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Posted By: tommyad Missed The Message (Co-write Tom & Janice) - 03/13/14 12:37 AM
The other night I was watching the new documentary Twenty Feet To Stardom. It is about unheralded backup singers. It had a lot of gospel flavored music in it and I remembered these lyrics that I had been trying to fit with the right style. So a gospel feel was the just what I was looking for. I then contacted Janice because I thought she would be a perfect fit. She put her magic on the melody and Bud gave us the all important second line. I added some overdriven wah wah pedal steel in the spirit of Sacred Steel and we ended up with a modern day spiritual. Thanks to Bud Merritt for capturing the incredibly soulful southern style of Janice's vocal. We hope everyone enjoys this and we welcome all comments/suggestions.


https://soundcloud.com/tommyad/missed-the-message

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12717572

Vocal by Janice Merritt
Guitar & Pedal Steel by Tom Adams
Choir loops from Logic Pro 9

RealTracks in song: 1418:Bass, Electric, SouthernRock Ev16 085
RealTracks in song: 1602:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Pop16 Ev16 065
RealTracks in style: ~368:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 065
RealTracks in song: ~688:Organ, B3, Background Pop Ev 065
RealTracks in song: 1600:Guitar, High-Strung Acoustic, Rhythm Pop16ths Ev16 065
RealDrums: RealDrums in Song: NashvilleEven16^5-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride
*******************

Missed The Message


i’ve been waiting here so patiently

Trying to believe what I already see

but i can’t see across to the other side

i’ve never understood why the river was so wide

maybe I missed the message

there’s an angel flying next to me


That old big muddy runs through our very souls

It doesn’t seem fair it’s mostly out of our control

what can we do with all its twists and turns

it’s one more prayer , one more lesson learned

maybe I missed the message

there’s an angel flying next to me


I take a little time out of every day

To sit and listen it’s just my way

blood flows like water I’ve seen many go across

i try to understand but I’m at a total loss

maybe I missed the message

there’s an angel flying next to me

©2014 Thomas Adams, Janice Merritt
Awesome!! Soulful, country-flavored blues!! Just a great job on everything. Loved the way the vocal and guitar played off each other, both beautifully performed!! Take care. Greg
Love Janice's bluesy voice and phrasing. The pedal steel is great. The whole package fits together so smoothly. Cheers.
Hi Tommy and Janice...

Great, great stuff! Country Blues as it should be done...with just the right hint of gospel. We had to give this a couple of listens!

Janice's voice is spot on (when is it not?) and the guitar work shines loud and bright!!!

Thanks for a super listen! Best to yas...

Al & Di


For those that might have further interest in the Sacred Steel tradition as played by Tom on this tune here are several links. Although I had seen the Robert Randolph band I was not aware of the connection until several months ago when Tom made me aware of the tradition.

Gospel oriented pedal steel with roots in Florida African-American Pentecostal churches is a perfect example of the richness and diversity of American music traditions.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SOmZhhNNElM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Steel_(musical_tradition)

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2013/09/16/robert-randolph-and-sacred-steel/20235/
Posted By: boehm Re: Missed The Message (Co-write Tom & Janice) - 03/13/14 03:36 PM
Hi Tommy and Janice,

a very pleasant listen (several times).
Janice's voice and Tommy's guitar, just great.
I never heard a steel with wah wah.
And those choir loops are the icing on the cake.

Guenter
Tom and Janice,

GORGEOUS!

Where to begin?... Solid write. "That old big muddy runs through our very souls" - What a great line! "maybe I missed the message..there’s an angel flying next to me" - love it. "Trying to believe what I already see" - doesn't get much better than that. And what a perfect melody to carry it all!!!

Janice - you always sound great - and this may be your best ever! Pure soul! Singing is about feeling and expression - this is it - nailed!

Tom - your playing - both guitar and wah wah steel - just as soulful and lyrical! You seem to step it up a little more with each new recording.

Excellent drum sound! The guitars are all right where they should be. I seem to be a piano crusade lately - I think it needs to be up more - prouder...

The choir loops are COOL! Why don't we have those in BIAB??!!!

One of the best things to ever hit the forum.

floyd
hi guys wow Janice great vocal guitar was awesome great job guys loved it lyrics were excellent thanks for sharing eric
Greg, Thanks for coming by for a listen and the nice comments.

Richard, Thanks for taking the time to comment. Cheers.

Al, Glad you liked it. Janice and Bud are very easy to work with and the whole thing was a pleasure. Thanks.

Guenter, I tried to put a few ear twisters in there to spice it up. Thanks, glad you liked it.

floyd, You may be right about the piano. I had it up but I dropped it back some because it was eating up some of the mid range space and I wanted the guitars and B3 to come through. I may revisit and make adjustments to the mix. The choir loops had to be time stretched a bit to fit and I layered them to spread the sound. It was very tough to find the right level. You know how much we value your opinion and for you to say one of the best is high praise indeed. Thanks man! We appreciate it.

Eric, Thanks for checking in. We enjoyed your comments.
Bud, Thanks for posting those links. Sacred Steel is a little known secret outside of Florida. If you ever get a chance to see it live, I dare you to try and stay seated. I saw The Lee Boys in Key West a few years ago featuring Roosevelt Collier on steel and before the first song finished I was up and dancing and shouting and I never dance. Although our song is not a mover dance wise I hope it moves people in other ways. Thanks again for all your help on this. It was a pleasure to work with you.
Wow, great song and terrific performances. Love it all.
Thank you both!

John
Originally Posted By: Greg Johnson
Awesome!! Soulful, country-flavored blues!! Just a great job on everything. Loved the way the vocal and guitar played off each other, both beautifully performed!! Take care. Greg


Thank you Greg. Tom really has a feel for complementing a vocal!
Janice

Originally Posted By: RichMac
Love Janice's bluesy voice and phrasing. The pedal steel is great. The whole package fits together so smoothly. Cheers.


Thanks! Tom did a wonderful job of writing, playing, mixing and mastering this.

Janice

Originally Posted By: Al-David
Hi Tommy and Janice...

Great, great stuff! Country Blues as it should be done...with just the right hint of gospel. We had to give this a couple of listens!

Janice's voice is spot on (when is it not?) and the guitar work shines loud and bright!!!

Thanks for a super listen! Best to yas...

Al & Di


Thanks you two! It was a lot of fun.

Janice

Originally Posted By: boehm
Hi Tommy and Janice,

a very pleasant listen (several times).
Janice's voice and Tommy's guitar, just great.
I never heard a steel with wah wah.
And those choir loops are the icing on the cake.

Guenter


I much appreciate that Guenter. And Bud and I both really enjoy your compositions. We look forward to them!

Janice
Wow! This is absolutely great! A new forum favorite for me.

Bob
Hi Tommy, Janice and Bud.
This is awesome!! Also love the choir loops. Janice's vocal as always is outstanding. Strong lyrics. Love the pedal steel as well.
John, I'm always glad when you comment on one of my tunes. This is no exception. We thank you.

Bob, Glad to hear you say a forum favorite. It means a lot to us. Thanks!

Josie, Those choir loops took a little adjusting to make them work. Glad to hear your kind words. Thank You.
Posted By: 90 dB Re: Missed The Message (Co-write Tom & Janice) - 03/16/14 12:21 PM
You guys are turning into a regular Brill Building. grin

Good song and production. I particularly like the line:

"Trying to believe what I already see..."


Regards,


Bob
Bob, Thanks for listening and commenting. All the credit goes to Bud Merritt for that line which captures the spirit of the song in a nutshell.
No way!!! Way!!!

And did you see that the film won an Oscar? Darlene Love sang an acceptance.

There is just too much here to love and comment on after one listen. I agree that this is the best vocal I've heard Janice deliver. I mean, wow!!!

The guitar tone and chops, wow as well!!!

I'll be back.
Scott, I saw that the film won. Thanks for your generous comments.
Hi, Tommy, Janice & Bud !

What a superb collab allthrough !!:))
Nice tune and superb vocals !!:))
Just great !

Cheers
Dani
Originally Posted By: floyd jane
Tom and Janice,

GORGEOUS!

Where to begin?... Solid write. "That old big muddy runs through our very souls" - What a great line! "maybe I missed the message..there’s an angel flying next to me" - love it. "Trying to believe what I already see" - doesn't get much better than that. And what a perfect melody to carry it all!!!

Janice - you always sound great - and this may be your best ever! Pure soul! Singing is about feeling and expression - this is it - nailed!

Tom - your playing - both guitar and wah wah steel - just as soulful and lyrical! You seem to step it up a little more with each new recording.

Excellent drum sound! The guitars are all right where they should be. I seem to be a piano crusade lately - I think it needs to be up more - prouder...

The choir loops are COOL! Why don't we have those in BIAB??!!!

One of the best things to ever hit the forum.

floyd


Thank you so much floyd -- you are the expression master!

Janice

Originally Posted By: F.M.M.
hi guys wow Janice great vocal guitar was awesome great job guys loved it lyrics were excellent thanks for sharing eric


Thanks Eric. It was a fun endeavor.

Janice

Originally Posted By: Skyline
Wow, great song and terrific performances. Love it all.
Thank you both!

John


Thank you John!

Janice

Originally Posted By: rsdean
Wow! This is absolutely great! A new forum favorite for me.

Bob


Bob, that is sweet. Thank you so much!

Janice

Originally Posted By: JosieC
Hi Tommy, Janice and Bud.
This is awesome!! Also love the choir loops. Janice's vocal as always is outstanding. Strong lyrics. Love the pedal steel as well.


Thank you Joanne!!!

Janice

Originally Posted By: 90 dB
You guys are turning into a regular Brill Building. grin

Good song and production. I particularly like the line:

"Trying to believe what I already see..."


Regards,


Bob


Thank you Bob. Tom's lyric made it really easy for me to do this. Brill Building -- aw shucks smile

Janice

Originally Posted By: olemon
No way!!! Way!!!

And did you see that the film won an Oscar? Darlene Love sang an acceptance.

There is just too much here to love and comment on after one listen. I agree that this is the best vocal I've heard Janice deliver. I mean, wow!!!

The guitar tone and chops, wow as well!!!

I'll be back.


Thank you so much! And thanks to Tom for watching that documentary that set this in motion.

Janice

Originally Posted By: dani48
Hi, Tommy, Janice & Bud !

What a superb collab allthrough !!:))
Nice tune and superb vocals !!:))
Just great !

Cheers
Dani


Thank you Dani!!!
Excellent vocal, guitar work is outstanding and the harmonies are superb, thanks for sharing!
Originally Posted By: PgFantastic
Excellent vocal, guitar work is outstanding and the harmonies are superb, thanks for sharing!


Thanks. Glad you like it. You can thank Tom for the choir loop harmony!

Janice
Dani, Thanks for coming by for a listen. We appreciate the comments.

Robert, Glad you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Janice and I watched "20 Feet From Stardom" for the second time last night (the documentary that moved Tom to write this song. Beyond the fact that it won an oscar and other accolades it is just a heckuva film for anybody who has an interest in music and the production of it. Fascinating. Take some time for it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Bud
This is very well done. I really enjoyed it.

Good song and a very strong performance.

Good job.

John
Originally Posted By: jphillips
This is very well done. I really enjoyed it.

Good song and a very strong performance.

Good job.

John


Thank you John. We most appreciate it.

Janice
Hey Tommy and Janice,

The moment the introduction started the thought "now that's what I call classic Tommy Adams" launched itself into my head. I sat back, smiling, let the sound wash over me and knew that I was going to have a great journey. I couldn't stop thinking about how the quality of the production was so very professional, through and through. While I was sitting there trying to work out how to get such an awesome sound, Janice started singing ...

... I nearly fell off my chair. I mean, I was waiting to hear Janice sing, because I knew she was going to and I'm a huge huge fan, but I didn't expect to hear what I heard.

Janice, I have never heard you sing better. You nailed every nuance of the words, the music and the style. WOW! Tommy, your arrangement and your playing are first class. Another WOW!

This song deserves to be on mainstream radio. The production is studio quality all the way.

I'm a little bit awestruck right at the moment!

All the best,
Noel



Noel, We are so glad you were able to catch this one. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Bud & Janice and myself always look forward to what you have to say and we thank you for your kind words. Tom
Tom,

Your guitar and Janice's voice just make this song ASTOUNDING!

Alyn
Alyn, Thanks so much for the very generous comment. We appreciate it. Tom
Originally Posted By: Noel96
Hey Tommy and Janice,

The moment the introduction started the thought "now that's what I call classic Tommy Adams" launched itself into my head. I sat back, smiling, let the sound wash over me and knew that I was going to have a great journey. I couldn't stop thinking about how the quality of the production was so very professional, through and through. While I was sitting there trying to work out how to get such an awesome sound, Janice started singing ...

... I nearly fell off my chair. I mean, I was waiting to hear Janice sing, because I knew she was going to and I'm a huge huge fan, but I didn't expect to hear what I heard.

Janice, I have never heard you sing better. You nailed every nuance of the words, the music and the style. WOW! Tommy, your arrangement and your playing are first class. Another WOW!

This song deserves to be on mainstream radio. The production is studio quality all the way.

I'm a little bit awestruck right at the moment!

All the best,
Noel


Noel, that is so thoughtful of you to such nice things about the song. I so much appreciate your comments. They mean a lot.

Janice

Originally Posted By: gibson
Tom,

Your guitar and Janice's voice just make this song ASTOUNDING!

Alyn


Thank you Alyn. I was so much fun to work with Tom.

Janice
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