The Best That I Can Be...RESULTS!!

Ok chaps. Here’s what I just got back from Taxi from all our work on “The Best That I Can Be”…(thanks by the way…)

Style: On target for this listing

This song fits within the stylistic guidelines for this listing

Status: RETURN

Structure is solid with well contrasted sections which build nicely. While there are some appealing melodic elements here, overall melody never feels quite fully realized. Afraid lyric tends to be a bit too rhymey and is absent a truly unique take which might make it stand apart from the pack.

Music 6/10
Lyrics 5/10
Marketability 5/10
Arrangement 6/10
Production 6/10
Engineering 6/10
Musicianship 7/10
Lead Vocal 7/10


Dear Craig,
Thanks for letting me hear your song. I think the strongest aspect of this work is its structure. As stated previously, while there are certain alluring moments within this melody–I particularly liked the bridge–I’m afraid I didn’t hear the kind of “big hooks/big melodies” featured in the referenced songs, “Complicated” and “I’m With You”.

These melodies have more of a sweeping, soaring aspect to them. They undeniably lift and give a sense of release.

I’m also afraid the lyric here got a bit predictable in its use of certain rhyme schemes/patterns. Perhaps you might want to experimenting with words that sound alike yet don’t rhyme exactly, for instance, “tight” and “like”. Words like these “sing” well together and can work well within the body of a lyric while steering you away from the dreaded moon/june or fire/desire traps!! Best of luck to you!

Main reasons for not being forwarded:

Afraid song was a bit underdeveloped musically and lyrically.



.

Ask them to sing this tune and rhyme

Bull

and

Sh&t

Together. What a crock.
I’m thinking Taxi needs to drive off into the sunset. :cool:

:laugh:
You da maan Yaz!!!!
:laugh:

:agree:

Pretty much right on for what they want to hear. Problem is they are feeding a machine that wouldn’t know the difference between chocolate and strawberry - they’re so used to eating vanilla.

It’s still all subjective Craig. Keep trying though. I know you can hook 'em with one. Then you can write for you again. His explanation of what is known as hard and soft rhyming is a cop out too by the way. People like predictable, at least I believe they do. Along with a surprise or two.

I agree Tommy, and thanks.

The stuff I get the best feedback from is the stuff I think verges on very predictable and cliched when I write it. It’s the stuff I like writing, and also the stuff where the song virtually suggests itself while I write.

Does that make sense?
Do you guys get that when writing too?

yep - sometimes they write themselves. It’s work when they don’t.

just a quick story for you. I use to use Mike Poston as my house engineer when I had a studio in Nashville. He was also Chet Atkin’s personal studio engineer. Anyway… he had a box of reel to reels in his office one day (Yes it’s been that long ago) and I asked what the heck… he said they were all songs pitched to Chet that he had rejected. I asked if I could go through them, and I did. There were at least 10 #1 songs in the box. Wind Beneath My Wings is the one I most remember and I still have the tape as a souvenir of the music bidness and the way it works. It’s all a matter of taste. Chet simply didn’t like the songs. The good ones eventually got cut and were hits. End of story.
:agree:

don’t worry about it, man. remember, in the 60’s even the beatles had a hard time winning people over with their…wait, bad example…

it is all subjective. nobody lands a deal right away on their first song. they’ve got a certain formula in mind with each posting (they mentioned the ‘guide songs,’ so to speak), and if somehting comes along that doesn’t slot right in with the song in their head it’s hard for them to sway.

i’ll bet if you took one of those songs, like ‘complicated,’ changed two words in a verse somewhere, crossed the writer’s name off and wrote ‘BY CRAIG’ in crayon, you’d sign a contract tomorrow. and then you’d have your hit songwriter’s formula!

Quote: (john doe's evil twin @ May 13 2009, 8:12 PM)

don't worry about it, man.
remember, in the 60's even the beatles had a hard time winning people over with their.....wait, bad example....

Wow, we need to get Jdet a job as a motivational speaker! :laugh:


Either that or a phone operator job at suicide prevention! :whistle:

On the positive side, they are giving you a detailed look at what they are looking for. I got a form letter back once on some things I submitted that just had a box marked that said something like “lacks that certain something that separates a good song from a great song”. I would rather have heard “this sucks, and this is why it sucks”.

Wow, Poppa, that is quite a story. I hate that wind wings song, however, and probably would have passed it up too…

I dunno Craig, seems like very good advice. I;m with Kevin on this. Certainly worth trying out their suggestions. I note that they said that the structure was the best part, but your voice and performance got the highest marks. I suspect that those number grades get skewed down a bit when they want to say “no” to a song. But - you have an awesome voice, and they recognized it. In my book, that is at least as important as the rest. “It’s the singer, not the song” - I once heard that somewhere - and there is some truth in it.

Seems to me you got quite a high reveiw from them, all things told, and you are not far off the mark. that’s a helluvan accomplishement. Should be quite encouraging in my book.

That is an ACE story Poppa! And also very inspiring.

Yeah Tom (thanks for the voice thing) and Kevin :agree: , that’s exactly how I see it. Good constructive crticism, although I’ve had better results with other songs.

I just use it as a tool to help me hone the old technique.
:agree:

Oh…thanks Jdet
:laugh:

Quote: (john doe's evil twin @ May 13 2009, 6:12 PM)

i'll bet if you took one of those songs, like 'complicated,' changed two words in a verse somewhere, crossed the writer's name off and wrote 'BY CRAIG' in crayon, you'd sign a contract tomorrow.
and then you'd have your hit songwriter's formula!

Or if he was wearing a skimpy bikini with big knockers, they would jump on it! Craig, how do you look in a bikini?

I got a story too, we were at this studio in February and the engineer handed us a CD he had recorded and produced at his studio there and told us that the CD had sold 5000 copies before it was even pressed. We couldn't believe it until he told us they set up a tent at every NASCAR race on the circuit, the tunes were all about racing, with titles like, Bonnie's coming round the 3rd, Pit lane crashup, etc. They sold it to that many Nascar fans! So sometimes music connects with the people who love it and it takes off like wildfire. So don't let it stop you just because this spud didn't have the sense to hear what he was listening to! :)

Oh yeah and I’ve been impressed with all you bumpkins who can speak French on this forum!

ce n’est pas tres bon, parler en francais. il se fait d’ennui.

editor’s note: usually the accents aren’t worth my time to find then copy to the forum. i know ‘francias’ has a cedille accent on the ‘c’.

Quote: (john doe's evil twin @ May 14 2009, 9:14 PM)

editor's note:
usually the accents aren't worth my time to find then copy to the forum.
i know 'francias' has a cedille accent on the 'c'.

Good, that's a relief.
I was a bit worried there. Or, as Babelfish would say it:

Quote:

Bon, that' ; soulagement de SA. J'étais un peu inquiété là .


:)

I wouldn’t worry too much Craig. The reply is not all downbeat. I think you have a great chance to do something one day mate, but as with all music, it’s just being in the right place at the right time.
Good luck mate!

As for the reviewer: Il pete plus haute que son cul!!
Find that on babelfish if you can :whistle:

"Peter, who is ill, and very hot (“plus hot”) from standing in the line (“que” the French form of the English word “queue” which is derived, oddly enough, from teh French) with his son Cullen, or “cul” for short. "

Nothin’ to it, Bruffie. The reviewer’s names was Peter, I gather?

Quote: (TomS @ May 15 2009, 2:44 PM)

"Peter, who is ill, and very hot ("plus hot") from standing in the line ("que" the French form of the English word "queue" which is derived, oddly enough, from teh French) with his son Cullen, or "cul" for short. "

Nothin' to it, Bruffie.
The reviewer's names was Peter, I gather?

:) Nice try Tom, like it.

It's actually a colloquial expression it means " He farts higher than his a**hole" lit:he has a high opinion of himself :)

Oh!

Well. that’s funny too!
:laugh: