Month: June 2020

Broadjam Artist: Margie & Art Corey
Song: Perfect Time To Lie To Me Corey’s

Reviewer: Ante Novaselic

Positive Comments: That voice sounds very familiar to me, as it should because I’ve heard it and reviewed many many times since my time on bj. Something tells me that the masterminds behind this track are my bj friends The Corey’s, but correct me if I am wrong please! Not a bad tune at all. That singers voice is always well recorded and he always delivers the goods. I haven’t heard this guy other then excellent every time I’ve heard him sing. And I’ve heard him quite a few times now!!! He is well worth whatever you are paying him to do this for you guys. A good find for sure and a fine song ready for a honky took bar scene on the cusp of shit hitting the fan and someone calling the police. But maybe that someone should hold off on that 911 call for now until good old Five 0 get some serious retraining going for their patrol cops and their questionable arrest procedures at times!!!

Constructive Comments: Cool as usual as it’s usually cool!!! Lol

Broadjam Artist: Margie & Art Corey
Song: The Downtown Matinee Coreys

Reviewer: Bob Birthisel

Positive Comments: Really classic Country sound. I enjoyed the the almost bossa nova-like drum beat, and the bass is in perfect timing. Plaintive pedal steel mixed with guitar is always welcome! Points for originality brining old cowboy movies into a 20th century theater setting. I could hear the instrumental version of this being used in a film/TV setting. Not sure the lyrics translate as well, but you never know.

Constructive Comments: I feel the instrumental portion is the strongest, but the song has such a nice retro feel you might be able to find a market for the vocal version as well. Not sure many 20/30-somethings know Will Rogers (let alone John Wayne).

Broadjam Artist: Hartmut Oberdieck
Song: in my dreams

Reviewer: Bob Birthisel

Positive Comments: This is some TASTY guitar work! Very melodic, almost as if someone were singing. Strong drummer and all the instruments add to a very well-done mix. I could listen to this all day. I love pyrotechnics on guitar, but in this case less is more. There’s no over-playing, just holding the groove and complimentary lines. Love it.

Constructive Comments: Personal preference, but for me there wasn’t enough bass. I’d boost both bass and keyboard between 2-4db to round out the sound. I listen only on high-end studio headphones (as a Music Supervisor would), so the mix really settles in the middle of your brain. The song is a real gem and worth the effort to re-mix in my opinion!

Broadjam Artist: Bill Dake
Song: Baby Said Bye, Bye

Reviewer: Bob Birthisel

Positive Comments: Unique and totally-compelling song! While listed as Blues, I hear this as Jazz all the way. Beautiful recording with amazing tone on the guitar and rock-solid bass and keyboards. Somewhat of a John Sebastian vocal is a quite unexpected touch. Really good stuff.

Constructive Comments: The drums are very uneven to me, sounding like maybe they’re artificial? Everything else is incredibly-tight but when they come in at 0:16 up to around the 1 minute mark I’m finding some slight out-of-tempo hits (I played professionally for 20+ years, so maybe a bit critical). But I absolutely LOVE the song. If this were re-recorded with smooth jazz drums, it would be a monster. Here’s a video of Al Sergel IV who has played on a number of my tunes – and as a studio drummer he plays any style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi1mI8CFctI

Broadjam Artist: James Hamilton
Song: in my life now

Reviewer: MGB

Positive Comments: Very smooth and well instrumented piece with a really classic feel. Has a sort of Peaches and Herb feel to it.

Constructive Comments: Really good work.

Broadjam Artist: Keith Taylor
Song: Stand Up for Peace

Reviewer: MGB

Positive Comments: Really well done piece with striking chord changes and a very good message. Instrumentation and arrangement are great.

Constructive Comments: Good timing for a piece like this.

Broadjam Artist: Nigel Barrett
Song: How do I survive?

Reviewer: Bob Birthisel

Positive Comments: Man, what a smooth easy listen. I enjoyed this a lot, and the chord progression is quite interesting. The backing instrumentation is super-tight and the vocal works well. Just excellent sound overall.

Constructive Comments: My only concern is the length of the song and not a defined hook, if you’re looking for commercial appeal. This would be outstanding in a film or TV background. Refreshing to hear something so balanced!

Broadjam Artist: Strange World Music
Song: If You Love Me

Reviewer: Bob Birthisel

Positive Comments: This has a lot of forward-going motion and a sort of 80s retro vibe.The vocal suits the song extremely well. Rhythm section is tight and there are enough dynamic changes to hold your interest. Well done.

Constructive Comments: 2 things. I thought there should be some chord change before the 1:10 mark, as it gets a little repetitious and the listener may not have the patience to see if it goes anywhere or “that’s it.” Secondly the hook isn’t clear enough to immediately get the song title. But still it’s a very enjoyable listen.

Broadjam Artist: RICARDO ALONSO
Song: Revolution

Reviewer: Bob Birthisel

Positive Comments: Great opening that builds like a Genesis tune. That’s high praise from me, I assure you. This has a great retro 80s feel and could easily be used in film/TV backgrounds, at least in sections if not the entire piece. The drums and bass line greatly compliment the keyboard work. Fun listen!

Constructive Comments: The center section at 1:53 lost me completely. It was such a jump from the groove, I felt it was a whole 2nd song or where you had two nice licks and decided to put them together to make a complete song. For me the complete song would be the start and the end without the middle. As a songwriter sometimes I piece things together from various ideas, so I get it. Everything else really worked for me but one-man’s-opinion, the center break didn’t. But I give it very high marks for everything else!

Broadjam Artist: MGB
Song: ANSWER MAN

Reviewer: Bob Birthisel

Positive Comments: Excellent retro groove, with a vocal that reminds me a lot of Joe Walsh. Strong feel and Classic Rock all the way. I could hear the instrumental version of this in film/TV scenes right now with no adjustments. This is the kind of song I can listen to all day.

Constructive Comments: Just a couple of things – if you’re going to exceed 4 minutes, it needs some kind of break or lead or chord progression change to differentiate it from becoming same same. While the hook Answer Man was strong enough, somehow the unison vocal didn’t work for me. The chorus needs to set itself apart from the verses, which could be done with harmonies or something to kick it. While that fell short for me and caused some markdowns, I still really liked the tune.