Cold Plate

An attempt at a harder hitting production … at least for Janice’s vocal from the solo on. Peter plays some very complementary solos, fills and rhythm tracks. The title was inspired by the saying “revenge is best served as a cold dish” that dates to the 16th century.

Yep another “I’m outa here and done with you” theme. 😀 Lyrics are on SoundCloud and below. Thanks to Peter & PG Music and if you choose to listen your time is appreciated. Comments are welcomed.

Janice Merritt: vocals, arrangement & melody
Bud Merritt: lyric, mix, arrangement, mastering & photo
Peter Fulham: solo/rhythm guitar, mix & arrangement

Tech Stuff:
Bass: RealTrack 1036 Electric, Northern Rock Ballad > Izotope Neutron 3

Piano: MIDI SuperTrack 3102 Electric, Rhythm Americana > Logic Pro Grand Steinway sound > Waves CLA Effect

Pedal Steel: RealTrack 2542 Background Modern Ballad Atmosphere > Logic Pro Grit Pedal

Drums: RealDrums Nashville Even 8ths > Waves CLA Drums (multiple fills comps)

Snare: RealDrums Nashville even 8ths kit > Waves Magma BB T > Izotope Neutron 3 > Logic Pro ChromaVerb

Cymbal: RealDrums Nashville even 8ths kit

Mixed in Logic Pro X
Mastered via six Izotope Ozone modules starting with a Lucinda Williams reference song.

Cold Plate
© 2024 J. Merritt, B. Merritt & P. Fulham
V1
How many times have I been told not to leave
Guess I need to find a long bridge to burn
Wanna see glowing embers in my rear view mirror 
You’ve shoved me past the point of no return

Chorus
I think I could make a profession out of revenge
But folks say it’s best served as a cold plate
So I need a little distance, I need a little time
Your days coming but it may be a long wait

V2
I’m not going to worry if my past defines me
In a few minutes I can leave where I lived my whole life
No more you  no more them  only me and the horizon
Any direction will carry me away from the strife 

You always produce winners.
As always the perfect style for the song, an outstanding vocal and guitar leads, and mix.
I noticed a slightly different chord progression from your norm - sounds great.
When I see that you three are on the same song I know I'm in for some sweet ear candy!

I can't comment on the sound much as I'm using a 15 year old laptop with bad converters and a dull sound...still waiting for my replacement computer...
The song & arrangement are excellent.
The narrative is personal but universal.
The bite in the solo is classic rock at its best.
The vocal after the solo is a little more up front and IYF as suits the story.
It's a lovely thing.

Thank you Mario. And we appreciate the mention of the progression. It grew from Janice experimenting on her old Martin box with some suspended and diminished chords. Not something we’d play back in the bluegrass days. 😀

J&B

I only noticed the "interesting" chords after seeing Mario's comment. I was too focused on the lead guitar and Janice's vocal. That's probably where that "early Jackson Browne" vibe is coming from.

To my ears, this seems a very bright mix... but my ears are still congested, so there might be some weird attenuation going on there. But it's very clear, and there's nothing that distracts from the vocal or lead guitar, which makes it perfect in that regard.

Despite the length, my first impression was that the song was short. Also another great sign in my book.

Nice work, y'all.

It's a beautiful song, very beautiful voice and the guitar part in the middle is very pleasant.
Laurent

We hope the new tech arrives soon. Your comments are much appreciated as you mentioned several of the objectives we had hoped to achieve. We tried to orient the mix and mastering into a more rock direction … so thanks!

J&B

Great arrangement, production and performance. Enjoyed this from start to finish.

Howdy, thanks for all the positive comments. Yeah, it’s long for two verses and a chorus but we didn’t want to raise the tempo or shorten the solo. 😀 The brightness may be a bit due to the register Janice is singing in. It harkens back to the bluegrass days. Also I felt some of my mixes of late have lacked an “edge” so hopefully I didn’t overdo it!

J&B

Thanks Mario
Peter

Oh my. I try to listen before reading the credits, and I was going crazy trying to figure out how a RT could do those guitar parts. Ha! Nice one, Peter!

Beautiful write. Janice, you really crushed these vocals. Reminds me of Linda Ronstadt without sounding exactly like her. Just a beautiful, big emotional punch.

Bud, the mix is perfect. This is a fabulous song every way I think about songs.

Really enjoyed it!

Janice, Bud & Peter,

Rock n Blues at it's absolute best... An awesome production!

I love the way Janice comes out swinging on this one - gritty and edgy. She sings everything here with a great intensity. Really excellent.

Love Bud's production - clear and glassy with edge to match Janice's vocal. I also really love the reedy tones Peter is getting from his guitar. That's a great sound.

Just great music all around!

Bob

This one grew on me 😀 At the beginning, I was just relaxed, but, as it went on, it really grabbed my attention. Mrs Merritt: really beautiful singing, you know I love the way you phrase. A great production all round, with the singing as its crowning glory. Loved the guitar tone colour, too. Well done!!!

ALL of your productions are hard-hitting, J&B. Really like the write, Peter's solo and fills, then Janice nails the vocals like no one can. Bud, you should hold a class on mastering, Mastering The Master Like The Master. I like the rearview mirrow, too. Yep, everything you guys do is a little above what others would call top-notch.

Janice can add that sparkle to any song.
Guitar is a nice addition too.
Not so keen on that "in your face" drum rhythm at the beginning but that's an easy fix if you feel the need to change it.
Maybe that's just a personal thing with me though.
Good job.

Vic

Thanks Vic. I guess by “drum rhythm” you mean choice of components. The drums have a snare on all solos and choruses while the verses are sticks. So there is no difference in the intro from the above. And the gain and processing is the same throughout. It all works for us as our objective was an in your face vibe. 😀

J&B

PB&J,

Excellence from every angle.
Janice has never sounded better.
Peter is in top form.
The mix is impeccable.
There is a brewing tempest in the singer that is a bit scary.

Music.

fj

Love the lyrics and vocal. the style quite reminded me of Jackson Browne whose songs I like very much.

Thank you for the nice comments!

J&B

Man, the first verse plus chorus plus Peter is longer than most of my songs and yet I wasn't bored for a second
Definitely a winner!
Great chords, killer guitar, and I have yet to hear a Janice vocal that I don't like.
And, Bud, what you do with the faders is as good as it gets.
Winners all around!

Thanks Charlie … we’re happy it worked for you.

J&B

Such a pristine sound! Vocal is smooth and expressive. Love the vocal slides. Peter's guitar work hits the mark.

"I think I could make a profession out of revenge" Fantastic line!

Man, those supportive comments are much appreciated. And Janice said just being mentioned in the same paragraph with Linda is a privilege. Thanks for all!

J&B

As always.... one of your great songs.
Yes, the subject will be recognised by many people, but that's life.
Indeed a little bit different from your other songs, but certainly not less good!
Janice's vocals are outstanding (as we expected), the music's great and Peter has done an outstanding job.
You've done it again guys!

Rob and Anne-Marie

Bob, Janice was delighted to read your comments. I (Bud) have encouraged her to go a bit gritty every now and then so your comments were very supportive. I’ll mention also that it was all a single vocal take. We agree absolutely with your comments on Peter’s playing and I appreciate the mix comments as it went through many permutations before landing. Thank you!

J&B

I listened to this a couple of days ago but failed to come back and leave a comment. The more pages you turn on the calendar. the more often such things happen! I've turned so many pages, I have calendar blisters on my fingers!!

I particularly enjoyed the bass line, in addition to the overall brilliance of this song.

Great song in every way. You three always serve a delicious offering! Who and how much do I tip?

If anyone wants to hear some great music, I just point them to Soundcloud and the PG Users Forum and suggest a few talents - J & B one of them.

Great music from great people!

Howdy Folks,

Well, I guess everything I was thinking has been said in the few comments already posted.

But I'll reiterate in different terms - a damn good song by some of the best music makers on the forum. It was a treat!!!

Best to all of you,

Alan

Glad it grabbed your attention. Would not want it to be too relaxing. 😀 Thanks for the kind comments!

J&B

The I premise is a good one. Great title! I love the diminished chords as well as the super vocal. The production is very clear and the drum sound is excellent. Peter once again adds the nice complimentary touches. Your bar is set very high and once again the three of you have cleared it with room to spare, Tom

Thanks Marty for the nice comments regarding all.
Glad you like the mirror as we know you can appreciate the editing it took.
Mastering? Well, I remain a work in progress regarding it and I learn something new with each project.

Much appreciated!

J&B

Really Nice!

An excellent production and mix. Everything works so well together.

Great job y'all.

Thanks mr jane! Yep, Bud said mixing the vocals was a bit frightening 😀 but he hunkered down and finished it.

J&B

Great song ,
Thank you ,easy to listen
Everything is fine

Jona

Thank you! We are also Jackson Browne fans.

J&B

Hi Bud, Janice and Peter,

Like all the others above me here, I enjoyed the song a lot and in every aspect; the style, melody, vocals, the band and the mixing.
Great!
So, no complains? No, other than that I warned Janice a lot of times by now, she always seeks the wrong friends... (except Bud).
So I'm glad her revenge is served very cold. That must be something...
I therefore reward this with a triple A status!!!

Hans

J&B...really, really nice tune...everything about this is five star! I love the easy flow of the melody and Janice kills it for sure....love the piano track as the primary instrument and Peter's work around it is complimentary and exquisitely done...great production Bud!

Wow! You mentioned everything we hoped to accomplish. And that is very much appreciated!

J&B

Janice, Bud & Peter,

This is a new type of song for you.
It's a perfect blend of blues and slightly innovative chords, and it's very comfortable.
Peter's guitar intro is great.
Following that, Janice's singing and harmonies begin, and the atmosphere of the song suddenly becomes more intense.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Thank you!

This was a fun production venturing a bit more into the rock side of blues rock.

J&B

PS I (Bud) heard a variant of that line a while back in a series and it stuck! 😀

Thank you two very much and it’s great to hear from you!

J&B

Thanks Al. We appreciate your kind words and support.

J&B

Thanks Tom. And more thanks for mentioning the chords and the drums.

All is appreciated!

J&B

Cool intro with very interesting chord progression and Peter's guitar with Harrison vibe. Strong lyrics about coming emancipation (with a very planned revenge, some sort of fire, I guess). Peter's guitar tone sounds great. The mix is very pleasantly balanced. And Janice's voice sounds very honeyed, I would gladly enjoy it even on a cold plate

Janne

Thanks!

J&B


We appreciate that!

J&B

J&B and Peter

You had me with the intro! I thought I had hit play on a George Harrison tune with the slide guitar sound and chord structure!
It a lovely sound! Smooth and flowing with a melancholy feel! Janice's voice is wonderful....not a hint of going off pitch anywhere!
Great guitar sounds from Peter on this outstanding piece of music!
Bud your production skills are at the top here in this forum or anywhere for that matter!
Thanks, TB

Thanks Hans. Yep, J&B have an incredibly wonderful marriage and have for 44 years but Janice is like an actor - she plays the roll learning the song, records it and then forgets all about it.

Glad you like it!

J&B

Thanks for the great review! And the mention of the piano track is appreciated as it was a MST experiment transforming an electric piano track to a Grand Steinway. 😀

J&B

Thanks for listening and the nice comments!

J&B

Thanks for the comments. They are very supportive and the mention of the chords, the vocals (even served on a cold plate 😀) and the Harrison vibe are much appreciated. BTW the protagonist does not plan revenge with fire 😀 it’s just a metaphorical take on burning bridges!

Thanks again,

J&B

Hi guys,

I'm late to the party yet again, sorry about that!

Different sort of vibe on this one, very cool indeed. Outstanding vocal! And Peter never disappoints.

Good write, Bud, and great job on the mix too as per usual!

Thanks for the kind review Torrey. It is all very much appreciated.
Glad you like Janice's vocal and BTW we've never used a pitch editor. I suspect her melismatic singing would blow one up!
And thanks for the mention of the Harrison vibe.

J&B

Thanks Dave. It is a bit different leaning, I think, more to the rock side of blues rock.
Glad you liked it!

J&B

Loved this tune. Super vocal Janice. Beautifully executed. So much melody and range. Peter loved the tone and vibrato. on your guitar break. Bud excellent production, mix and master. Loved that piano floating around on the left side. Perfectly placed.

Hi Janice & Bud and Peter,

The song is pleasant and the mix impeccable as usual. The Synchronization of Janice's Voice With the Guitar Solo is Well Done. I appreciated

Thanks Scott. Your generous comments are much appreciated by the three of us!

J&B


Thank for listening and commenting!

J&b