Month: July 2020

Broadjam Artist: Groove Fondue
Song: The only thing I know for sure

Reviewer: B.Still

Positive Comments: Soft Intro leads to powerful Latin Fusion. Love it. The instrumentation is very good. Nice percussion work, both drums and conga. The bass is nice and low, evil in spots, top notch. I am a keyboard player…somebody buy the piano player a Mohito, please! Great solo work. The guitar tone is very cool, on the edge of distortion in the beginning, then morphs to lead. Over all…great job!

Constructive Comments: I heard some pitchy moments…I think it may be because you were trying to be soft is spots…perhaps too soft…my advice take a step back from the mic. when you let it go, it’s great…so let ‘er rip. While I like the guitar tone mostly through the tune…in the beginning, I’d do a feedback build to the vocal. It gets a bit fussy there.

Broadjam Artist: Nigel Barrett
Song: my electric face

Reviewer: B.Still

Positive Comments: A very nice production…I was surprised by the vocal, and I promise I won’t touch your electric face. Nice job with the electric piano sound…a cross between acoustic and electric. The clock intro is unique. I hear this playing in the dance clubs. I like the way the tune grows musically. The mix and the arrangement are nicely done. The pad intro the song was very pretty.Good job!

Constructive Comments: The lyric is a bit dark, but it is what it is…it’s the face eating thing that’s a bit bothersome…lol. “If you do, I’ll lose my pace”or “I’ll lose the race?” Just sayin’…I would have loved to hear the instruments break out sooner into little solos, doing tricky little back ground noodling here and there. I also can hear effects to add punch to certain parts and in the breaks.

Broadjam Artist: Reid Jamieson
Song: Last Day Of The Year

Reviewer: B.Still

Positive Comments: Really nice song. I liked the voice…fits the mood nicely. The arrangement is very good… the violin and piano work well together. I’m glad you buried the violin a little bit in the reverb…they can be screetchy ( is that a word?), but this one has a nice country feel. Good job on holding the note in the end. Nice job!

Constructive Comments: Ok, so I hate critiques in general but I’ve got to play along. I would have liked a bit more percussion ride bell and cymbals at the very least. Also, I’m not fond of the current guitar intro…I would have produced it with fingerpicking or something a bit more tricky…you know the saying about first impressions. Also, I would not have let it go with the mistaken note in the piano solo. I would have loved it if you had another track to harmonize with yourself at the end…but this is all just an opinion… and you know what they say about opinions, yes?

Broadjam Artist: Greg Lambert
Song: Rock and Roll (Instrumental)

Reviewer: Mike Nicholson

Positive Comments: The guitar tones are good. Obviously a showcase for the guitar player. It takes a while but he cuts loose. Cool driving groove. Nice riffs and chord changes. The wah guitar adds a lot. I like how the new guitar ideas come in as the song moves along. There is a top down driving on a spring day with a beer between the seats vibe here.

Constructive Comments: So the drum machine or whatever is providing the drum sounds (eDrums?) sound murky and distant. There’s too much high end on the cymbals and they all seem to be panned left. They grate. The solo guitar stuff is ripping but the melody bits feel forced and rushed. The tones are OK but could be a little less Line 6 Pod preset sounding. Not bad but needs some work.

Broadjam Artist: StarburstRecords
Song: 41. Morning Cup (vocals)

Reviewer: Mike Nicholson

Positive Comments: Nice rhythmic feel. Swings like it should. Sultry vocal about my only vice. Guitar chops are astounding. This would be a great tune for a tie in for a coffee manufacturer. It has a jingle quality to it. This could make huge money in residuals. This takes coffee to a sexier plane. I am gonna go drink my afternoon bump right now. MMMM.

Constructive Comments: So this is smooooove to the point of being a little too tame. I mean it would suck if you were to add some Ornette Coleman harmelodic passages or Coltrane-styled shrieking sax but a little edge would be nice. Just a bit. Maybe a sax (but not soprano sax – Kenny G!) or other horn for an additional timbre. This is not the kind of jazz I dig, but it’s done well.

Broadjam Artist: Bob Birthisel
Song: Powerful Anthemic Rock – INSTRUMENTAL EDIT

Reviewer: Mike Nicholson

Positive Comments: Just stellar playing and recording. I don’t know if that’s a drum machine but it sounds good. Everything is crisp and clear with no murkiness. The bass is certainly Chris Squire-esque. Certainly a showcase for the guitar work, the groove is undeniable though. Both elements pull you in. I live the texture of the acoustic guitar as well.

Constructive Comments: Other than the Geddy Lee/Squire bass sound, I would not characterize this as progressive rock. The chords and tempo map are pure mainstream rock. The solo is rock and roll. Elements of Rush pop up but this is more commercial rock. That said, it’s close to perfect as is and to get the five stars I will mention that I have two dogs, Early and Sophie.

Broadjam Artist: Ante Novaselic
Song: Shyne

Reviewer: Mike Nicholson

Positive Comments: Cool dub feel at the top. Sets the mood nicely. Stellar acoustic guitar tones. Good drum programming. The various intersecting instruments are all right in the mix where they need to be. A little XTC meets some more Walter Egan California new wave pop. Short and to the point it does what it needs to do. It would be great for a soundtrack or incidental music for TV or film. Peppy but moody.

Constructive Comments: Man, do I want a vocal on this. I could hear a reedy male voice like Nick Gilder or Ric Ocasek or the aforementioned Walter Egan sing on top of this. It needs a bridge and some sort of instrumental break or solo. Yeah, and real drums. But what you have here works for what it is, I just would like to hear more.

Broadjam Artist: Mossmunn
Song: Your Bonnie My Clyde

Reviewer: Mike Nicholson

Positive Comments: Groovy tune. The vocal distortion is quite effective. The keyboard effects are rad. The bass reminds me of the Stranglers. Inventive guitar tones and playing. Love the Ultravox stylized synth pads and the twangy guitar bits that intersect with the fuzzy bits. Catchy chorus that delivers the goods. Retro but there are sounds and timbres I can’t easily identify, which is good. Bravissimo!

Constructive Comments: The intro is a bit long. It takes a while for the drums to come in. Clearly, the drum machine should be replaced with real drums or use a better software. The mix is kinda off kilter with the vocal way out front at times and at others it get subsumed by the instrumentation. Not sure this is a hit song but it’s certainly a grower. Send me the stems, I’ll mix the heck out of it!

Broadjam Artist: Kate Carpenter
Song: Porch Swing

Reviewer: Sam Cooper

Positive Comments: Cute happy vocal delivery!

Constructive Comments: Pleasant little tune. Nice.

Broadjam Artist: Randall Mark
Song: Little Bird

Reviewer: Sam Cooper

Positive Comments: Nice clean production on this song.

Constructive Comments: No offense meant, but the vocalist doesn’t sell it for me.