Month: August 2020

Broadjam Artist: Bobby Caputo
Song: The Collector

Reviewer: Catch Ten One Ten

Positive Comments: Sweet, warm, soft, well made. The vocals are good. Too often I hear songs that have absolutely flat or wavering leads vocals, and this is one of the few, that clearly does not. I applaud this, as people aren’t always meant to be vocalists, and it’s nice to see someone who is. The guitar and bass mesh so well together! Feels just…yeah, warm. Comforting. I commend the 3-minute mark. So many songs here are over 4 mins and there’s just no need. You said all you needed to. sometimes more is less. Good work!

Constructive Comments: There feels like A LOT of compression on this. Listening on my studio monitors and it booms in an awkward way. What’s interesting, is the song “Hello My Old Heart” by The Oh Hellos does this same thing, mixed to have a super deep warm acoustic vibe. One of my favorite songs, but that track is uncommonly well done, and I’m afraid it was a bit overbearing for yours. This may be a slower-paced Niel Young Kind of folk, but don’t be afraid to mix some pop in there! Folk-pop is booming right now! I feel you’d make a real hit if you gave yourself some leeway to adapt to that market. This one is getting a little niche in 2020.

Broadjam Artist: Bob Birthisel
Song: Cowboy Shuffle – INSTRUMENTAL EDIT

Reviewer: Catch Ten One Ten

Positive Comments: This…is good. Very good. You grabbed me right away. Mixed super well, just hits the target demographic PERFECTLY! Very impressed. I often hear songs on here and go, oh man, this person is doing this as a hobby, well, your track really broke the mold. I’m stingy with 4’s and 5’s, and this mostly has them. Keep it up!

Constructive Comments: I was really expecting vocals, for all I know you have this here to pitch for licencing out to country artists, if not you better lol. The originality is a 3 because it hits a top 40 sound very well, so, it’s less original and a perfect fit for an industry standard. The three is a compliment, as odd as that is. It’s more marketable, but, yeah, I didn’t hear anything new. VOCALS VOCALS VOCALS. Please! It’s begging for them! Clearly! I’m begging for it lol!

Broadjam Artist: Patrick E. Muth/Catnip Pat
Song: GYPSY PIRATE

Reviewer: Catch Ten One Ten

Positive Comments: I am a huge fan of descending bass lines! The core pattern here is wonderful! I hear it on so many different instruments! Could work for anything, and that is GOOD songwriting at the roots of music! Bravo! Nostalgic. Reminds me of a friend’s dad in middle school, growing up in Portland, who played the Accordion at night over fires. I haven’t thought of his song “paper or plastic” in so so many years, thank you for the smile! Sets a mood and scene real quick, and it doesn’t matter if someone is a fan of this genre, you painted a clear picture very fast, and this should be taken with high praise, most fail to do this. From three seconds in, I know where I’m at, brilliant! The intro reminds of stuff Fingazz used to do (Check out Outstanding) — you’ll love it!

Constructive Comments: Okay, so, as much as I love that accordion, it is ABRASIVE for three and a half mins! Wow! That was a lot. Do you know how there’s “too much of a good thing”? Well, there’s certainly way too much of a unique thing. About one minute of this was all I could enjoy after a while I just was like okay, I get it…which is a shame because the concept is very interesting overall. I highly recommend some other softer instruments in there, or at least switching that chore descending chords sequence to a Rhoads or some other funky but pleasantly smooth instruments.

Broadjam Artist: paul sandberg
Song: All You Are

Reviewer: Catch Ten One Ten

Positive Comments: Reminds of older rock like Kenny rogers (Just Dropped in) and I LOVE the vibe. As there’s this air of more modern artists as well, especially in the verses. There’s this brassy kinda kazoo thing… and it’s amazing! Sits in the mix really well! Lyrics are fire! Great work! Live guitar? Not virtual? Is it all live??! Very well done! Sounds like a real recording (Probably is haha), not something to ignore in 2020, good job! Just a good mix, I like the ranges instruments were chosen to play in and utilize texture, while I’m not a fan of arrangement I give high praise for what was used to arrange. Very well played and mixed. ^_^

Constructive Comments: For syncing potential, usually, just one section is used, but overall, this is a bit too long for my taste. Length doesn’t have to matter, but the bridge doesn’t come in until nearly 3:40, and it has the structure of a traditional 3ish minute track, gets a little repetitive. (Something I’m guilty of quite often myself) I find myself saying this a lot on here, don’t be afraid to tune your vocals. Every artist does, even Michael Buble. Adele, have all some sort of non-organic post-production involving pitch correction. Perfect pitch (Charlie Puth) is very rare, a “studio” song should have it, and it’s okay to have help! It’s just unsettling when a non-live track has distinctively flat notes. (I am not a perfect vocalist myself, and am learning sometimes it’s okay, to let this go or edit in post)

Broadjam Artist: Gee Starr
Song: The Big Banger

Reviewer: Catch Ten One Ten

Positive Comments: I love the industrial sound in this. Reminds of NIN. (Who I love!) The sound is B I G and F U L L which I never expect from rap at all. I like that is starts in your face and has some softer sections, to then HIT again. Lyrics are humble and not overbearing, which is a wise choice for marketability on this platform.

Constructive Comments: The vocals are so soft and quiet. Almost mumbly? The one thing I expect from a genre like this are for the vocals to hit just as well as the backing track. If you have lofi songs, they would be perfect for that chill hip hop sorta thing. For this, I expected screaming, like Trent, aggression AGHHH in your face! It sounds kind of awkward to have the song be on fire, and the person singing casually swaying back and forth like they’re afraid to let loose. It’s a BIG BANGER You are THE ONERemember that )

Broadjam Artist: MGB
Song: WOULDN’T LIFE BE EASY?

Reviewer: Catch Ten One Ten

Positive Comments: I love the instrumentation, strumming pattern, half time drums. Strings underneath. Very well made backing track. Good use of subtly panning instruments. The silence and cymbal crash to introduce changes is well made. Lyrics have a great balance of Universal relatability and still being deep (Something I rarely accomplish, so I tip my hat to you!) I LOVE THE ENDING. Just done. I was expecting a fade-out (bleh) but no! You really tugged at my heart here, you asked the question and let my wonder ring out as the ending. Brilliant songwriting! Vocals fit the genre well 🙂

Constructive Comments: It’s very repetitive. There is a wonderful instrumental bridge but not until a full three minutes, and then just gets right back to where it was intensity wise. (Some big deep toms, which are nice) That good strumming pattern just blasts for a full 4 mins to the left channel panned at around 60 I imagine, and it doesn’t evolve really. The vocals hover at the same melody nearly the entire track. If this was cut to 3 mins or less, honestly I’d rate much higher. That being said, I feel there are some really amazing concepts at play here, that just didn’t reach their full potential.

Broadjam Artist: Douglas Branson aka dB+1
Song: THE RANT (v15)

Reviewer: John Walradt

Positive Comments: Excellent marriage of lyrics, tone, and simple melody. Starts off with a heavy metal intro, runs into a punk rap, but keeps what made punk rock great with its unvarnished commentary. Instrumentation sticks to a hard driving simple chord structure. Very good mixing. The song delivers exactly what it’s supposed to.

Constructive Comments: My personal taste would call for a shorter intro but that’s rather trite. It’s more constructive to suggest having a few beers after a terrific recording session like that.

Broadjam Artist: Felice Kaye-Cooper / Songwriter
Song: Creole Fandango Instru.

Reviewer: Patrick E. Muth/Catnip Pat

Positive Comments: was like taking a swim in the lake

Constructive Comments: keep on trucking! This music is always needed!Best! Catnip

Broadjam Artist: Laurence Watkins
Song: That Girl

Reviewer: paul sandberg

Positive Comments: love the haunting aspects of this – nice instrumental track with cool chord changes with just enough spacey guitar to keep things interesting.Enjoyed the lyrics as well and the ethereal effect of the vocals at the end – liked the answer back greek chorus as well.

Constructive Comments: not centering the lead vocal is a bit disconcerting as that and fighting frequencies tend to bury the vocal track – put the lead vox in the center with a large, dark plate reverb and see if that doesn’t give this all a better feel (you can leave the chorus vox panned – that’s just fine). I would also roll back some eq on the rhythm track around 1.5 mhz to give the vocals more room, and also, watch your pitch – end of the first verse especially.in all a nice track that can really shine with a bit more polish.

Broadjam Artist: CWMullins
Song: The Liar KIng

Reviewer: paul sandberg

Positive Comments: love the retro sound of the organ and the nice bounce to the track overall- also enjoyed much of the lyrics whether there is a certain irony to them or not LOL

Constructive Comments: I’d tighten up some of the phrasing with the melodies – you establish a good feel and then drift away from it. I feel there’s too much reverb on the vocals and yes, the vocals can use some love – pitch and trying to reach for a note (the first “liar king”) are especially noteworthy in a negative sense.An interesting song with interesting lyrics that I’d love to hear in a better production with better vocals.