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#539712 06/06/19 03:13 AM
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Been thinkin'...



FIGURE IT OUT

i don't know what's supposed to follow next
just making it up as i go
some things work some things don't
there's a whole bunch i still don't know

none of that stops me from moving on
though sometimes i get stuck in the past
i do my best to deal with the demons
hoping the scars don't last
   
   hitch 'em up
   i'm on my way
   heading out to face the day
   i seldom know what it's all about
   i'm just prayin'
   we'll figure it out

i don't know if you love me
so i pretend not to care
in my heart i have to admit
i'd be lost if you weren't here
   
   hitch 'em up
   i'm on my way
   heading out to face another day
   i seldom know what it's all about
   i'm just prayin'
   we'll figure it out

i don't know what's supposed to follow next
just making it up as i go



The BAND:
RealTracks in song: 1418:Bass, Electric, SouthernRock Ev16 085
RealTracks in song: 836:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm AltCountryRootsy Ev 075 (A:muted)
RealTracks in song: 3186:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm CelticSongwriterQuinn Ev16 080
RealTracks in song: 2444:Guitar, Baritone Electric, Background PopCountryBrent Ev 085
RealDrums [in Song:PopModernGrooveSync16^1-a:Snare on 4, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride
Royalty free loops (from Studio One)

harmonies: Janice Merritt

As always... Huge Thanks to J&B!!!

Thanks for listening.
Comments always welcome.
Have at it.

fj


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Excellent!

Vocal is top notch, great tone and nice phrasing.

Tight harmonies! Janice always sounds so good.

I dig that baritone guitar with the tremolo, great sound and a cool line it is playing, and those drums sound awesome.

Ending was unexpected but cool.

Another nice one, floyd!

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another chicken dinner Fj winner winner.great production as always ,sparse but full sound ,how do you do that .love the harmonies and vocal.Drums are top notch.great write thanks.keep em coming.


Os Windows Biab 2018. studio one pro 3 ozone 8 focusrite 214 se electronics Gemini mic
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Strangely, this is the second time that I signed on to find you posted a song only minutes ago. I love that because if it's been up for an hour, I feel like I'm the 100th person to reply. wink

Anyway, this song is perfection. I'm not kidding. I seriously wouldn't even have a suggestion of something different to try.

First when I see FJ and J&B before even hearing the song...I know my chance of liking it are high. Really high. There is a chemistry there, no doubt. From writing, to backing, to mixing, to just everything that makes a song this damn good!

One specific thing I wanted to note, the delivery of the lyric is something I experience very rarely. For me, in the verses, it brought it to somewhere between hearing a conversation or story, to also emphasizing words by holding them out longer to give it more emotional lift. Then the chorus just sang! Wonderfully cohesive contrast! That's brilliance to me. What an absolutely cool effect.

Something I touch on lightly now and then, but here I'm going to go further. Drums. Those are some of the best drums I've heard on here. Not just one element, ALL of them. The processing and production are killer. But, man...I am a sucker for those ghost notes on the snare. It's all locked in with all of the other instruments so well that I would be impressed hearing it and not knowing at all that "drummer" wasn't in the room playing along. AND I would have thought he was doing the song perfect justice. I'm not sure if you took different parts and copy/pasted but the breaks in the chorus were EXACTLY as they should be. I'm seriously impressed by the treatment of the drums!

Love, love, love this song!

Last edited by HearToLearn; 06/06/19 04:23 AM.

Chad (Hope that makes it easier)

TEMPO TANTRUM: What a lead singer has when they can't stay in time.
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Nicely done! Really catchy, and your vocals are stunning. The harmonies on the chorus knock it out of the park for me. Really good lyrics on it too - it comes across as sincere and heartfelt.

Great work, and thanks for sharing smile


Cheers,
Deryk
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Floyd,

This song is awesome! Love the sentiment in the lyrics and your vocal. A perfect selection of tracks as well for the band.

Great harmony by Janice - it's become such a classic sound within your music.

For my money, "Figure It Out" rises to the top of your already well stocked catalog it's just so good.

Bob

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Sounds like you got this one all figured out. Nice work. Very pro sounding on the mix.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Your 1 to 6m chord changes really give your new tune a lot of clout...
IMHO Very catchy... Like a hook...
You have another talented write on this one...
I enjoyed listening to your song & ...
Of course, Janice's lovely harmonies.


Jim
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Floyd,

Terrific relaxed vocal (matched by the peerless harmonies- mixed just right).
I enjoy the alt country style ,especially that muted rhythm guitar.
Super drum sound... is that where the loops are?
Very solid write, performance & production!

Robert

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WOW!!! Really captures the essence of the human condition in a way that is simple but deep!! I'm reminded of a Todd Rundgren lyric "We're all homeless boys and girls, and we are never heard". That line, like many in this song, strikes at the core of how vulnerable we can feel at times. Love the musical change in the chorus which kind of lightens it a bit....don't know where I'm going, but.....I'm going...carry on. The vocal is rich and warm, and ......PERFECT (aided nicely by our forum queen!!). Great stuff FJ!!! Take care. Greg

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floyd

Certainly nailed that one! Lovely mix - sounded like you were in the room singing.
Great set of lyrics, wonderful harmony by Janice, some tasty guitar parts, and an excellent vocal.
I'm running out of superlatives.

Peter

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Originally Posted By: BlueAttitude
Excellent!

Vocal is top notch, great tone and nice phrasing.

Tight harmonies! Janice always sounds so good.

I dig that baritone guitar with the tremolo, great sound and a cool line it is playing, and those drums sound awesome.

Ending was unexpected but cool.

Another nice one, floyd!



Dave - as always, thanks for weighing in on my efforts... we are SO fortunate to have the many amazing RealTracks available to us to realize our vision of our music. Those baritone guitars are so versatile and so "supportive"!! (like the cello - they fit almost everything!)

The RealDrum track is a miracle track. So perfect. I've said before... the program is worth the price JUST for the drums... amazing stuff.

Of course, my copy of BIAB comes with a "Janice doing harmonies" RT. You have to pay extra for that (and it is PRICELESS). smile

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The vocals on this are really great!


Cheers,
Ember
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As already mentioned, there's a very laid back an conversational vibe to this song. Your vocals always sell me on the song - they feel effortless and honest.

I love the baritone guitar.

The arrangement is lean without sounding like anything is missing, and the mix is crystal clear. Nice.

Maybe PGMusic will offer the _JANICE_BGV RealTracks in the 2020 release. wink


-- David Cuny

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Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?

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FJ & Janice,
Nice, easy listener! Vocals and production are excellent.
Lyrics reads as a poem. I actually read the lyrics first and then followed with music smile
I liked that:
"I don't know if you love me
so I pretend not to care
in my heart I have to admit
I'd be lost if you weren't here"

Tremolo guitar was cool touch. I liked the ending too.
Janice was nice and loud on this, but personally, I think her vocals are a little dry. Maybe I am hallucinating.. smile

Thank you for sharing,

Misha.

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Usually when I listen to/hear a country song (at least one that doesn't on the surface have anything to "say" beyond trucks, bars, and rowdy friends) I can only sense a "message" about relationships and all that goes with that. Nothing wrong with any of that. But that's as far as the song will carry me (right or wrong).

What you've done here, though, while it retains meaning to a relationship and is couched in those familiar relationship "tropes", opens up to a universe of implied and applied meaning. Part of the time I joined the song as a father. Part of the time as a citizen. Part of the time as a man who has faith, even if he lacks religion. And the rest of the time in the cracks and overlap between those things.

I can't know for sure if that was your intention in the writing, but I can testify that this has been the result. Moved me. Thanks.


BIAB 2021 Audiophile. Windows 10 64bit. Songwriter, lyricist, composer(?) loving all styles. Some pre-BIAB music from Farfetched Tangmo Band's first CD. https://alonetone.com/tangmo/playlists/close-to-the-ground
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As close to perfection as a country rock'n'ballad can get.
I do have ONE complaint though...
you wrote
"Been thinkin'..."
and I desperately wanted to hear that just before the 1st verse.


Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Biglad #539906 06/07/19 09:42 AM
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Originally Posted By: Biglad
another chicken dinner Fj winner winner.great production as always ,sparse but full sound ,how do you do that .love the harmonies and vocal.Drums are top notch.great write thanks.keep em coming.


Thanks, John. Good to have you drop by... (make mine KFC!!! Original recipe)

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Hey there Floyd, I admired the overall vibe on this. The arrangement is wonderful to the ears and the vibe is very appealing. Fantastic work on the vocals. Well done!


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Joe
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Love the baritone guitar, not just the sound but how you used it. And, of course, you always sound like radio gold.


Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
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