Month: May 2021

Broadjam Artist: Jeff Ashbaker
Song: If I’d Take My Turn

Reviewer: Kate Carpenter

Positive Comments: I like a song with a real “honest vocal”. This song has that crystal clear quality. Nice instrumentation with the fiddle. Favorite lyric: “gather up my confidence like the shadows cast their light.” I like the female background vocal.

Constructive Comments: Bring fiddle up in the mix. Work on a stronger story line.

Broadjam Artist: Fred Kimmel
Song: Sleep

Reviewer: Kate Carpenter

Positive Comments: This is an interesting song. The subject is sleep (or lack thereof) because the singer’s partner isn’t there. Nice pretty intro. I like the internal rhymes that occur throughout the song (affection, perfection, perspective, obsession). Not exact rhymes but comes across as clever. Passionate vocal, and love the Lah dee dahs. Nice touch on the percussion. Love the way the instrumentation backs off at the ending featuring the vocals being the last thing you hear. Nice job!

Constructive Comments: In the lyrics you have “I can take it”. Is that supposed to be “I can’t take it?”

Broadjam Artist: Eight of Spades
Song: Underneath

Reviewer: Kate Carpenter

Positive Comments: This is a disturbing song. I mean that in a good way, because it describes a complicated, unhealthy relationship that the singer needs to get out of to get healthy. There are a lot of people in this position relationally that could probably readily identify with this song. The singer does an excellent job of expressing the emotions amazingly well. The water in the background provides a setting for the “drowning” aspect of the relationship. Excellent job on the vocals. Love the humming section. High notes beautifully executed. The musical production is interesting with the stops. Very original!

Constructive Comments: I’m hearing a little crackling sound over the water at the beginning of the song. Not sure I’m real fond of the up echo.

Broadjam Artist: Tony Tersmette
Song: Blue Chalkin’

Reviewer: Kate Carpenter

Positive Comments: I think this is the first Electro-Pop I’ve ever listened to and this one is SUPER FUN! First of all the song has a great groove and hook. Very full instrumentation and rich sound, great mix. It’s complicated without sounding over-complicated. This is a very danceable track. I love what I’m hearing at 1:14. Whoever played keys on this did a great job. I like the combination of sounds and samples. This song evokes excitement and has some nice change-ups. It’s jazzy and fun and even takes on an outer space/sci-fi feel at 2:13.

Constructive Comments: Keep the great music coming! I like it!

Broadjam Artist: Benjamin Stone
Song: WRATH OF THE SAVAGE DRUID PRINCESS

Reviewer: jim Finan

Positive Comments: Superb start and develops quickly and sharply! Instrument come in layering a solid foundation.a nice question and answer quick ending that makes the Bassoon player very happy. Putting it together was worth it today! You have great creativity! Not overly brass heavy but power spread evenly too with woodwinds and percussian to accentuate

Constructive Comments: While this is very expressive and excell3nt beginning, I cant help but long for more development to that motif! ,so many options I suppose. But it can fit a short statement alone and contains all expression you could want as it is.and can suffice excellently by itself. Could there be a second movement? You nailed it!!

Broadjam Artist: Felice Kaye-Cooper / Songwriter
Song: Denouement/Farewell

Reviewer: jim Finan

Positive Comments: This is a slow thoughtful, minuet and creates a sombre mood very excellently. It shows expression as it tells a story without words which you can still understand. It constructively plays additional thoughts to the story to consider and even presents the circumstances. By speeding up it reaches a peak and begins to decellerate as a consequence is stated. Nice ending. It is final!

Constructive Comments: This is quite excellent on its own and I appologize as I make some suggestions. A change to a major key and an addition of another melody which may also be a countermelody. The simplicity is still its strongness!Tempo fluctuates slightly, but it might just be phrasing. Yes, i think it is phrasing, and its very good!

Broadjam Artist: Ante Novaselic
Song: DREAMS

Reviewer: John Walradt

Positive Comments: Get up and get it on! This alarm clock rocker is like a Bryan Adams/Richard Marx composition with a terrific female vocalist who can enunciate clearly within driving electric guitars. This could fit in tv placements wanting current pop rock songs with a message about getting on with life.

Constructive Comments: This is a very good song well mixed and mastered. Any constructive comments would be nothing more than personal taste at this point. My own quirk would be to experiment with extra guitar notes to fade out at the very end. About the hook (melody) and originality…the melody is very good by anyone’s standards. It may not be a “California Dreamin'” or “Stairway to Heaven” which would make it stand out as unique (I’ll lay odds you’re capable of it!) but it’s above much of what I hear and is still terrific. Originality…it says things similar to other motivational songs but still lyrically excellent. I can still listen to this and pick it out from other songs. That’s pretty darn picky, though. Overall, it’s excellent.

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

Reviewer: Joe Milton

Positive Comments: This is not blues-kinda new age jazz.Sorta Michael Franksish.

Constructive Comments: To compete in this genre, I think you need a better performance-the timing is very inconsistant, which takes away from the overall vibe

Broadjam Artist: Greg Lambert
Song: Guitar Man

Reviewer: Randall Mark

Positive Comments: Loved it!! Hard rockin’ guitar and lyrics, vocals with attitude, synchronize perfectly. I love the chorus, and the way the guitar cuts out to accentuate the lyric “I’ll kick your ass, I’ll kick his ass, I’ll kick their ass”.Very clever idea for song. Flawless production, performance. I could totally see this in a movie scene where some bad ass vigilante parks his Harley and walks into a bar as this song is playing, followed by some locals hassling him before he gives them an ass whooping.

Constructive Comments: No constructive criticism needed at least as far as I can see

Broadjam Artist: Norb Studelska/Upper Air Disturbance
Song: I’ve Seen A Change

Reviewer: Bruce Madden

Positive Comments: Nice bass. Organ good, too. Enjoyed the calm, even guitar solo. Surprise ending was a, well a surprise.

Constructive Comments: I don’t really have any constructive comments.