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WHEN I LOOK AT YOU

https://www.reverbnation.com/kaynemusic/song/34001918-when-i-look-at-you

This is about real love between everyday people who dont look like movie stars. Girls that were laughed and teased in school about weight shaming.

WHEN I LOOK AT YOU

Well she may not be a beauty queen or win trophy or a crown
And she carries around a few extra pounds
Hey that’s all right with me

She may not be an 8 9 or 10 But then again nether am I
I don’t judge a book By just one look that’s all it took for me


My friends think I’m Crazy Maybe they call me Lazy
But they don’t see what I see When I look at you
When I look at you I see our story unfold

you’re the one I want a household with
you’re the one I want grow old with
you the one I want be bold with ….
YA --- When I look at you

She was the one they laughed at in grammar school
But if you get to know her you’ll see she’s nobody’s fool
Cause I know she is way smarter than me

In my eyes she’s a movie star /
In blue jeans or a fashion gown
She the hottest girl around in this old town
Hey that’s all right with me

I will be with her till death do us part
Never will I / break her heart / because that girl is a part of me


***** Song Summary *************
Title: when I look at you
File:when I look at you.SGU
Key=D , Tempo 145, Length (m:s)=3:03
4 bar intro, 104 bar chorus, from bar 5 to bar 108. Repeat x1 chorus
Melody has 600 notes, Melody harmony is < no harmony >(0)
Soloist track has 1814 notes, Soloist harmony is < no harmony >(0)
Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0,
Style is _BOLOTIE.STY (Bolo Tie Stompin' Country Boogie)

RealTracks in style: ~1848:Bass, Electric, CountryBoogieA-B Sw 140
RealTracks in style: 654:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm TexasBoogieShuffle Sw 140
RealTracks in style: ~962:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountryBoogieCleanA-B Sw 140
RealTracks in style: ~959:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm CountryBoogieA-B Sw 140
RealTracks in song: ~975:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountrySwingCleanMuted Sw 140
RealTracks in song: ~1855:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm CountryBoogie Sw 140
RealTracks in song: 1279:Guitar, Electric, Soloist CountryBoogieBrent Sw 140
RealDrums in Song:NewOrleansShuffle^01-a:Snare , b:Ride, Shuffle

*******************

Elliott,

Good song and mix. Your vocal as always is excellent.

Very well done.

Bob

Elliott, Super song.

Your vocal is really strong on this one.
Great mix.
The lyrics are fantastic, i.e. we all don't have movie looks!
This song is a winner for sure.

Good country song. You've been writing some good songs here recently.

Hi Elliott,

Catchy tune and vibe.

I would like to hear the vocals and guitar fills louder in the mix.

Best Regards
Nigel

HI Elliott ...

I really like this! I've always been a big fan of country shuffle - grew up playing it in the 60s.

As always, you're vocal is excellent. But I would like to have heard a little more forward in the mix. Excellent lyric, too!

Best to you ...

Alan

Hmmm. I find the comments about the vocal mix a bit troublesome, because I check the mixes on several different speakers On my phone, computer, and in my studio, the vocals are out in front
May I ask what devices you are listening on?

I always seem to have difficulty getting the right mix that'll work on multiple devices

It sounds great in my studio, but totally different on my phone.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Nice one Elliott - don't worry too much about the mix it's fine wherever - a real good and strong track by any chalk - Nev

A good country tune Elloitt. I thought the mix was fine, at least through these DT 770 Studio cans. It is late here. I will crank it up tomorrow.

There were several places where there were walk-ups to the chord changes, which were a nice touch. Your vocals would certainly sound right at home in some North Texas Red Dirt joint. Good job.

I would have ended the song on the last drum beat suddenly instead of the fade. You should try that in your DAW. Just mute the fade to see if you like it. That approach works very well on stage when you can get all the guys in the band to pay attention...lol

Bily

Nice song! Catchy, and the lyrics have heart.

The mix starts out nicely balanced. But then the vocal seems to get pushed further and further into the background.

The vocal - to my ears - becomes "small" in comparison to the guitar and fiddle. By "small", I mean it sounds like it's coming out of a small tinny speaker, as opposed some of the fuller instruments in the mix. It's also competing against a rhythm guitar, although the panning helps separate it.

That's not to say that I've got any difficulty making out the lyrics. It's more that the balance seems off. It doesn't sound like what I'd hear in a physical space, which is why I've go the image of a small speaker chirping out the vocals.

I think there are a couple of things happening.

First, when you add harmonies, the vocals become "fizzy" and less clear. That moves them further back.

Second, the rhythm guitars and fiddle mixed bright and clear, front and center. That means my focus moves to them, so instead of acting as support, they have my full attention.

You might consider cutting some of the highs off the those instruments to push them further into the back. Bring their volume down, and bring them down a bit when there's a lead vocal.

Widen the harmonies, keeping the lead vocal in the center. Make sure the lead vocal keeps the same volume throughout.

Just some thoughts. Fun song, holds up well to multiple listens.

Elliott,

Nice rocking groove on this one . . . the production elements all seem fine to me. I think the vocal sits well enough in the mix . . . though I do think you could experiment with bringing the vocal up a tad in volume and see how that sounds . . . and see if it could pop just a bit more. David C. gave some great suggestions to mess with. But, listen, it’s just fine as is . . . there are always going to be different opinions on a mix . . . in the end you go with your gut and trust it. NIce write as well.

All my best,

Deej

The pre chorus section could use a vocal boost - whatever processing you've used is cool but it pulls the level down a bit - it happens in a couple of other spots as well.
Good melody, good band.
I don't think I'd want to be in the room when you dedicate this to a woman.

Well, look at you, Elliott. Man, what a terrific rocker. A great production and excellent choice of musicians. Excellent vocal and lyrics everyone can enjoy. Love the treatment on the vocal. Have you changed it since others mentioned it too far back in the mix? Loud and clear here, hear? This is a great song even with eyes closed.

First things first: I love your song. Nice vibe and catchy as hell.

As for the vocals, it sounds to me like they get smaller when they're louder/have harmonies, that's often a sign of too much compression.
And it's (more or less) device independent, it's the same on my studio monitors and on my studio headphone.

Thanks for all your great comments and tips on improving, I really do appreciate it.

I took it all into consideration and created a new mix.
Thanks for listening.