A Country Waltz, 123,123,123,123.

This is a blend of Real Tracks, Loops, Live Instruments and Vocals.

A big thanks to Janice Merritt for the background vocals and my wife Benji for letting me know

when the mix just isn’t where it should be. Comments/Suggestions encouraged. Tom



http://tommyadamsmusic.com/music


http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13247495



Style is _CTRWZFM.STY


RealTracks in style: ~1125:Fiddle, Background CountryWaltz Sw 110
RealTracks in song: ~1127:Pedal Steel, Rhythm CountryWaltz Sw 110
RealTracks in song: 2119:Fiddle, Soloist CountryWaltzAndy Sw 085
RealTracks in song: 1699:Mandolin, Rhythm BluegrassWaltz Sw 085 left
RealTracks in song: 1699:Mandolin, Rhythm BluegrassWaltz Sw 085 right
RealTracks in song: ~1701:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm CountryWaltz Sw 110

Royalty Free Loops, Multitrack Instrument and Song Files and Multitrack Drums from Drums on Demand

Vocals and Acoustic Guitar: Tom Adams

Background vocals: Janice Merritt




Back To Birmingham


The roots of her raisin run real deep

Alabama's in her blood

I always say when things don’t go her way

That's the place that she always runs



Softly she said she fell out of love

Her heart beating. hollow sounds

Maybe she can start over again

Back on familiar ground


She said when i’m gone you’re gonna miss me

Out that door and out of my life

She took a little piece of who i am

On a bus back to Birmingham


I’ve heard it’s true what some folks say

There’s no way to go home again

Maybe you can then there’s the other hand

You can't leave behind where you've been


She said when i’m gone you’re gonna miss me

Out that door and out of my life

She took a little piece of who i am

On a bus back to Birmingham


©2015 Thomas Adams

Nice lyric crafting. Not only here but throughout the entire song.

Without a doubt one of my favorites with you on the first listen. There's some songs that you need to hear a few times for them to grow on you.... this hits you on that first listen as well written and well recorded. Nice and bright.... nothing not to like.

The production chops are the icing on the cake. Nice country intro, cuts back to mando on the verse... sweet stuff.... then builds.... I like to hear real world stuff like that. Benji has good ears if she kept you on the straight and narrow with this. Let her review all your mixes. This one nails it.


Safe to say this is one of the best songs I've heard on the forum this year. I could listen a few times and come up with some nit picking crits but it's better to simply listen and enjoy this song. Very well done.

Delightful! Sad but beautifully stated and very well done.

Lyrics I particularly liked. 'Softly she said she fell out of love Her heart beating. hollow sounds'

Also enjoyed Janice's harmonies in the chorus.

(It's great to get up in the mornings and listen to fresh and original music on this forum). Cheers.

A Tom Petty feel to this all.
Very cool pedal steel guitar, crystal-clear mix as always.
Good vocals you both!

Rob & Anne-Marie

Hi Tom.

Absolutely brilliant. Loved it from the opening bar to the close.

I'm always full of admiration for anyone who can get a waltz to work - I've never been able to do it and this works SO well. Sounds like something Elvis Costello might have written.

Performances, production and mix are excellent.

Great work.

ROG.

I sure agree about the lyrics. They are really great. Janice's input was great, as usual.

I also liked some of the directions the song went in - melody wise.

And yes, 123, 123 was perfect for this song.

Nice

That was good! Great mix, great melody, great lyrics, great vocals, great backing vocals.
Sorry can't really offer any constructive criticism there has to be something to criticize....

There are some cool things happening in this song!

I didn't expect the shift to the minor at the chorus - it was nice to be caught off guard. Your inner rhymes are nice, too.

Good work!

Thanks very much Herb. I appreciate this excellent review. My wife has been listening to me play for over 25 yrs and has developed an ear for mixing. She would come listen to my band and tell us what needed to be louder or tamed down if we were mixing from the stage. She usually only stayed one set then I would send her home out of harm's way to caulk the bathtub or some such thing. She doesn't have the technical vocabulary so it takes some effort to decipher her unique descriptions. On this mix she said "way too clangy" ( too much mids?) and "What did you do to Janice's vocal? It hurts my ears!" (Too much highs?) As well as entertaining me she offers a unique perspective. I was hoping you'd like this one. Right in your country wheelhouse. Tom

Richard, Thanks much. Tom

Hi Tom,
I especially like your production on this song...the waltz, the pedal, the placement of the bass at the beginning (was the bass played by you or realtracks), all the other instruments, the chords on the chorus, the fullness of the sound, your vocals and the phrase "a bus back to Birmingham". You are a gifted song writer and I enjoyed the whole song.
A great song!
Sonny

Tom,

What a marvelous opening! The initial drum hits - and then a fiddle part that sounds like it was done just for this song! And perfect steel!

"The roots of her raisin run real deep" - Perfect opening line. Nice alliteration!

"Softly she said she fell out of love
Her heart beating. hollow sounds"

Ditto!

"Maybe she can start over again Back on familiar ground"
Songwriting! What a great choice of phrase!

"She took a little piece of who i am
On a bus back to Birmingham"
You said something to me about the lines that distinguish "real songwriters" (paraphrased)... This is one of those.

Top shelf writing. Top shelf production. Great mix
I'd love to hear more about those drums...????

Your vocals are becoming a signature.
That harmony could not be any tighter!

Stunning.

floyd

Hi Tommy,

what a beautiful song. Great lyrics, melody, vocals, backing vocals, arrangement and mix. Everything
is to the point.
A very enjoyable listen.

Guenter

I knew that I was gonna love it as soon as I saw the words and I do, it might as well be a track on one of my favorite John Hiatt albums, it really hits home with me, this is what I aspire to, I set out to try to write great stories like this, so well done.

Kenny

no words for this song
Everything's beautiful.

Great song.

Sergio

Tommy,
Very well crafted song. The mix is really crisp. Nice job. Janice's BGV is superb!
SD

What's not to like? What's not to love?? This is wonderful!!! Great opening, great lyric, a pedal steel that cries perfectly underneath the vocal (which is stellar). The melody and lyric (last 2 lines) which close the chorus are absolutely perfect. It squeezes the emotion out of the lyric and resolves sweetly. This is certainly on my top 10 forum songs ever, accompanied by a few of your others. Awesome!! (a word which is overused but totally appropriate here). Take care. Greg

Well I wasn't thinking Petty at all. However I am a huge fan. Thanks fo the nice words. Tom ROG, I understand how waltzes can be problematic. I played for many years with a drummer who could play anything except a waltz. Thanks for your complimentary comments. Tom

A true winner here on every level. You are making us all glad that you discovered loops. Your already high level of writing, mixing, performance and production zipped up a notch when all thought you were at the zenith.

This is a good country song, maybe even a template for what a great country song should be. If the likes of Florida-Georgia Line ever falter, your library of material will right there to take their place and restore real country music to its rightful place.

Really pretty country waltz Tommy and Janice! Tommy you are like well oiled writing machine.

Tommy,

Great stuff! I also loved the line:

"She took a little piece of who i am
On a bus back to Birmingham"

That's lyrical honey.


Lot of work in this one, and it shows.


Regards,

Bob

Thanks Trevor! These lyrics were in my throwaway pile and I brought them back with a rewrite. Sometimes it's good to get away from them for a while. And Janice is a real pro, she just naturally knows where to take it. All one take from her. She's great! Tom Peter, Glad you liked it. Tom David, Always glad to see you stop by. Thank You. Tom

Sonny, thanks for the wonderful comments. I don't take them lightly. The bass is a loop. Thanks, Tom floyd, Just a super review. I couldn't have asked for anything more. The drums are 7 part multitrack. You can really do some sound shaping. In most cases Real Drums are fantastic. Most of the time you can EQ them enough to get there, but I realize there have been times where you have beefed up the snare and kick by adding samples. I find it hard to criticize anything about Biab, but these loops and multi tracks can be useful. Thanks again, Tom Guenter, Thanks for coming by for a listen. I appreciate it. Tom

Hi, Tom !

I may have passed any
of your recent songs but
to me this one sounded as
one of your best if not the best !!!

Enjoyed it truly much !

Cheers
Dani

Kenny, Coming from a fine songwriter as yourself, these comments hold a special meaning. Thank You, Tom Thanks Serg, Tom SD, Thanks for coming by . I am glad you liked it. Tom

Hey Tommy. You are the song writers song writer.
Wonderful tune. I particularly liked the bridge.
Rob

Tom and Janice,

That is an amazing song. Everything about it is superb.

thoroughly enjoyed

Alyn

Greg, Thanks for the Awesome review. Tom Charlie, I don't know that Country radio will ever get back this way again, but I guess we can hope. Thanks for your continued support, Tom Thanks Josie, Hopefully the machine won't wear out too quickly. Tom

Tom,

Because I love this song so much I am going to take you up on the suggestion offer:

I love the lines:

"She took a little piece of who I am
on a bus back to Birmingham..."

Incredibly strong hook. It is SUCH a great hook I think, that you might want to try and get to it sooner.

It is the thematic molten center of the song but it doesn't come in until 1:37.

It is such a classic chorus idea that you may want to try and get to it at 60 seconds or so after an intro and 8 bar verse. The Chorus Energy really comes in big time a :47 and you're kind of expecting it. Maybe you could move the "softly she said part..." to verse two and otherwise restructure the lyrics (all of which are great) to tightly surround the "took away a piece of me" Chorus? That is hot dang chorus and I think the whole song should revolve around it and support it. Form: Intro, ABAB, Bridge, B, Outro.

I am only one person but I think this could be a true country classic, the "Birmingham" Chorus is that strong. Also you may trying squeezing in "took a little piece of me away" to emphasize the taking away aspect--it is gone, she took it, you no longer have it.

Also, the theme and imagery on this one are so strong, you could do it as a hard rock style with slamming acoustics and do a whole 'nother take on "Took away a piece of who I am, back home on a bus to Birmingham." I can totally hear it has a highly driven rock country song with that chorus. Radio ready man.

Well, those are my thoughts and I am only giving them because this one really got me by the ears. Love it. Great job.

In the voice of Han Solo, 'I'm out of it for a little while and everyone's waltzing!'

Beautiful song, beautiful vocals, and a professional production, of course, as usual.

I'm not sure of the chord progression in that chorus, but it'll grab 'ya!


Yeah, my wife gets to hear all of my songs and mixes too...ad nauseam. God bless 'em:)

Thanks Bob, The extra work was worth it. Tom Dani, so glad to see you back, Thanks much, Tom Rob, You don't know how much I appreciate hearing that. I'm humbled by your comment. Tom

Hi Tommy and Janice ...

The only suggestion I have is: Keep doing great stuff like this!

Love the line "You can't leave behind where you've been. Also, simply love the arrangement, particularly on the chorus. And, as always, Janice's harmony is spot on. Great job by all concerned!

Alan

Thank y'all for mentioning my vocal. It was a small part of a big song. Bud and I both loved
this song from the moment we first heard it. Bud got to enjoy my waltzing around the house
while I worked the part up. Tom just sang the heck out of it and made it seem easy to
fall into the harmony. Thanks for inviting me in!

Janice

Tom, this is yet another fine write and production. Your melding of RT's, loops, your playing
and your vocals is something for many of us to aspire to.

Well done!!

Bud

Thanks Gib. I appreciate it. Janice did a great job on the harmony. It really added to the song. Tom David, Thanks for the detailed critique. I appreciate that you have taken the time to point out your thoughts. Funny that you mentioned rock, because this is what these lyrics were originally set to. It wasn't working as planned so they hit the throwaway pile. After a rewrite they moved in a completely different direction. I will be thinking of implementing some of your suggestions in upcoming songs. I do thank you for thoughts. If i were to get into why I did what I did we would be here all night. More songs to write. Movin on down the road. See ya there, Tom Scott, Thanks ( I think) That odd run up in the chorus is the type of progression that will grow on you. After repeated listens I decided it was the best part of the song. I could have played it safe, but I think it has a greater impact this way. Hope you can stick around. Tom

Alan, First of all I would like to wish you the best of health. I certainly hope you feel better and continue to carry on. Thanks for the nice comments. Tom J&B, Y'all are the best! Tom

Loved it Tom

Nothin' but praise there, Tom & Janice. I had Star Wars on the brain is all:)

Thanks Scott, Good to see you back. Tom Scott, I am always glad to hear an honest opinion. It helps all of us get better. Tom

Well...my honest opinion is that I love that chord progression:) But, I didn't actually work it out on the guitar. That's what I meant by 'not being sure' which may have been a poor choice of words on my part.