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Very cool! Yes, Janice certainly has the voice for this.
Floyd's guitar is very functional here. I'm especially struck by the clarity of the Jazz Brushes. Sounds very, very clear through my speakers.
Another great one!
Regards,
Rob
Last edited by R & AM; 10/01/14 11:55 AM.
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Now that's the blues....Great stuff!
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Hi, Bud, Janice and Floyd !:))
I also love everything about this
production ! Can´t say it any better
than already said so I just say
congrats to all involved !:))
Cheers
Dani
Thanks Dani -- we appreciate you. What a voice (may I please say sexy), LOVE that the vocal was right up front, so clear. Can you imagine if Brit Spears tried that? Guitar work is outstanding. Thank you, Janice smiled hugely as she read this. Yes you can use the "S" word :-) Thanks for commenting on the mix. I thought the vocal was deserving of being out there in the front. Glad you noted that in a positive way. Love the Brit statement! Thanks again Bud
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Very cool! Yes, Janice certainly has the voice for this.
Floyd's guitar is very functional here. I'm especially struck by the clarity of the Jazz Brushes. Sounds very, very clear through my speakers.
Another great one!
Regards,
Rob
Thanks a Rob. We appreciate your comments very much. I've been using Necter2's reverb module on the drums lately. It's an EMT 140 plate reverb emulation.
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Thanks Joanne, yes, the blues!
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Ah, yes. Dat's da blues. Just the way I like it. Slow swinging easy like a nice stroll down by the river. Another stellar vocal, write and production. And Preacher man floyd has definitely converted me. Who Knew? After I got over the initial shock, I was able to ride along and what a nice ride it was. First class job by all ! Tom
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Great track, smooth as silk vocals, nice groove. Very cool!
Thanks,
Bruce
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Ah, yes. Dat's da blues. Just the way I like it. Slow swinging easy like a nice stroll down by the river. Another stellar vocal, write and production. And Preacher man floyd has definitely converted me. Who Knew? After I got over the initial shock, I was able to ride along and what a nice ride it was. First class job by all ! Tom Thanks Tom! And welcome back. We missed ya. Great track, smooth as silk vocals, nice groove. Very cool!
Thanks,
Bruce We appreciate that Bruce.
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Hi Janice and Bud, "Conversion Blues" is songwriting at its awesomnest! I actually heard this song a long time back (I seem to recall there were lyrics available at that time) and I was struck by just how well written these lyrics and this song were. Tonight, I sat down and typed the words as I listened to Janice's exquisite vocals. Writing lyrics down by listening is an extremely good test for assessing prosody; in this instance, by prosody, I mean the accuracy with which the syllables of speech align and match musical note-strength. When there's a mismatch, and a syllable is placed on a beat or fraction of a beat that doesn't properly reflect the syllabic strength of how it would be spoken in the phrase, words are often difficult to understand. Every syllable in "Conversion Blues" was expertly aligned! What struck me most, when I first heard the song and read the lyrics, was the attention to rhyming detail. Three out of the four verses have the first and third lines rhyming with a weak rhyme-type (again/boatman, hill/girl, preacher/river). This gives those lines a sonic connection that holds the lyric together well but doesn't outshine the more definite rhymes for lines two and four (time/line, light/right, soul/whole). This kind of lyric-writing consistency shows great skill! - Actually, as I'm sitting here thinking about it, the fourth verse (with an American accent) also kind of has the weaker rhyme type for lines one and three with new/you. In Australia, these are perfect rhymes because we say "nyou/you" but in USA-speak, the "noo/you" is not quite perfect.
- That makes four verses out of four verses! Wow! Now THAT'S consistency
Also, the fact that the first line of each of the first three verses (and arguably the fourth verse, too) consists of two short phrases is also the kind of attention to detail that's found amongst the world's top lyricists! You're in great company. Lastly, even though this song is 8-bar blues (which works incredibly amazingly, by the way), the melody is only 7 bars long. This creates an interesting tension between the balanced feeling of 8 bars of harmony and the unbalanced feeling of 7 bars of melody. Very clever! It got me wondering what this song would sound like as a 7-bar blues. (For what it's worth, The Beatles' "Yesterday" consists of 7-bar verses.) All in all, as I said at the outset, this is songwriting at its awesomnest! Definitely inspired on all levels! All the best, Noel P.S. I have to add that floyd's playing is top class; it fits perfectly. He's a man of many talents! P.P.S. The ending really made me sit up and pay attention. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but then I guess that's the point! It is, indeed, a very interesting sound and one that has grown on me.
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Hi Janice and Bud, "Conversion Blues" is songwriting at its awesomnest! I actually heard this song a long time back (I seem to recall there were lyrics available at that time) and I was struck by just how well written these lyrics and this song were. Tonight, I sat down and typed the words as I listened to Janice's exquisite vocals. Writing lyrics down by listening is an extremely good test for assessing prosody; in this instance, by prosody, I mean the accuracy with which the syllables of speech align and match musical note-strength. When there's a mismatch, and a syllable is placed on a beat or fraction of a beat that doesn't properly reflect the syllabic strength of how it would be spoken in the phrase, words are often difficult to understand. Every syllable in "Conversion Blues" was expertly aligned! What struck me most, when I first heard the song and read the lyrics, was the attention to rhyming detail. Three out of the four verses have the first and third lines rhyming with a weak rhyme-type (again/boatman, hill/girl, preacher/river). This gives those lines a sonic connection that holds the lyric together well but doesn't outshine the more definite rhymes for lines two and four (time/line, light/right, soul/whole). This kind of lyric-writing consistency shows great skill! - Actually, as I'm sitting here thinking about it, the fourth verse (with an American accent) also kind of has the weaker rhyme type for lines one and three with new/you. In Australia, these are perfect rhymes because we say "nyou/you" but in USA-speak, the "noo/you" is not quite perfect.
- That makes four verses out of four verses! Wow! Now THAT'S consistency
Also, the fact that the first line of each of the first three verses (and arguably the fourth verse, too) consists of two short phrases is also the kind of attention to detail that's found amongst the world's top lyricists! You're in great company. Lastly, even though this song is 8-bar blues (which works incredibly amazingly, by the way), the melody is only 7 bars long. This creates an interesting tension between the balanced feeling of 8 bars of harmony and the unbalanced feeling of 7 bars of melody. Very clever! It got me wondering what this song would sound like as a 7-bar blues. (For what it's worth, The Beatles' "Yesterday" consists of 7-bar verses.) All in all, as I said at the outset, this is songwriting at its awesomnest! Definitely inspired on all levels! All the best, Noel P.S. I have to add that floyd's playing is top class; it fits perfectly. He's a man of many talents! P.P.S. The ending really made me sit up and pay attention. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but then I guess that's the point! It is, indeed, a very interesting sound and one that has grown on me. Noel, thank you for the nice remarks and for taking your time to write up your observations. I particulary appreciate your remarks about the rhyme structure as I have been working hard at that of late. And I must mention that you and floyd have offered me great guidance with that. I think that in a lot 8 bar blues that last bar is not sung over so as to provide space for the typical instrumental Blues turnaround which I'm not good at arranging for the RTs to do. I think with some more creative use of chords I could pull it off. Janice is most appreciative of your comments about the syllables. For a U.S. southern girl to enunciate like that is not easy But above all I realize that her creative melodies and voice make my writes go down easier! Thank you so much. Bud
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
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Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
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- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
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Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
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