I have done 5 CD's as part of the yearly RPM Challenge, but I have never gone back and really did a CD that was more polished and more or less cohesive. I am going to try and do that this January. I am picking six songs from the last RPM, five songs from this past 50/90 exercise and then one oldie. I have a bit of re-writing and re-recording to do (and get some guest vocals/playing), but I think I can get it done in January.

Any way is is the slow, super-snoozer, "cry in your beer", sad ending tune (ha, ha). I need to re-do some vocals here and then and add more harmonies (and a "choir" on the bridge). To clean up a really bad note, I did try and do some V-Vocal pitch correction from 0:39-0:41, but I don't know what I am doing!

Well without further ado:

*************************************************************
If The Truth Be Told
(c) Emmrich 2011

(verses)
gotta give up smoke
ease off that alcohol
running my self down
can't feel nothing at all

your picture's by my bedside
you're in that yellow dress
you got a little smile
makes me remember all the rest

(chorus)
The path down is crowded
but up is a lonely road
it's your memory that keeps me going
if the truth be told

(verses)
I watered the garden today
that you worked so hard to plant
your roses are looking great
my cilantro's a little sad

There's some holes in the basil
I guess bugs had a party there
reminded me of that dance one night
when it was us without a care

(chorus again)

(bridge)
and sometimes when it rains at night
the thunder cracks and the lightening strikes
and just after my last amen
I wonder if it'll strike again

(chorus again and outro)

Kevin: acoustic guitar and vocal
BIAB: bass (#518), drums (NashvilleEven8^6), piano (#887), acoustic guitar (#364),
harmonica (685), mandolin (#820) and pedal steel (#369)

Good work Kevin - if the truth be told. (you knew that was coming!)

Lyrics well polished except I think for the two last lines of the bridge - I mean you've got me shiverin' with the drop into the minor chord and then the storm imagery and then after "last amen" it seems to disintegrate when it could be stronger . . . especially when you're thinking of choir harmony in that area. Ah well just a thought.

Maybe a touch too much bass but I can't trust my hearing - still I found the bass a touch too high.

I really like this tune and production - man that's a lot of writing in those challenges - might drive me nuts.
Would like to hear some of those other tunes too.
Cheers - Ian

Ian: Thanks for the listen. I'll look at that bridge part you mentioned. I definitely don't want to lose listeners there. I think you are right on the boomy bass -- I'll fix that. I am still struggling with my mix setup and techniques.

Kevin

Another fine piece of music! Thanks 4 sharing!

My Music

Nice song Kevin, around a great title!

Ian, the bass sounds fine to me. My ears are shot in the highs but I'm ok on bass frequencies (at the moment... )

Bridge: Ian has a point here. The bridge resolves on its own (C...G...C) when it would be stronger if instead it ended with some tension by hanging on G7 and thus inviting the last chorus in, i.e. Ami...Emi...F...G7 over the last two lines?

John

Kevin,

Good job! Good honest vocals, and nice instrumentation. Keep up the good work.

Steve

PgFantastic: Thanks for the visit and kind words.

Skyline: I did bump the bass down a bit, based on Ian's comments, before you listened!
I'll be re-visiting the bridge. My first attempt will be to add some "movement" in the instruments as we go into the final chorus. If that "easy way out" approach doesn't work, I'll look at modifying the chords.

Steve: Thanks for stopping by and giving it a spin!

Kevin

Enjoyed listening to the song, liked the lyrics, didn't think the bass was too much at all. sometimes polished is not always best, nice work. Jeff

Nice Job Kevin !

Back for a second listen - bass is definitely tamer.

I loved the lyrics in the "garden" verse. Steve has a good point about "honest" lyrics.

Good one Kevin.

I like it - your vocals have the right attitude, and the instrumentation is all good for me. You've got a nice, expressive voice.

There are some spots where it feels you're trying to cram too many syllables into a line, such as "mem-o-ry", where "mem-ree" would work just fine. There's a sort of buzziness to the vocal, perhaps because you're doubling it. And in some spots the vocals fade into the mix. So if you wanted to polish it... well, there's some work that can be done.

But I certainly enjoyed listening to it just the way it is.

Kevin,

SoundClick Huh....I went the other way....

Great song, loved the vocals. The crystal clear clarity of the sounds
are fantastic. Enjoy your voice and the story telling style you sang this
piece in.

Thanks for sharing.

Jeff: Thanks for stopping by and giving it a spin.

Tommyc: Thanks for the listen and comment.

Ian: Good advice on that one! I have a lot to learn about mixing and I am finally trying to get a little serious about it (not good, just serious!). I wonder how good my hearing "spectrum" is though.

David: Thanks for the pointers. This one definitely needs to be re-mixed. I can do some vocal re-tries and I am getting some more harmony thrown in for good measure. More the merrier I always so (even when less is best)

Seeker: Soundclick is so overloaded with songs (a few million there, at least -- mostly rap!), that there are some glitches here and there. I plan to investigate other mp3 hosting sites myself. Thanks for the visit.

Kevin