Month: November 2018

Broadjam Artist: Marie Jarreau
Song: Diamonds and Rust

Reviewer: Richie Batson

Positive Comments: Guitar is fantastic! Can’t say enough about the talent there. Love the strings when they come in. The melody is very interesting as well.

Constructive Comments: Although lyrics are subjective and personal, from a commercial standpoint, my opinion is that they could use some work, if the goal is to reach a broader audience. I think the Vox sound/tone is appropriate for the tune, but the phrasing is choppy at times. The hook could use some work as well (again, in my opinion–don’t want to offend, I know how personal songs can be) from the perspective of appealing to a more diverse audience. But very interesting!

Broadjam Artist: Randal Dunkle
Song: Orphans Of War (Carola/Dunkle)

Reviewer: CodeSwitcher

Positive Comments: Love the feel. Well arranged and well played. Like the vocal melody. The lyric is shocking, which is good.

Constructive Comments: Love the feel. I thought it was more of a blues vocal, so maybe get a new vocalist just for feel.The vocal was distracting and did not seem to go with the music. Or maybe lay it into the mix at lower volume.

Broadjam Artist: Kate Carpenter
Song: Country Christians

Reviewer: Tim Ely

Positive Comments: Fun lyrics, arrangement, and production, but a bit too safe to be truly satire, if that’s what you’re aiming for… Needs to be a little more biting (a la “She got the gold mine, I got the shaft”), or if serious, a less comedic approach…

Constructive Comments: Commit to a direction for your lyric story… Is it comic satire, or praise for that group? Seems like satire from the get go, but doesn’t really play up the irony of these folks, again if that’s your intent…

Broadjam Artist: Derrick Procell
Song: Dyin’ Embers

Reviewer: Tim Ely

Positive Comments: Really good production, vocals, and instrumentation. Solid hook, well-written lyrics and Melody. Reminds me of Billie Dean’s song “Somewhere in my Broken Heart”, and that’s a good thing.

Constructive Comments: Think this song is fully developed and strong. Maybe a fuller, more fleshed-out production could present it more strongly?

Broadjam Artist: Veronica Beltran Hintz
Song: Touch my Face

Reviewer: Tim Ely

Positive Comments: Instrumentation and vocals seemed very good but a little too quiet.

Constructive Comments: Lyrics are too mundane and predictable. Whole song idea could be much stronger with a more ambitious lyrical direction. Not sure best path to correct that…

Broadjam Artist: David James
Song: Long Lost Dreams(ft. CoriAnder & Amy Reader)

Reviewer: Ali Smart

Positive Comments: I really liked this, I think the vocals work well, she has a good tone to her voice which fits with the vibe of the song. it evolved nicely, bass worked well, it had that groove, while still being quiet downtempo sounds a bit like Robyn, with the bass rather than trip-hop.I’ve listened to a couple of times, refreshing to hear good music on these reviews!

Constructive Comments: for me, the beat could have come in a bit earlier. I think the intro was a bit longI wasn’t keen on the piano at 2.09 – it sounded a bit plastic.maybe touch up eq in places, but these are all small critiques to what was a very good track

Broadjam Artist: Peter G Olach – PGO
Song: Don’t Say It

Reviewer: Chris Tso

Positive Comments: This is an interesting combination of sounds and genres! It opens with stereo percussion that almost has a Miami vibe, then the chorus goes to a more Nine Inch Nails, industrial rock feel. Nice drum programming which helps keep the song moving forward. There are also some EDM elements in the production so it’s quite a genre mashup which I found refreshing. Definite production talent at work here.

Constructive Comments: This is a genre-busting song which can present challenges. It takes the listener on a journey of different styles which might make it hard to place. I like the breakdown and relief the bridge provides but I wasn’t sure how “the Queen of England” fit into the overall lyric. If it was a metaphor, a line explaining why could have clarified this to me.

Broadjam Artist: Tristyn Leach
Song: Wicked Game ( cover ) feat Cyndi C

Reviewer: Chris Tso

Positive Comments: This is a nice cover version of the classic Chris Isaak version. When tackling a well known cover it’s challenging to add something fresh or give a new perspective but I think this version does that. The production stays in character throughout the song. The low strings/cellos add a nice somber supporting tone to the production. The opening vocal sets the tone nicely and conversationally.

Constructive Comments: While the overall feel was something that felt like it would be good for TV, the vocal production could be enhanced. Most of the time the pitch was spot on but there were moments where pitchyness was a factor. I also thought the background vocal could have been approached differently. Maybe with more treatment on the single vocal or changing it to more of a wash of harmonies to evoke the memories of why “I don’t want to fall in love with you”.

Broadjam Artist: Kevin Leon Smith
Song: Kharkoal

Reviewer: Ali Smart

Positive Comments: some good sounds, I like the intro synth that also comes in later on the synth line works well with the overall vibe of the track.

Constructive Comments: i would not say this is trip hop first off. more some sort of house/techno.I don’t think you need the hi-hats in the start, the intro is actually quite busy and then it all drops out quite suddenly for just the beat. I think a bit of work to the structure would really elevate the track. it needs to evolve more to take the listener on a journey.I think some little vocal snippets or background pad/vocals would work well.bass was a little low in the mix.

Broadjam Artist: The Trouts
Song: Dry your eyes, say goodbye

Reviewer: Chris Tso

Positive Comments: The opening instrumentation and parts give the song a retro feel. The arpeggiated clean guitar parts reminds me of some 50’s guitar parts from Dion and The Animals. The production stays in character through the song.

Constructive Comments: The production seemed a bit dated to me. It was hard to hear the drum parts and the doubling of the vocals at times added to a less than clear sound. Though this might have been what they were going for but, in my opinion, the vocal pitch made doubling a challenge. I also missed a more contrasting bridge to provide lift and relief with either a different rhythmic pattern or shifting to a relative major for a few bars. I could hear this done in a more stark, downtempo way a la Johnny Cash/Leonard Cohen.