Month: April 2020

Broadjam Artist: Bill Dake
Song: Looney Toons

Reviewer: Bob Birthisel

Positive Comments: Song has an easy feel to it, with an expressive vocal.

Constructive Comments: This can’t be categorized as Rock Easy Listening. It’s either Blues, Jazz or maybe Pop Rock but I’ve spent my life as a rocker and it’s not that. Re-categorizing it for the proper audience would help the reception for sure. I wish I had more positives as it’s not bad, but the expectation of rock and then hearing this song left me flat.

Broadjam Artist: Rodney Magee
Song: Fly High

Reviewer: Nigel Barrett

Positive Comments: A bit Rick James. A bit Jeff Lorber. A bit Conway Brothers (Turn it Up). Love the electro bass.

Constructive Comments: Always hard to critique a tune which most likely has a vocal version also. For me I’m not a big fan of panning far left or right for instrumentation.

Broadjam Artist: Theopolous
Song: Still Mindful

Reviewer: Nigel Barrett

Positive Comments: Good sound balance throughout.

Constructive Comments: Not sure this should be in the RnB category. More Unique. These days such material needs to be much much tighter and more professional sounding. Maybe you’ve re-recorded this since it was first done? Overall it needs a slicker overall sound.

Broadjam Artist: Ladee V
Song: The Spotlight

Reviewer: Nigel Barrett

Positive Comments: A mix of Kylie and Cheryl Lynn with a light dusting of Womack and Womack. Right up my street.

Constructive Comments: I review in earphones and this sounds overly heavy in the bass frequency – intentional?

Broadjam Artist: Margie & Art Corey
Song: The Weekend Margie & Art Corey

Reviewer: Nigel Barrett

Positive Comments: Slick from the outset. Thought Lionel Richie was singing! Great arrangement and playing on here. Vocalist is a mix of Thomas Dolby and Donald Fagen also in places.

Constructive Comments: Only part the scored a little low for me was the chorus – we can watch the sun come up. Left me a little flat. Otherwise great.

Broadjam Artist: Uncle Spider & The Electric Dirt Clods
Song: In The Dark / Smooth Jazz

Reviewer: Nigel Barrett

Positive Comments: Really liked the suspended chords – nice amount of reverb to give it an airy feel. At last a tune with some nice backing vocals. Reminds me in vocal tone very much of a little known tune called My Name is Trouble by Keren Ann – check it out!!

Constructive Comments: Not a lot to add as it’s nice as it is.

Broadjam Artist: Earl.C.Webb
Song: IT WOULD DO NO GOOD

Reviewer: Nigel Barrett

Positive Comments: Well rounded production on this piece. Nicely sung too. Sparse arrangement works well for the lyrical content.

Constructive Comments: Part of me wants the tune to be less suicidal sounding if you know what I mean. The major chords help lift it slightly. Maybe it’s the Virus thing right now! Too much bad news!

Broadjam Artist: Uncle Spider & The Electric Dirt Clods
Song: Miles To Go

Reviewer: Nigel Barrett

Positive Comments: Nice and easy to listen to. I like the less is more approach.

Constructive Comments: Would be great to hear this re-recorded in high quality – there are nuances that I fell I am missing in this mono mix.

Broadjam Artist: StarburstRecords
Song: 56 Still Upright Album: 13. Broken Dream Confessor – N

Reviewer: Randall Mark

Positive Comments: Very nice Rich guitar strumming throughout the song. It sounded like a 12 string guitar if I am not mistaken. Sounded very professionally performed and recorded imperfect meter and rhythm. The lyrics stood out as being more than your usual run-of-the-mill rhymes I would say the lyrics were one of the strong points of the song.

Constructive Comments: I would have preferred some different instrumentation in the arrangement but that’s just my personal taste I think it was just the guitar and the harmonica parts. I happen to not like the harmonica much but the guitar playing was very nice. Maybe some keyboards or violin strings or flute type instrument might have enhance the song at least coming in on the later first or harmony. That’s just an idea though.

Broadjam Artist: Bob Birthisel
Song: That’s One Thing (Intro Only)

Reviewer: David James

Positive Comments: The melody of the song is very strong with a lovely melodic change at 1.11. Excellent vocal tone and performance. A simple but strong lyric idea. I like the sparse guitar chords over the keyboard. Nicely recorded with good sound quality.

Constructive Comments: I’ve marked down the arrangement because I think this deserves to be complete song with a fuller production, particularly because the song as it stands evokes tension and release which a fuller, longer production would bring out. That said, this might be an edit, but I can only review what’s in front of me. What’s here is really strong but it sounds like a nibble of what should be a main course.