Hello everyone,

This is our new song:

Wiser Woman

Rob wrote this song for me (for my birthday) back in 2013.
He used the program One Man Band for it (similar to BiaB, but without real tracks). We decided to create a Biab version of it. Contrary to the original version, I did the backing vocals here.
We decided to use the original video. In 2008 4 long-eared owls were born in a tree behind my house. They got quite used to the sight of me (not afraid at all), so I got lots of chances to use my camera. The video features an almost full rotation of the mother owl's head at 1.27 m.

Style is C_EAGLES.STY (Eagles Style)

379:Bass, Electric, Country DoubleTime Ev 088
~589:Banjo, Bluegrass Doc Ev 100 (Rhythm)
2449:Guitar, Electric, Background, PopDreamyBrent Ev 085 (CustomFX)
1946:Mandolin, Rhythm ModernCountrySync Ev16 100
378:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming DoubleTime Ev 088
1757:Accordion, Rhythm Pop8ths Ev 085
Nashville2Beat^01-a:Sidestick , b:Snare, Ride

Here is the link to the original version which is (of course) more dear to me:

Wiser Woman original version

Anne-Marie

Lyrics:

Wiser woman you can
shed some light on my beliefs
As you find them
right at your front door

As we rush through the days and sometimes
hide in the night when I'm
miles away from my trusted door
yet feeling quite secure

That was the night
but here comes the day
with a desire to achieve
and to make the world see what we can do

Reminiscing the times old songs
come into mind will they
take us back to those rhythms and rhymes
that used to be our kind

And we will rush through the days
but sometimes fly in the night while I'm
miles away from my trusted door
still feeling quite secure

Wiser woman this was another year
that's kind of special in a way
and it makes me wanna stay
another day

Rob & Anne-Marie,

I really enjoyed this song. Very cool video as well. Those owls are amazing.

Bob

Yep, cute owls!

Rhyming secure and door was inspired.

As usual, impeccably done!

Nice song and video. Enjoyed this from start to finish.

Charlie

R & AM, The song is very well written and recorded. The overall volume was very low and I felt it could have been longer. I enjoyed my listen. Tom

"And we will rush through the days
but sometimes fly in the night while I'm
miles away from my trusted door
still feeling quite secure"

Great lines amongst many others.
Very nice vocals and a super
arrangement to support them.

We have three species of owls
on our property and really
enjoy them as we enjoyed this
vid.

J&B

Hi Rob and Anne-Marie,

nice lyrics. Great vocals and harmonies and awesome
arrangement. I like the video.

Guenter

+1

And I like the break down that you did for the ending.

Hello Bob, David and Charlie,

Thanks a lot for your very nice comments. Much appreciated!

Rob and Anne-Marie

Hi Rob & Anne-Marie,
This song has got a really nice feel, excellent vocals. The banjo and mandolin fit in just so perfectly.
Great effort actually!
Thanks

Fascinating watching the owls. Such a pretty arrangement and vocals.

Josie

Another beautiful song and excellent video.

Hey guys... I really like this!!!

Awesome arrangement. Crisp. clean. modern, but familiar.. loved the instrumentation - super mix.

The processing on the vocal (Rob's) was perfect. I would have like to hear more of Anne-Marie in this one (meaning, a bit louder).

Good write.

Super.

floyd

hi r&am well done love your stuff 12 string is very clear nice tone all good thanks eric

Hi Rob and Anne Marie,
Love this production,
A feel good song, enhanced by those owls... Loved the video!
Production was at your usual standard, agree with Floyd though.
Spring is coming! Thanks for giving me that feel ☺
Fred

Hi Rob and Anne-Marie.

Yet another brilliant production! You two sure have pizzazz when it comes to creating and presenting music both aurally and visually. As floyd said "Awesome arrangement. Crisp. clean. modern, but familiar.. loved the instrumentation - super mix." I could not have put it better!

All the best,
Noel

• latest song: Just A Little After Midnight

Pretty song, and as usual production was tops!! This had a little bit of retro sound for me (Glen Campbell or someone like that). That was my era. I agree with Floyd that AM's vocal was a bit soft. Beautifully done!! Take care. Greg

Rob & Anne Marie,

I liked this very much. Great arrangement & production. I thought Anne's vocal level was OK. A good write and cool video!

Nice job,

Greg

Hi Rob & Anne Marie,

Great track with a very slick and professional sound.

The video had me fascinated. You're SO lucky to have been able to film that.

ROG.

Thank you Tommy,

yes, the overall volume.... We are trying to mix our recordings as loud as possible in Cubase, trying to avoid 'peaks', but maybe we shouldn't be that careful ;-)

Thank you J&B!

yes owls are such lovely creatures. This footage is a couple of years old. The last two years, every now and then we see and hear an owl on Anne-Marie's property, but no owl chicks or nests yet.... It has been a very very good 'mouse' year here in Holland, so they're probably nesting somewhere else,haha.

Thanks again for the nice comment.

Rob & Anne-Marie

thank you Guenter!

thank you Lawrence!

Hi Rob and Anne,

What a nice sounding song!

Rob I like the sound of your voice on this one.

Anne, Floyd mentioned he would have liked to have heard you a little better but, in this case where you voice is more of an accent instead of a featured instrument, I respectfully disagree with him. I think Rob did a perfect job of blending the two voices together.

I'm so glad you provided a link to the original version that used backing tracks provided by One Man Band. Since the two versions share a similar arrangement the two versions highlight how strong both programs are.

Yeah, Greg already said part of what I wanted to say... except I'd relate the retro sound more to late 60s California based folk groups like Mamas and the Papas.

Man, Rob... you can really sing! Every time you post a song your singing blows me away all over again!

This song really pays homage to Anne-Marie in a variety of important ways if I understand the lyrics correctly... and it speaks of the kind of relationship everybody dreams of. It makes me happy to know that you two have that relationship.

I listened to both versions, and I like them both... but naturally I'm partial to the BIAB version.

So Rob, if Anne-Marie is the wise woman.. does that make you the "wise guy?" (ba-boom, tsssshh!)

excellent song, excellent message and excellent video!

Thanks VideoTrack,

I added the banjo at the end, was missing something in the entire sound. It's always good to have lots of real tracks around, haha

Rob

Thank you Josie!

Thank you Scott!

Hi Floyd,

okay, will keep that in mind. Usually in songs like this, with harmonies like this I'm keeping Anne-Marie's voice relatively low in the mix. In order to create our specific sound, and also to use her voice as a kind of 'human strings' so to speak. It all depends on the kind of song we produce. When it's a real duet voices are more on one level, so to speak.

Thanks,
Regards Rob.

Thank you! Yes, I love to throw in the 12 string real tracks wherever I can, haha.

Hi Fred,
Thank you, we are very happy to have given you this spring feeling, haha.

Rob & Anne-Marie

Thank you Noel, much appreciated!

Rob & Anne-Marie

Thank you Greg,

Glenn Campbell yes! Happy to be compared with him.
I think it's the intro that's giving this feel.
Again, we used the Brent Dreamy real track which is so versatile!!

Rob

Thank you Greg!

Thank you ROG,

ha ha, part of the 'slickness' is probably the Brent Dreamy realtrack which gives a super professional sound straight away. I have not come across a soloist that is this versatile. Fits almost with every song!

regards,
Rob

Thank you Jim!

I have to agree with you that Anne-Marie's voice sits in the mix properly , haha. Well I think this is also one of the reasons why we are getting our specific sound.

OMB 10 (it already has a version 11) is a very cool program. It makes use of the thousands and thousands Yamaha PSR styles.

Regards,
Rob

Hello Pat,

Well, not the wiseguy, the younger guy maybe,.. just kidding.
But the song definitely pays homage to Anne-Marie in several ways.
We are together for over two years now, rapidly approaching the third. These lyrics were also a little bit about my fear to commit that first year (committing to a woman has never been one of my talents).
But also about growing affection, mutual love for music and of course the wiser woman herself: Anne-Marie, the kind of woman that makes things a lot easier on me in many ways.

Recently I wrote her another love song for this year's birthday, which will be posted in the next month or so.

Thanks for your very nice comment!

Regards,
Rob