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I'd like some honest opinions from my buddies here...


Jimmy Chaos

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My thoughts are these. I cant say you're singing blows me away, hope you dont take offense to that. Your songwriting and playing is great though. I listened to all the songs and Old Barton Road, Life makes me cry, North Northwest, & Once in your life are all very catchy (a good thing) & seem to have a lot of feeling/emotion in them. I really like a lot of the acoustic guitar licks in the the songs as well as the electric playing on Once. Very pretty tunes.

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You asked for a listen, I listened. Sorry, but I'm not qualified to really critique it. I listened, and then I listened again. For me, that's a good thing. Being a Murrican I guess, I have a little trouble understanding the lyrics. Would you mind posting them? Otherwise, I like. A very worthy effort. :thu:

 

Better to wait for more qualified opinions.

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Song's very good, guitar playing is very good, although I didn't love the tone of the guitar and you may be just slightly out of tune.
As far as your voice goes, it's almost where it needs to be. Since I am not a great singer (you're better) I find that I have to stick to songs in which my voice works. Maybe take the key down a half step and see if your voice comes out stronger. I don't think I would say you"re pitchy, but you seem to be reaching some.
Also, this might be a suggestion you don't need, but you need to just use your diaphragm and sing out a little more. When you sing strong, your control gets better.
HAving said all that, i really liked it and you're much better than I'll ever be, but sitting here on the internet, I can act like I'm great and critique everybody else. ;)

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Based on listening to "Old Barton Rd" it shows that you have good ideas, the recording quality however is just poor, it's kind of hard to get lost in a song sometimes when the recording quality is poor. Good recording quality is relatively easy and cheap to do these days.

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Ok, I'm going to be honest because that was what you asked for. I listened to 'Old barton road'. I think the writing is really good. Nice melodies and what I would consider really good lyrics. That is where you excel in my opinion. I agree with stringbender on the vocals though. Good stuff overall though. May I ask what guitar you used? It did sound odd, I don't know that its tuning issues, some guitars seem to sound better live and as soon as you record them its a different story.

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I listened to Old Barton Rd. General: Good writing and arrangement - Nice job!

 

Specific: The guitar sounded out of tune. Intonation issue? Pressing too hard on the strings? or just out of tune?:idk:.

 

Your voice sounds strained. like you are trying too hard. It is really, really hard to get relaxed when you record and sing - something I constantly work on as well.

 

I would love to hear it in-tune and with less vocal effort (less effort - more natural...).

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First off my opinion is meaningless to everyone but myself. I liked Old Barton Road. The lyrics were cool and your singing style is unique. I though the guitar was out of tune and it sounded real thin. Life makes me Cry is a far better recording and shows your talent better. SO thumbs up I would come and see you play.

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Dude, it takes guts to put yourself out there like this. My hat is off to you on that one.

So far I've only listened to "Old Barton Road." I'll definitely get to the rest later, just haven't had time yet.

I'm going to agree with the crowd that the writing is very good. I'm impressed.

I actually think you have, fundamentally, a terrific voice. There's a natural rasp there that I like a lot. I think if you are able to exercise some more control over it - don't ask me how the {censored} anyone would accomplish that - your vocals would be amazing. You definitely have the basis, IMHO.

Guitar. Playing is good, but the bad tone and perhaps bad tuning were very distracting and, I suspect, threw off your vocals. Which guitar were you playing? Sounded like a nylon string being played very close to the bridge. Hugely subjective and I really don't know crap, so take this with a boulder of salt. I think if you mellow out the strumming a bit (don't try to project, just play), your vocals will mellow out a bit as well (not have to "compete" with the guitar) and the whole thing might be more natural.

Or not.

Ultimately, pat yourself on the back for good writing and playing. :thu: What YOU think when you listen to yourself played back is most important. I cringe when I hear myself played back, but it definitely is a good learning experience.

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Jimmy, I can only repeat what a couple others have said. It takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there on display and then ask people for their opinions about what they think of it. I salute you, sir.

I listened to all of those songs and liked "Old Barton Road" the best. Probably because I'm an old folksinger at heart and love a song that tells a story. That one tells a story of the passage of time and what it's done to a young man's memories of what used to be.....and he's not too thrilled about it. If that's the thought you were trying to convey, I think the song would sound better at a slower tempo and at a lower volume. You might even want to experiment with a different picking/strumming style for that one.

Try to relax a little before you record and try to hear the pitch of the notes (in your head) before letting them come out. Trust me, it'll help you stay on pitch. And don't force it. In that song it almost sounded like your voice and your guitar were in competition with each other. You also need to double check the guitar tuning before recording. In that particular song the guitar was off just enough to where it detracted from the overall sound.

All in all, I thought it was very nice. Keep up the good work.......I'm sure you have other stuff that is probably a lot better. If not, then, in time, you will. Good luck with your musical future.

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I listened to Old Barton Road and to be honest, I couldn't catch the groove. Plus I think the other comments I read above were pretty much spot on.

 

Now, all that said, I listened to all your other pieces. In order, my favorite was by far, Norman The Window Cleaner. I wouldn't change a damned thing on that piece. It is truly a well written song and your presentation is perfect. My second favorite was Once In Your Life. This is a good song and I congratulate you on it. My only criticism (and it's a matter of taste, I suppose) was the lead guitar part went a few bars too long and I felt myself losing the tension it was supposed to create. My next favorite was Life Makes Me Cry. Even though I assume it is a work in progress, I think it is very creative and there is great potential there. Ropes and Ladders is also excellent and has great potential as well. It may a be a little too upbeat "major key" for me, but that is no complaint. It is very entertaining. I especially like the picking part near the end. It's well placed and kind of gives the intensity a bit of a break at just the right time. I had to give North North West a couple of listen(s). Melancholy sound that actually works, but I had a hard time understanding the lyrics.

 

You are a very good songwriter. I hope you keep polishing these pieces, even Old Barton Road. I am envious.

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