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Greg, You've done it again. A great write delivered by an exceptional vocal performance. " Some use the politics of color to divide
Why don’t we just focus on the things we share inside"
What a line! One of the things I like the most is that is a message song that doesn't feel preachy. It's more of a common sense approach. Superb piece of art. Tom We had long thought about how to respond to this wonderful song. As I sat down to post them I read Tom's post. And he had already expressed them. What most struck us was, as Tom said, it is not preachy but ever so effective with the message. And, yes, a common sense approach, i.e., a non-polarizing approach. And it is indeed a "superb piece of art." We are fond of singling out favorite lines but that wouldn't begin to do this great write justice. It is one to enjoy in it's totality. We will pass it on. Thanks J and B! It is tricky to touch on political subjects without making people bristly. I was worried that 3-4 seconds of this might offend some. I am not at all impressed how are current leaders are dealing with race issues. In contrast, MLK was a magical figure, so I was inspired by his positive and peaceful yet determined message and went with that. Thanks for all the support from you guys. It really means a lot to me, and thanks for passing on the link. Take care. Greg Thanks for producing this and for sharing it. J&B PS A fine choice of imagery for the vid! PPS Reflecting upon your video stirred us to again read "Letter from a Birmingham jail" which even without the context of confinement is an amazing document.
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Wonderful production and heartfelt vocal performance!
Well crafted lyrics and I think that is takes courage to wade in the political waters of song writing.
I enjoyed it very much. Thanks Lawrence! I tried to wade cautiously. Sometimes there's crocodiles in them waters. Just listened to your new one. FLOORED ME!!! Take care. Greg
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Greg,
This is a really strong song. I loved the production and performance all the way through. Great lyrics and vocals too. Thanks so much David. Just listened to "Stranger at the Gate"---WOW!!! You're rollin!! Take care. Greg
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Wow,Greg.. this is awesome! And since it's actually a combination of several different artistic endeavors, I'll deal with each of them separately!
1) The Video
Yeah, I always prefer songs that come packaged with a video... and I thought you did a particularly good job of finding powerful images to reinforce the equally powerful statements in your lyrics. I notice you used fades between the pictures. It's hard to go wrong with fades, because they make everything look "right" ... but in the case of music videos especially there is an added advantage to changing scenes abruptly without fades... but only if its done right on the beat. (It has the effect of being a visual floor tom, if you catch my drift.)
2) The Lyrics
I think you are a great lyric writer in general, and especially in this case, you did justice to the enormity of the topic. That is no small achievement! I could easily quote the whole song as examples of outstanding lyric writing, but.. they're all great! I often try to analyze what makes lyrics interesting. Sometimes its the ability to create verbal imagery... but I think your special gift is the ability to "coin a phrase" and say common things in a new way that shines a light on some previously obscure aspect of the topic. This song is full of that, and I cite the verse that contains your title as an example.
3) The Music
You always do such a tasteful job of selecting chords, instruments and effects that build exactly the right mood for your topic, and this is no exception. Its an instantly likable sound canvas for your story to be painted on
4) Your singing
Again, this is one of your strengths... unlike me, you can actually sing, and that opens up a wider set of melodic options for you. Especially in a song like this, where there is likely potential for opposition to the ideas you are setting forth, the calmness of your vocal presentation takes on an authority of its own, and the vocals rise above the mere task of portraying a melody. Very impressive.
5) The mix
What can I say... your mixes are always clear and "right" in every way.
When we play our songs for others, they typically hear "a song" ... but in most cases "the song" is actually the combined result of several skill sets, any one of which can sink the ship if you don't get it right. That's what really impresses me about you and the other "heavy hitters" on the forum, because you have a long track record of wearing ALL the hats well. What can I say Pat, except that's about the nicest review I've ever had. It is wonderful the way you listen so carefully to songs on the forum and give such thoughtful responses. I really appreciate your steady support and kind words. Thanks so much! Take care. Greg
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Greg,
You have a warm & relaxed vocal style ( shades of Don Henley for me) which suits the song very well. It would be easy to let the message become strident but your lyrics are gentle and even a little humorous.
Great job on the production of both song & video.
Robert
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Absolutely outstanding Greg ! The music, the lyric, the message, ur voice, the performance, everything in this one is just top notch ! Will share this one on my facebook page...
Forever Grateful, BUT, sometimes pissed of.  Trygve "Leo" Larsen BiaB 2020, Windows 8.1, Intel Core i5 CPU, 270GHz, 32 Gb RAM My OLD tracks on Soundcloud; https://soundcloud.com/trygve-larsen My NEW is unpublished The Universe = Uni-verse ie one song.
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Great write and performance, powerful message.
Kenny Thanks for the nice words Kenny! About time for a new one from you! Take care. Greg
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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