Hi Forum friends. Have not posted in a bit but I have been checking in as often as possible and hearing some GREAT stuff!! This is such an amazing collection of great writers and cool people. This is a song about heartbreak in the heart land. All fictional. It was inspired by the sound of the RTs. It is amazing how inspirational BIAB can be. Hope you enjoy. Would absolutely love to hear what you think. Take care. Greg

https://soundcloud.com/gjohnson-2/sutherlandroad


SUTHERLAND ROAD

We drove my father’s truck that night, on Sutherland Road

Our hearts were filled with passion, emotions exposed

We swore undying love we never would forsake

The starlight dancing off of the lake



You left for college far away, later that year

I asked some friends about you, but never did hear

I joined the army and soon shipped out for the war

Still don’t know what the hell it was for



I got my discharge, came home last May

I heard you’d married, moved away

Guess your dreams were bigger now than this small town could hold

A world away from Sutherland Road



I heard your father passed away

I know you were home from just one day

I was drinkin’ at Eddie’s Bar and watched you walk on by

I nearly choked on the tears I couldn’t cry



Last night I found myself up on Sutherland Road

The soft grass glistened still, from the last time it snowed

I took my clothes off and I dove into that lake

Trying not to feel my frozen heart break

Ok Greg I'll tell you what I think......It's beautiful!! I feel you are one of the best vocalists here on the forum! But beyond that, you always seem to present us with such great quality material! This song is fantastic with an excellent selection of instruments! You seem to have put into this track just what is needed to make it pop!! Getting back to the vocal, I was at the end before I realized there were no background vocals and that speaks to the great quality of your voice on this! I always admire your work and you did not disappoint! Thanks, Torrey

Absolutely beautiful and powerful melody. I'd sacrifice three goats for that range. So sad, I wanted to reach out and smack you. DUDE! GET OVER IT! Sucks to have a friend like me.

Great stuff wrapped up in a small package. The strings were a sweet addition and the chording piano moved it along. Yes, indeed, just listening to what the "band" has to say is often all the inspiration one needs.

Greg

We are blessed with some wonderful vocalists on this forum. This is a stunning vocal performance a lovely song and a top quality composition.
A sparse and lovely backing - truly top class.

Peter

Greg astounding song with awesome lyrics and just enough on piano and strings to move this along, your voice just could not have been any better raw, real and emotional.


My wee nit. You did not list what piano ?, what strings ?l.o.l..

well done on this a ballad in a ballad.

Terrific narrative and your voice is right for it too. There's an occasional essing that might be tamable.
The arrangement is nice - sparse and I excepted it to build.
My only nit is in the lyric - "... off of..." doesn't work for me but I'm a retired teacher so ignore me.
Lovely stuff.

Man! You had me hanging on every word.

I think the stripped down arrangement is a perfect vehicle for your (beautiful!) vocal, anything else would have got in the way.

One of your best, Greg, loved it!

Wow - you really outdid yourself here As mentioned by others, this is truly beautiful. You can tell you really bared your soul on this. Every note, and every vocal line is filled with emotion and sincerity. Not a single thing I'd change here.

Great work, and thanks for sharing!

Greg,

Here are my favorite lines:

"We drove my father’s truck that night, on Sutherland Road
Our hearts were filled with passion, emotions exposed
We swore undying love we never would forsake
The starlight dancing off of the lake

You left for college far away, later that year
I asked some friends about you, but never did hear
I joined the army and soon shipped out for the war
Still don’t know what the hell it was for

I got my discharge, came home last May
I heard you’d married, moved away
Guess your dreams were bigger now than this small town could hold
A world away from Sutherland Road

I heard your father passed away
I know you were home from just one day
I was drinkin’ at Eddie’s Bar and watched you walk on by
I nearly choked on the tears I couldn’t cry

Last night I found myself up on Sutherland Road
The soft grass glistened still, from the last time it snowed
I took my clothes off and I dove into that lake
Trying not to feel my frozen heart break"
.



This is songwriting at the highest level.
The lyric is incredible.
The melody is incredible.
The piano/cello treatment is perfect.
The vocal COULD NOT BE BETTER.

As. Good. As. It. Gets.

Period.

fj

Wow, a solid Homerun!

everything is top notch

Love the storytelling in this

Instrumentaion and mix are so good

the vocal is great even by your standard of always having good vocals

one to really be proud of,

Kenny

Thanks so much for the kind words Torrey. They mean a lot to me! Loving your songs!! Take care. Greg

Greg,

There`s a level of honesty in your writing that sets many of your songs apart.Matters not whether the lyric is fictional or factual- you get inside the story and make us believe.
This one carried me away - loved it, and if it were a movie I`d just have to stay in my seat awhile as the credits roll and let it sink in.

Robert

This is absolutely and positivity the best tearjerker that I have ever heard. Your instrumentation was perfect! Your vocal and lyrics were outstanding. This is one of the best songs that I have ever heard on this or any other forum. You have raised the bar extremely high with this one.

Geez Greg what a beautiful vocal. Sound a lovely vocal. The lyric was so special. Loved the backtrack and feel of the song. The violin was such a nice touch. Well done...

The sparse arrangement goes great with the poignant story and makes the vocal even more touching and intimate. Great to hear you again Greg.

This may be the weirdest set of comments you will get. Keeping in short, I hate and love this song! An explanation...

It's such a sad song. I hate that I feel this song to the extent I do. I feel the sense of loss because your writing is so strong. I really don't like feeling that way, and yet...

It makes me SO thankful for what I have in my life. To realize it's just a song. It didn't actually happen to me; and yet I felt it. It's sort of a "Miracle on 34th Street" thing going on."

Thank you so much for sharing it and giving life a certain perspective.

Of course the writing, music and killer vocal are all what put us there!

Lyrically, to pick the lines I really like makes no sense. What would be the point of copy and pasting the whole song?

Really great song Greg!

Everything about this is stunning - lyric, vocal, arrangement, instruments, mix. It's all fabulous.

Thanks so much for your nice words. Much appreciated!! I've enjoyed your presence on the forum and your songs....some nice work! Take care. Greg

Hi, Greg !

One of your absolute best
without doubt !!!!
Liked everything about it
and your sweet vocal most !

Cheers
Dani

Love ypur vpoice and the feeling ypou convey. I wish I could sing high notes like you! Lovely restrained arrangement. Definitely conveys heartbreak in the most touching way.

Here's what sooo great about this song and every really good song. It makes the listener have an experience, it digs deep into your soul and almost brings you to tears. It makes you think and relate to the story or you feel lucky that this wasn't you. Such a haunting, longing for something that could have been, but never was. A life that the singer envisioned that was missed. Especially loved the dramatic ending "I dove into that lake, trying not to feel my frozen heart break". Truly beautiful showing the depths of emotion.
The raw simplicity in the music, mainly beautiful vocals with just enough melancholy instruments to add to the feeling and emotion of this song. Very well done.

Really enjoyed this one Greg as I do all your songs

Hello, Greg

Very nice melody and very pleasant and emotional vocal!
I entirely agree with Peter.
We are blessed with some wonderful vocalists on this forum.
This is a stunning vocal performance a lovely song and a top quality composition.
A sparse and lovely backing - truly top class.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

So sad song... touching lyrics carried by your excellent vocals, great production, nice to hear a song without drums for a while. The backing strings are barely noticeable, but are very effective.

Janne

Thanks so much Peter! Always love hearing what you think, and ALWAYS love hearing your songs!! Take care. Greg

Greg,

This is awesome. I really loved your vocals on this.

Very cinematic lyrics, beautiful poetry in them too.

This production is very delicate and poignant. One of your best!

This is a wonderful write and arrangement and it would be impossible to imagine anybody singing this other than you.

There's more heartfelt sincerity in this one vocal than in albums of other artists.

There's not much more to say. All the outstanding accolades have already been said.

We love it!

J&B

Masterful in every way at every level! Writing, story telling at it's absolute best!

Inspirational.

Songcraft at it's highest level.

Thanks so much for that wonderful review!! Your words mean a lot to me! Take care. Greg

Thanks so much Ray! Really appreciate the nice review. I think "off of" is conversational which is what most of the modern writers go for. Not sure of the technical correctness....I'm sure you know that much better than I. Thanks again! Take care. Greg

What to say after being stunned by this?
If this came on the radio in the car I'd have to pull over so I could be sure and note down the artist to check out his CDs on Amazon and YouTube. Jackson Browne would record this in a heartbeat I'm sure. It's a perfect song perfectly delivered. Wow.

John

Thanks so much Dave! Really dig your latest too!! Take care. Greg

Thanks Deryk. Much appreciated!! Love hearing from people at PG! Take care. Greg

Melodic and emotive song Greg!
Beautifully constructed and arranged.

Anne-Marie

Your reviews always make my day Floyd!! This means so much coming from you. Thanks my friend!! Take care. Greg

Thanks so much Kenny! I thought about you when I wrote this....kind of up your alley. Love your latest....awesome!! Take care. Greg

Greg,

This is simply stunning in every sense of the word...

Production, vocal and arrangement are all so wonderful.

This is a master-lesson in songcraft.

Bob

hi greg wow just a great production the vocal was awesome great write and perfect choice backing tracks thanks for sharing eric

Hi Greg,
What a vocal is my first impression ,wondered half way through where was the lyrics going as I hadnt read them ,i thought well hes ran out of road but the second half of the story is great.Loved the second piece of strings and the whole piece was wow!h

Greg,

You gain more and more of my admiration, and leave me more and more envious , with every additional song I hear from you. You pen some beautiful songs and this one is no exception. Awesome vocal on this, powered by a compelling melody and touching theme. Loved this song! Well done!

My humble regards,

Deej

Thanks so much Robert. You are quite a poet yourself!! Always admire your ability with words! Take care. Greg

THanks Mario! You've been doing some killer stuff lately....your last one inspired me to write something in that style... not yet sure I really captured what I was after. Take care. Greg

Thanks so much Scott! Always love to hear your tunes and what you have to say. Take care. Greg

Thanks Josie! Love hearing from you (always)! Come around more often! Take care. Greg

What a wonderfully flattering review!! I'm always so happy when one of my songs moves somebody. Really appreciate it!! Take care. Greg

Thanks so much David! Really appreciate your kind words. Take care. Greg

Hi Greg,

I was away from the forum for several weeks (Di's health issues) and missed this amazing song when you originally posted it. I am so happy someone brought it back to the first page.

Sometimes a song is more than a fabulous voice accompanied by equally gorgeous music and delivery. When it draws you into the music and you suddenly and inescapably become the object of the story, you live it as though it really is you and you totally forget it's a song - that's as good as it gets.

Not only are we, here on these forums, blessed and privileged to hear you and your incomparable skills, this whole thing called music is the real benefactor of your talent. Music is only what we make it - and you make it special. You've shown us what music can and should be. There have been two songs in my near 72 years I have held near and dear for the great majority of those years. There are now three.

Thank you.

Alan

Thanks so much Dani!! You've been doing some great stuff! Take care. Greg

THanks so much for the kind words!! Take care. Greg

That is certainly one of the nicest reviews I've ever gotten! Appreciated so much!! Take care. Greg