constructive Comments: At first I thought it was an instrumental because the introduction was too long. If I could give you one constuctive thing to work on, it would be to shorten the introduction a tiny bit.That would tighten things up a bit.

Broadjam Artist: IBP
Song: As Long As It Bleeds

Reviewer: The Bitter Elegance

Positive Comments: Beautiful piano work. I am so used to hearing programmed-to-death keys on here, that hearing what sounds to be an actual performance is quite refreshing. The vocalist is spectacular great pitch, effortless transition from head to chest voice. This is impressive and very melodically interesting, haunting, and pretty.

Constructive Comments: I think the vocalist might be TOO good…what I mean by this is that there is so much embellishment, that the whole performance becomes embellishment instead of delivery. I would love to hear the first chorus done softer, with zero added notes, and have each subsequent chorus build and add. When the beautiful ending comes in, I am already worn out. All of that said, this song is a winner!!!

Broadjam Artist: Keith Burgess
Song: The Enya (Remix)

Reviewer: The Bitter Elegance

Positive Comments: Great intro! This is quite captivating, kind of a mixture of Hip Hop, modern violin, and classical. The Drum sounds are super modern, while the backing strings sounds like a cool retro pad mixed with a Hollywood string section. The “B” section plays like a chorus. I can totally see this being on a soundtrack or in a car ad.

Constructive Comments: While I am crazy for the drum sound, I think much of the drum track could be expanded in the “verses” to make the track have more movement and percussive texture. I would leave what is there as the underpinning of the section and layer other drum/synths on top. I like the sparseness, but in some ways it sounds more like a track without a vocal rather than an instrumental track.Nice job!

Broadjam Artist: Nigel Barrett
Song: Looking at the face of God

Reviewer: The Bitter Elegance

Positive Comments: This is very interesting in a rhythmic sense – the off-beat snare drum in the verse is super cool. The vocal has a very cool, almost jazz vibe super imposed over a slick R/B keyboard pattern. The keyboardist is a monster – kind of like Steely Dan meets Richard Marx (I mean that as a super compliment). There is a lot to listen to here, and it is very captivating.

Constructive Comments: My big disappointment with this song is that I was feeling a build to a monstrous chorus, but it never comes. It feels to me like the current chorus is more of a pre-chorus or B section that will lead to a giant lyrical and melodic payoff. I also think that the tones/sounds could be significantly updated to 2017 to increase this song’s chances of placement. The mood and structure here are outstanding and would absolutely listen to more from this artist.

Broadjam Artist: Joseph Cirello
Song: Away From Me

Reviewer: The Bitter Elegance

Positive Comments: This is a very impressive track. The vocalist has great pitch, control, and delivery. He is dead-on, but sounds organic and not forced. Great sectional contrast with lyrical phrasing that varies section to section. The mood is dark and sexy, and the chorus just explodes out of the “B” section. The production is top notch, and the drop down in the bridge is spectacular.

Constructive Comments: I think there are 2 minor things that could be worked on to make this a solid 5 star song. The first one is that as strong as the hook is, It doesn’t quite stick in my head when the song is over. I think this could be fixed by either raising the range (maybe a 3rd), or maybe by bringing out more of the harmonies in the chorus section. The bigger picture issue I have is that while the tempo and melody sound very hip, the actual tones of the instruments and drum patterns are rooted in era gone by, and I think that could limit this song’s potential placements.GREAT JOB!!!