Month: June 2020

Broadjam Artist: Bob Birthisel
Song: Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Everyone Crazy

Reviewer: Sam Cooper

Positive Comments: Solid pop radio fare. Gotta say I love the vocalist. The musicianship is solid and the song is well-written. Overall great arrangement, too.

Constructive Comments: This is a sniglet as a personal preference, but one thing that I hear in a lot of pop music is a little touch too much compression on the mix. I wish the recording breathed more.

Broadjam Artist: Strange World Music
Song: Nature’s Plea

Reviewer: Sam Cooper

Positive Comments: Great message put to music. Well done songwriting and arrangement. The timbre of the vocalist is very appealing. Solid musicianship.

Constructive Comments: This is a matter of taste, but to me, the mix sounds a little too over-processesed, maybe over-compressed. It doesn’t sound like it breathes the dynamics. Sometimes the snare drum comes on a little strong, too. I really like the tune though.

Broadjam Artist: Tony Taylor – producer/songwriter
Song: Under Control (instrumental v2)

Reviewer: Bob Birthisel

Positive Comments: Nice, tight groove with plenty of funk. The rhythm section is strong and the instrumental accents are right on point. This was a fun listen and a familiar feel.

Constructive Comments: I wish there had been more changes like the one at 2:00, which really brought a fresh layer. I’m wondering if many people get through to the 2-minute mark, as it becomes a little same-same up to that point. Maybe adding a short solo, turnaround, etc. would make it feel more complete, but I still enjoyed it a lot.

Broadjam Artist: Marc S. Pate
Song: Plain’s House

Reviewer: Bob Birthisel

Positive Comments: Really a beautiful overall sound, and the story held my interest. I enjoyed the chord progression and the instrumental has lots of potential for being the background in a TV/film scene. The word is SMOOTH!

Constructive Comments: Sadly, the vocal is a little pitchy in places and this song screams out for harmonies or at least some background Oooohs. I really enjoyed it though. To make it more commercial there needs to be some kind of hook or memorable title line, which I’m not hearing, but again the instrumental version of this would be perfect for certain scenes in film.

Broadjam Artist: Vi: 00110110
Song: Michael Snow: Merika (2020 demo)

Reviewer: Ewa Ryks

Positive Comments:

Constructive Comments:

Broadjam Artist: Fred Kimmel
Song: Sleep

Reviewer: Bob Birthisel

Positive Comments: Interesting tune – reminds me of 90s David Baerwald, which is a sound I absolutely love. I like the concept and the lead vocal really works well on this piece. It has great potential if cleaned up a little. The songwriting and melody are 1st rate, and I think it may be mis-categorized. Putting this in alternative or modern rock would be much more accurate than “easy listening” in my opinion.

Constructive Comments: I really liked the song – just couldn’t get past the hiss/distortion in the louder sections, as far as having commercial or licensing capability. The backing vocals could also be tightened up at the end but overall this really has a ton of upside with a little re-working.

Broadjam Artist: Ashley Martin
Song: The Long Winding Down

Reviewer: Dena Taylor

Positive Comments: Really like the vocal .. clear, emotive.

Constructive Comments: The steady intro note could be shortened. I almost didn’t continue listening and instead (and fortunately for me) jumped ahead and landed on the vocal!!

Broadjam Artist: Hartmut Oberdieck
Song: western union

Reviewer: MGB

Positive Comments: Very well put-together piece with excellent guitar work and a good steady rhythm from start to finish.

Constructive Comments: Good work. This is a real toe-tapper.

Broadjam Artist: Bob Birthisel
Song: What About My Reward (Stuart Epps Remix)

Reviewer: MGB

Positive Comments: Cool, original idea. Very good production, instrumentation and arrangement. It starts off rockin’ and never stops.

Constructive Comments: Entertaining piece.

Broadjam Artist: Laurence Watkins
Song: Where’s She Gonna Go ?

Reviewer: Ante Novaselic

Positive Comments: Interesting tune, and I mean that in a positive way. I really liked the way the guitars were layered and they fit the groove and vibe of the song. The track reminded me a little of the Syd Barrett years of Pink Floyd. The production quality was a on the Lo-fi side but not excessively which I thought was a plus as well.

Constructive Comments: Not a bad tune. I think the song would benefit greatly if it was produced a little better but that is just my own opinion and the song is still good as is. Good job and cool vocal ideas!