Well folks, I haven't stopped by or posted here in a long time, but I finally finished a song with Studio One. It's personal, and the first verse is true.

Dakota


Style = Improvised Half-Time Folk

Real Drums/Tracks:
2509 Cello Pop Ev 120
618 Fiddle Background Ev 120
1752 Accordion Rhythm 8ths Ev 110
1877 Fiddle Soloist Ev 120
Shaker Folk Ev 16

EZDrummer2


DAKOTA

I left here I was twenty-two
Said goodbye to everything I knew
Made my way for the open sea
Far from the fields and the rolling prairie
Of Dakota, Dakota

Eyes wide open, sails unfurled
Took me half-a-way around the world
I set foot on the distant shore
Now the only thing that I’m longing for
Is Dakota, Dakota

Chorus

Dakota
To you I come
My leaving done
My courses run
Where my song’s been sung
Since my days were young
Back to you I come
Dakota

First time I lost sight of land
I was aloft just like I planned
In the rigging high up on the mast
Part of me was holding fast
To Dakota, Dakota

Drifting back I can see it plain
Like the corn and these waves of grain
Firmly anchored roots go deep
Come the time my soul will keep
In Dakota, Dakota

Copyright ©2018 Scott H. Olson

Hi Scott. Great story line. I really liked the backing harmony. Good work on the production.
Thank you for posting. Rob

Cool backing, cool narrative and melody - terrific singing too.
Personally I don't understand yearning for a state particularly when it's divided in two. Then again it may be the county in Nebraska or the city in the county.
I'm confused but I'll assume, as suggested by the corn & grain references, that it's a yearning for farm life.

Scott,

Good to see you back around.

Nice song. Well recorded vocals - strong, clean. Really nice arrangement and production. Good sounding mix. The cello is really well placed. The drums sound great. The accordion in the verse is too loud (I think) - it has the same rhythm/cadence as the lyric (which is nice), but seems to be at the same level as the vocal - so is competing with it (I found it distracting to the lyric) - It works well otherwise.

Enjoyed.

fj

A very pleasant tune...
Paying homage that most in mankind have for their places of upbringing...
Nicely executed without getting mushy...
I enjoyed it...
Thanks!

I really loved the use of the fiddle! I really love listening to a fiddlers fiddle in general, but I especially like the use of the RealTrack here. Thanks for sharing!

Good to see you too, Floyd.

Boy, did this production ever give me grief. Taming that accordion was a challenge and if it's bothering you then it's still too wild. More automation is probably in order.

A little backstory, I may have mentioned this here before, but my Mom's brother is a well known concertina player among the 'old time' music crowd. He was inducted into the Dakota Musicians Assoc. Hall of Fame in 2007. He and Mom (she sings) performed for years as a duo and later with his band. Anyway, I was trying to weave some of that 'old time' sound into this mix.

Btw, don't know if I ever let you know, but I finished that song we worked on way back. Never recorded it. Wouldn't be right. Thinking about getting some help with that. I'll PM you.

Hi Scott ...

So good to hear a song from you again ... you've been missed!

I enjoyed this a lot. Your vocals are so true and you have a very pleasant voice to listen to. Nice arrangement. Been to North & South Dakota a couple of times. That graphic you used is very representative of the region ... a few miles between some stops with not much between!

loved your song ... good stuff! Wishing you the very best ...

Alan

Scott,

First off, just a great vocal on this—nice, inviting tone to your voice. And second, an engaging tune, a smooth melody that falls sweetly on the ear. I like the accordion in that latter part of the song . . . though I’m wondering if it could be turned down just a notch while the vocals are going on, as it overpowers there just a bit for me—just a suggestion for you to consider.

But that subjective nit aside, this is a terrific tune. Great work!

All the best,

Deej

Such a cool vocal. Violin was very nice. Well done

Really well done - love your vocals on this, and the fiddle was an excellent addition I've never visited the Dakotas but this tune makes me curious to check it out. I have visited the prairies in Canada, and must say there's a gentle and subtle beauty over there.

Thanks for sharing!

This is an excellent song, your vocals stand out in a great way!!! good use of BIAB, in this. Cliff

Thanks:)


I'm confused most of the time myself:) Thanks for listening.

I appreciate the listen and your eloquent review.

Thanks to PG Music for those fiddle RT's! Glad you enjoyed it.

I took a little off the accordion. Others mentioned that too. Thanks for your feedback.

Scott,

I love the sound of this... Great song and vocal.

Excellent mix as well.

Bob

Thank you, Alan.

Man, is it ever cool to see you back around!

And what a re-entry. ALL the RT's sound great. Very nice the way you weaved the fiddle in and out and we like the added cello and accordion texture.

As always the lead vocal/harmony is excellent as is the write. Janice never fails to mention the soul in your voice.

We hear this as a fine "longing" tune without being overly angst ridden...just convincing. A sweet spot to hit for sure.

Keep 'em coming!!!

J&B

Hey Scott,

cool song, strong vocals and good melody

especially the harmony

I like the drums a lot

enjoyed the listen,

Kenny

That was excellent. Strong vocal and harmonies. I liked that when you were singing about things nautical, the accordion came in, which is an instrument used often in shanties. Great connection. Yeoman work!

Thanks. I'm partial to those RT fiddles.


I've been to Canada's east and west coasts, as it were, but not to the interior. I imagine it's similar to the Dakotas in many ways. Thanks for the listen.

I appreciate that.


Thanks. Glad you liked it. I struggled with this one mightily.


Gosh, thank you. Praise from you two is music to my ears.

What? Couldn't you just go sailing in Dakota?

Lovely lyric, very visual. Really strong melody as well. The backing works, simply. I enjoyed the listen a lot.

Really beautiful song!! Love the sentiment, love the melody. As much as I appreciate what you did with it, I would like to hear it a bit slower with little or no percussion and piano as the main instrument. Wonderful song!! Glad to see you back around again Scott! Take care. Greg

Thanks. Glad you liked it.


Thank you for making that connection! That's exactly what I was hoping to convey with those RT's.


Yeah, family and friends were a bit shocked, but the sea was calling.

Hey, thanks for the spin and your kind words.

Well, I like this one too! Man, I am in the company of some really good artists here. I thank you!!!

Great song. Superb storytelling vocals--nice resonance in your voice. I like the instrumentation with the accordion and fiddle.

This is so genuinely beautiful. The melody flows so naturally and the background tracks are just perfect as accompaniment. Love the accordion, love the fiddle interludes. I live in London, UK, and we don't have as much of this kind of music over here than I'd like, but this would never be out of place on any radio station, I'd say. Thanks for sharing - loved it.

Hi Scott,

Wow! this is good.... an absolute pleasure to listen to.

Your vocals along with the song's arrangement and production are superb. As I'm sitting here listening, I find that everything about this is very, very engaging. You've created a wonderful song.

All the best,
Noel

Thanks, Greg. I think I tried piano at some point. I decided on those shakers early on. I was going for the 'drums of Polynesia' with those toms at the second verse. Not sure I got them right, but then I opted for drums to keep the song moving.

Appreciate the listen and your feedback.


Thanks for giving it a spin.


Superb storytelling...? Don't know what to say to that except thank you.

Great stuff Scott. I just love the drums and percussion parts, it's chunky, different and SO right. What a superb voice you have. Superbly put together and engineered as well. Loved it.

John

Oh, my. Thank you so much!

I don't really know what kind of music this is. I'm always at a loss when it comes to describing my original songs. Folk or Americana, I suppose, but I'll leave that to the listener. And speaking of listener, thanks again for that kind review.

Engaging? What more can songwriters hope to achieve? Thank you, Noel.


It takes me a long time to put a production together, even with this amazing software. So much trial and error and re-takes and edits and reference mixes and adjustments, by the time I think I'm finished I'm about ready to deep-six the whole thing. So when someone listens and thinks I got it right, well, that makes it all worthwhile. Thank you.

Very beautiful folk style song. You have a very nice voice rich and deep. A song with a lot of personal emotions and you did it very well.

I appreciate that. Yeah, it's a personal one for sure.

Thanks for the listen.