I think it's a tremendous first effort.

Digital recording makes easy things that were difficult for experienced musicians not so long ago (and RB makes it so much fun), so it's easy to go overboard. One of the hardest things for any writer to learn is how to pare down--words, music, concepts. James Taylor is utterly brilliant at this. Songwriters in any genre would benefit from studying his lyrics. He does at least one straight-ahead country song every couple of albums. Along with the masters of country, give JT a listen.

Meanwhile, you alone know what you have to say. IMO, the act of creation is more important than your or anyone else's opinion of what is created (as long as it's done with integrity). Take quantitative criticism for what it's worth, but don't worry about whether anyone likes the thing. Just keep writing.

Thanks for sharing. That took courage. Hope we'll hear another one from you soon.

R.

"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."