Reiver

A civil warhorse song, written with Janice in mind ( good luck for me she agreed to sing -as you`all know she`s the bees knees of vocalists...not to mention that my southern accent isn`t so great). Based in part on the fine Taylor Brown novel Fallen Land.
Many thanks also goes to Bud for recording & processing Janice`s vocal, roughing up the fiddle and production advice.


Style is _STEPUP.STY (Step Up Country Rock)

RealTracks in song: 1522:Bass, Electric, PopPower8s Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 1753:Fiddle, Background Pop8ths Ev 110
RealTracks in style: 2634:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountryBluesRock Ev 110
RealTracks in song: 408:Guitar, Resonator, Background Allis Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 2041:Guitar, Resonator, Soloist CountryRob Ev 120 (Bluesy)
RealDrums in Song: BluesRockEv^1-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Open HiHat




Reiver

scratching at the back door
skitter on the tin roof
wake up little brother
we`re cutting loose
scarecrow soldiers coming through the trees

hold tight those reins
softly softly from the barn
hush now black beauty
its not horses they harm
I don`t want to name what they`ll do to me

they`re dragging my piano
out into the cotton
Reiver do you know
what makes men rotten
run now for little brother and my peach pie dream

Reiver Reiver be our saviour
thunder down to that Georgia sea
hungry sky be our banner
all the sky
coal black eyes have seen

daddy chose good
night before we lost him
said he looks like a raider
don`t cry don`t think little brother
see how the dew star spangles Reiver`s mane

his shoulders ripple
like a wave of night
pray I can aim this Walker
outrun the fight
we`ll tell momma our deliverer`s name

Reiver Reiver be our saviour
thunder down to that Georgia sea
hungry sky be our banner
all the sky
coal black eyes have seen
all the sky
coal black eyes have seen

© Robert Cordrey Jan. 2018

Robert, Janice & Bud,

I love how unique this song is... It catches you right from the first couple of bars.

Excellent production and instrumentation. Janice again nails the right vibe and tone.

"daddy chose good
night before we lost him
said he looks like a raider
don`t cry don`t think little brother
see how the dew star spangles Reiver`s mane"

Some really outstanding lyrics here as well. Wow!

Bob

Very cool tune. I agree with Bob that what first stood out for me, aside from Janice’s always incredible vocal, is how unique this melody is. It brings you in right from the start and holds your interest every step of the way. Really liked this.

Dave

Robert, Janice and Bud

A unique delight. Some beautiful prose (worth reading on it's own) set to music. You simply can't go wrong with Janice singing (she nailed it but that's kind of expected) and I liked the bits where Robert comes in for some harmony. A wonderful production and no doubt Bud's encouragement (and his recording of Janice) were of great assistance.
Wonderful work from all involved.

Peter

What a cool story in these lyrics. Your creativity is just mind-blowing. Man does this bring up excellent visuals of the situations in the story.

Janice was a perfect choice to sing the song. Her delivery to the song to the awesome level.

The backtrack as very cool as well. Loved the Dobro. Do not have one of those but I have my eye on a lap steel.. :-)

Well done Robert and Janice..

Glad you liked that intro, Bob - originally the song had no intro
or space between the verses and it was Bud`s suggestion to try using held chords that helped get that started.
I like that you mentioned the feel of Janice`s vocal...to me she conveys a bit of toughness and the warmth of the young girl in the story.

Robert



Dave,
Thank you for those positive comments. I wrote the chorus first -that was the easy part, then the verse lyrics with short phrases seemed to suggest that choppy rhythm in the melody.

Robert

Cool song and production. I enjoyed it very much.

Josie

Hello, Robert and Janice

What an unique song!
Even if I think to make such a song, it is not easy to make it.
I agree with Scott.
Janice was a perfect choice to sing the song. Her delivery to the song to the awesome level.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

As everyone has mentioned... definitely unique.

"they`re dragging my piano
out into the cotton"

One of many interesting images and/or phrases.

The instrumentation fits the song nicely. A good mix. (I thought the drums were a bit busy for the style of song).

The best possible singer. How could you go wrong?

Another fine listen from you guys.

fj

Thanks y’all! This was a perfect fit for my love of history.

Janice

Peter,
Thanks for the very positive review!
I`ve been working on the harmonies a bit lately, so its good to hear they sound ok.
I guess the best encouragement any songwriter can have is for musicians you respect saying they want to record your song... my hat`s off to Janice & Bud for that gift.

Robert


Thank you, Scott.
The story kind of wrote itself in my mind as I read the book ( only the horses` name is a copy from that).
Well I for one can`t wait for you to get the lap steel... I listen to the Weissenborn instrumentals all the time.

Robert



Thanks for your listen and comments, Josie.

Thank you Peter!

Janice

Great job and well put together.

Janice you have a really lovely voice, and it seems to be a voice that can cover all styles.

Well done guys

Thank you Shigeki - I appreciate your kind comments.

Robert



Floyd,
Thanks for the listen and positive review.
There was me thinking I`d written a straight ahead country rocker...but ok,I`ll settle for moving this into the unique/different category!
I like the drums except in spots in the verses where I agree they are too busy... really have to get to grips with how to edit the realdrum tracks sometime.

Robert

This is super! I liked the lyrics, mix and instrumentation. Of course we all know that Janice could sing the dictionary and it would be great!

This is a well composed piece of music that you all should be very proud.

Wow - this is top notch! This is superb in almost every day. It is a solid write. A strong chorus, excellent vocal delivery, perfectly mixed, and really neat lyrics to boot.

Not a thing I've changed on this one. You should both be proud - thanks for sharing!

The mix on this song is really great, and I love Janice's vocals on this song! Really awesome collab you guys!

I`ve written a few songs now with the thought- "Janice might sing this one day"; I don`t think I`m alone in that hope!
Thanks for the positive review.

Robert


Thanks for that, Mario!

Robert



Deryk,

I appreciate these comments- not the easiest mix to get right, but with the help of Bud`s keen ears we got there!

Robert

Thank you Scott! Bud and I love history and that made this very special.

Janice

Thank you, Ember... and thanks also to this forum where so many collaborations get started.

Robert

Very different, and very cool!

Janice sounds great, love it when she bends up to hit the note! The harmonies during the chorus really kick things up a notch too.

Nice imagery with the lyrics, Robert!

Dave,
I didn`t really know what bent note singing was `til I heard Janice; she has given another master class here.
Thanks for your listen and likes.

Robert

Hi Janice & Robert

Several have said unique, and I agree. However, I would go further and say creatively and wonderfully original. Creating new music this original and so danged good doesn't just happen - it takes a lot of craftsmanship, hard work and a feel or touch that many musical creators don't have. Ya'll have an abundance of it. Great sing and it's presented so nicely!

Alan

Thanks Josie!

Janice




Thank you Shigeki!

Janice

Alan,

I appreciate those kind words... and of course I was very happy Janice liked the song and agreed to sing ( well I did locate the story in her locale just to sweeten the pot!).

Robert

I liked this one too. You people are a song factory!

When do you sleep??

David,
Sleeptime is about 8pm for all the oldsters where I live, but, hey I`m out walking or biking with the birds early and the song factory starts humming again.

Robert

That melody is something else - I felt like I was on a bumper car ride!

Not my cup of tea, but nicely done - Janice can bend those notes like no one's business!

Robert and Janice,

Now that was really creative and refreshing.
Very original chord sequence and melody!

Thanks for the listen.
You might want to wear a seatbelt for some of my more adventurous tunes!



Rob & Anne-Marie,
I appreciate the comments- thanks for checking this out.

Robert

quality lyrics, vocals and instrumental production and arrangement. Enjoyed this.

Thank you floyd!

Janice



I do appreciate that!

Janice




Aw shucks...thank you Mario!

Janice

Thank you,Charlie- glad you enjoyed this.

Robert

Thanks y’all! It’s always great to hear from you.

J&B

Thanks Dave! From Frank to Van to Gregg I’ve always love note bending.

Janice



Thanks Al!




Thanks David,

Janice



Thanks!

Janice





Thanks y’all!

Janice