Originally Posted By: dcuny
I'm not gonna lie - I liked the "sheen" and production of the Nashville version. There were bits that seemed a better match in the Nashville version, like the climb into the first chorus.

Plus, louder is always better, right? wink

But... your vocals sold the song to me in a way the demo didn't, pulling harder on the heartstrings. And that's the most important part, because (to me) the really good songs evoke a strong emotional response.

There may be any number of reasons Reba passed on the song, but listening to both versions, I think lyrically the song tips a bit more to the male perspective. From the start:

the day you came into this world
was the proudest of my life

seems a bit more like something a guy would say. "Proud" isn't a word I've heard a mom use to describe childbirth.

Similarly,

i prayed to god to help me
teach you wrong from right

sounds (to me) like a dad sort of thing.

The POV just seemed a better fit with a male singer.

Then again, I'm from California, so what do I know about traditional values? grin

Love the story, excellent song. Thanks for posting this!


David - thanks for such a thoughtful review (as per your usual - I love reading your reviews).

It is understandable that some would go for the "sheen" of the Nashville version. I always liked it. But as I mentioned to Noel (who did not like that aspect) and Ray (who noted its intent), after many listen that over-the-top brightness wears on the ears - particularly if one is listening on good, "detailed" speakers...also provided one still has a good range to their hearing (when I hear mixes that include "brittle" cymbals I always wonder about the amount of hearing loss involved). You also pointed out the fact that it is LOUD. Those 2 qualities - loud and bright - were often the case with demos of that time - vying for attention with the ONE listen they would get... Uploading to Soundcloud dulled my version a bit (removing some high end) which can easily be heard by comparing the 320 mp3 of the song at the bottom of the Nashville demo page - though I did not expect people to do that, so did not mention it previously...I do produce a sound that is "rounder" and "smoother" and "not so bright" intentionally... And to further note, since the Nashville version IS louder, there is some automatic sense that that equates to "better" because one can hear the details more readily (not saying that it doesn't have more clarity, just noting the loud perception thing).

It has been interesting to me how large a percentage of people "preferred" my vocal for its "feeling". That is, of course, satisfying. Thanks.

Your "Dad POV" note was an awakening, I have to say. I have never thought about that. Definitely right. So obvious now that you have pointed that out. I wrote those lines from a Dad-point-of-view... so...duh...

Once again, thanks for your delightful, insightful review...



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