Man, that's a great song. Excellent job on the co-write. And to be able to write with guys who have written other hits. That right there is a level of success many will never know.

Yes, absolutely spot on with the backstory on the skill level in Nashville. So much talent in one place, and only a few will ever be successful. Those studio cats are totally amazing and so skilled at their craft. Been there..... seen and heard amazing voices and instrumental talent singing in hole in the wall places on a "stage" that's hardly big enough to hold a chair and a music stand.

you are absolutely correct about the demo quality required. The demo has to be as good as (or better than) the final version the artist is going to record. I heard the "demo" version of another very popular group's #1 country hit at a LA songwriter symposium. Aside from the different vocalist, the rest would have fooled anyone. The licks and tone, tempo, instrumentation, was dead on. The artist copied the demo music exactly. Only the vocals and harmony let on that it was the artist version vs the demo.

OK, so I listened to your version first, as requested. Good job and yep, everything in it's right place. Next... the Nashville "demo".

The Nashville demo has my vote. A few reasons. First the sound quality of the mix is so open and crystal. Your version has more midrange and the instruments were not as distinct in the mix. Likely due to the mids. Next, the singer simply drew me in to the song. Yeah, I heard you singing and the words you were saying but.... I really "heard" the song when she sang it.

None of that is a slight to you or your skills. It simply shows that the mix quality and the singer one selects for a song is a major factor in how the song is heard by the audience. For the same reason 5 singers can cover the same great song and one of them you love and the others it's kind of meh.

We set here in our home studio, bedroom, attic, garage, basement, and try to write and record. Yes we have good tools. But truth is, we have a hard time at best trying to compete with the talent in the music capitals with experience and skills. One could try for a few lifetimes to write a hit song and never even get a "hold" in Nashville. It's a combination of having the skill, being in the right place at the right time, and having someone in the business to help you, and being there every day and night. For most of us, me included, I write for my own pleasure and my only competition is the last song I wrote. My goal is to write the next one better.

That said, there is still plenty of room in the business for less than superbly written songs and mixes that are not Nashville/LA raise the bar kinds of mixes. Film, TV, and other commercial uses are in need of music of all kinds and some actually specifically ask for lo-fi mixes.

In closing.... yes, I could hear Reba singing that song. The reasons songs get passed on vary and if you were in the final 100 or so songs in competition for Reba's newest CD project at the time...... that's a huge accomplishment. There's only room for 10 or so songs. Depending on Reba's clout at the time, she might not have had the lion's share of that decision. It still doesn't detract for the fact that you have a really well written song there that you can be proud to say... "I had a part in writing that".

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
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