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Posted By: Deej56 Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/27/19 01:55 AM
Hey, folks:

Here's something new for you all. I hope it's worth a listen. Thanks in advance for giving this one a spin and for your suggestions and feedback. It's always appreciated.

Here's the Song:

Ooh Ooh Baby

Here are the Lyrics:

(V) She’s got rhythm in her body,
rhythm in her bones.
She's on the dance floor,
dancing all alone.

(C) And I said, “Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.
Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.”

(V) She’s got no inhibitions—
She don't look around.
She only hears the music;
she only feels that beating sound.

(C) I said, “Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.
Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.”

(V) Guys try to join her,
She always cuts them out.
But I’m gonna make my move tonight,
I’m gonna find out what that girl’s about.

(C) I said, “Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.
Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.”

(B) So I danced along side her—
couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
Then she held out her hand.
and we started spinning

(C) And I said, “Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.
Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.”
I said, “Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.
Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.”

(B2) And she’s so cool.

(V) She’s got rhythm in her body,
rhythm in her bones.
She's on the dance floor,
but now she's not so all alone.

(C) And I said, “Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.”
And she said “Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.”
And I said, “Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.”
And she said, “Ooh ooh oooh, baby, ooh.”

And Here's the Band (about as stripped a crew as I've ever used):

Drums: Real Drums Congas Ev16
Bass: Real Bass 592, Acoustic Bluegrass
Guitar: Real 3059, Acoustic, Rhythm, Muted 16ths Fintan
Guitar: Real 1158, Rhythm, Electric Reggae Slow

(c)2019 John Vaughan & DJ Lekich
Posted By: PeterF Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/27/19 02:13 AM

Great work on this. Excellent vocal and a really nice sparse, but entertaining band.
Loved the melody, the hook and feel.

Superb.

Peter
Posted By: rayc Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/27/19 05:23 AM
Cool stuff -
I reckon you could bring up the reggae guitar a fair bit. If you don't trust your ears use the visual cues.
The only other thing that stands out is the different room the vocals are in compared to the instruments.
Cool tune.
Posted By: Chris37 Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/27/19 05:43 AM
Hi Deej,
I like the vibe of your song.
There's something magnetic in it. Christian
Posted By: Jim Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/27/19 01:39 PM
I really enjoyed the lyrics & feel of your new song...
Your vocals add to the magic of the story...
Very nicely done!
Posted By: dcuny Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/27/19 02:09 PM
Really good! Catchy tune, bouncy melody, well sung.

As rayc says, the vocal sounds a bit like it's coming from another room.

I'm always a bit fan of having verses and chorus sound different via instruments, although that's tough to do with the pared down instruments.

For example, at 1:25 at the start of the verse, you could replace the guitar with a single strum at the start of each measure. At 1:44 (right after "spinning") you could have nothing but the shaker for a measure, and then start up the guitar again at the chorus.

I like this one a lot. smile
Posted By: Will Josef Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/27/19 04:40 PM
That is a nice uplifting song! I really enjoyed listening to it.

Thanks for sharing!
Will
Posted By: jannesan Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/28/19 04:05 AM
Simple in lyrics and arrangement, but still catchy and modern, nice upbeat mood. Your voice is really enjoyable, especially in the high notes of the chorus.

Janne
Posted By: musician17 Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/28/19 04:31 PM
Listening now. What strikes me about your writing is that you know exactly what you're doing - it's like creating a cake, you know exactly what the basis of it is, what the icing is, what the cherry on top is - you know the exact proportions the ingredients have to be in and just how much or little it has to go into the oven for. And then you add a dollop of creativity and that unique vocal tone of yours for good measure - and the creativity and passion and commitment in your voice, on that solid basis, is what makes it all, for me.

In short, you're a master craftsman of singing and, importantly for me, songwriting. Wish I would know how you create that basis - because the icing and cherry on the cake are individual to us all, and that I think I can do - it's the basics, funnily enough, where I think that I, personally, don't do so well when I myself write. But that's beside the point - very, very well done - you've put in the work required AND you have the talent it takes - and that combination of gifts in one person I can only admire.
Posted By: Rustyspoon# Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/28/19 09:38 PM
DJ Lekich,
Another awesome track! Great vocals!
Suggestions, probably none, it sounds great. Personally I would prefer vocals with a little more reverb, not for the reason to make it "pretty" but to blend with guitar better.

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.
Posted By: Tangmo Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/30/19 02:51 AM
Love the little band sound. Vocals are outstanding (if a touch muted)...so good they make me want to give up. What a great feel-good song in a sweet package. Hugely enjoyed.
Posted By: Janice & Bud Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/30/19 01:11 PM
Loving that stripped down crew!

Great vocals and a melody that defines "catchy!"

And the lyric is cool -- it makes a great attitude statement w/o getting complex or over cooked.

Everything works for us!

J&B
Posted By: TuneMonger Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/31/19 01:44 AM
You're possibly my favorite singer on the showcase, and this was another great effort. Song was very good as well. Sonically the vocal was too distant for me. Still enjoyed it.
Posted By: Crossroads Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/31/19 05:07 AM
Hi Deejay56,

love this one: good lyrics, good melody, good arrangement and very well-sung - what more could you ask for? A very enjoyable thing.

Cheers,

Stefan
Posted By: Deryk - PG Music Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/31/19 10:59 AM
Wow - what a tune! It's incredibly catchy, and the stripped-down backing tracks actually work perfectly. It gives it lots of room to breathe, and I thought your vocals were incredible here. The mix job on this is right on the money too. Really crisp and professional sounding.

You should be proud of this one - thanks for sharing smile
Posted By: Joe -PG Music Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/31/19 01:11 PM
Great work on this John, fantastic choice of instrumentation on this. The different elements really glue well together and the instruments are layered nicely. Looking forward to hear more!
Posted By: Robertkc Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 07/31/19 01:28 PM
Superb vocals on a catchy tune that sends shivers in the upper register and gets toes tapping at the same time.
Some good suggestions already re: how the vocals sound apart from the backing... with a tweak this should be a radio smash!

Robert
Posted By: Deej56 Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/02/19 12:48 AM
Peter, Ray, Christian, Jim, David, Will, Jan, James, Misha, Tangmo, J&B, TuneMonger, Stefan, Deryk, Joe, and Robert:

Whew, lots of folks—sorry I haven’t had the time to check back sooner. Anyway, thank you so much for stopping in and giving this one a spin. And I’m glad, on the whole you seemed to enjoy it. I appreciate the kind comments and support! My best to you all.

rayc: I bounced back and forth on the volume of the reggae guitar, and ended up going a bit conservative on it. I had a number of other instruments in the original mix, and the more I stripped the tune, the more it felt right. I put the reggae guitar at the point where I felt it gave that reggae feel but wasn’t too intrusive. But you are probably correct that it can come up a bit, at least in spots. I’ll mess with it more if and when I revisit this one.

rayc, David, and Robert: Not sure what I can do with the vocal sounding as if from a different room—other than to re-record it in another room, LOL!! I recorded it in a unfurnished, high ceiling room, with some great acoustics—so that’s likely largely the culprit. Were I better EQ’ing—or spent time learning how to be better—I might be able to address it that way.

David: Some really great suggestions. I did have some other instruments in the mix originally (though a rhythm guitar, and not a single strum), but it seemed to get more busy than I wanted. But I totally get your perspective, and I particularly like the idea of nothing but the shaker for a measure or so. Great feedback!

James: Exceptionally kind comments, though I really can’t take credit for the write on this one. The degree to which I tinker with John’s lyrics vary greatly from tune to tune, mostly dictated by where I go with the melody . . . On this one, I think I tweaked a line and added the “She’s so cool” bridge (simply because the melody seemed to require it). So this write is all John. And while I came up with the melody and arrangement, John pushed me in the right direction with the idea this should have a reggae feel. So while I’m humbled by your kind comments, this write lies more with Mr. Johnny Vaughan than me.

Thanks again, everybody—you’re all the best!

Deej
Posted By: ROG Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/02/19 06:43 AM
Absolutely fabulous!

Loved the whole thing from the first bar to the last.

The oohs made it special - very Paul Simon!

A classic.

ROG.
Posted By: Greg Johnson Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/03/19 06:32 PM
Cool, catchy song!! Really nice vibe and excellent vocals! As great as the vocal is, it sounds like you were a distance from the mic. It is not the amount of reverb (I don't think) but the feeling that the vocal is in the other room. Not sure it's centered either. Regardless, love the song and your performance!! Take care. Greg
Posted By: Torrey Bliss Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/03/19 09:17 PM
Cool song DJ!! Man do you have a high range in your voice! Excellent job on this! Thanks, Torrey
Posted By: floyd jane Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/04/19 04:56 PM
Deej,

You really made this come alive. A powerful vocal. Cool melody.

Enjoyed the listen.

fj
Posted By: Deej56 Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/07/19 02:05 AM
ROG, Greg, Torrey and Floyd,

Really appreciate the listen and positive feedback. Thanks for stopping in.

Greg (and others who made a similar comment): I went back in to remix the vocal, trying to make it sound less like it was “in another room”. I actually recorded the vocal in a sparsely furnished, high ceiling room—which was a pleasure to sing in—but perhaps contributed to the different feel of vocals vs. band. Not sure it’s an improvement. Usually, the more I mess with the EQ the more I make it worse, LOL. But for better or worse, offering up the alternative in the link above.

Based on feedback, in the revised version I also (1) raised the reggae guitar, and (2) turned up the back up vocals just a notch.

Any better?

My best to you all,

Deej
Posted By: Deej56 Re: Ooh Ooh Baby [Resolved] - 08/07/19 02:10 AM
Sorry All:


Not sure why I can't edit my original post--not sure what "mark resolved" does. But anyway, here's the post to the alternative version, trying to reflect comments above:

Ooh Ooh Baby Remix
Posted By: rayc Re: Ooh Ooh Baby [Resolved] - 08/07/19 03:11 AM
Remix is good - a little essy but that's probably me - a bright n happy ditty.
The only way to address the "different room" thing is to change the reverb on the rest of the mix with one that more closely matches the vocal. If you export tracks dry from BIAB then you can experiment to get it to a near match. I've found the BIAB reverb is very hard to match with anything.
Posted By: Noel96 Re: Ooh Ooh Baby [Resolved] - 08/07/19 04:16 AM
Hi Deej,

Wow! This is excellence with pizzazz!

I absolutely love the band. The feeling of space and instrumental clarity that a good, well-produced small ensemble brings to the mix is always valuable in my book.

In addition, your singing is first class and very entertaining. As I sat here listening, I found it really easy to picture you and your group and your song's characters on stage and having a barrel of fun.

You and John have done it again!!!

All the best,
Noel
Posted By: Scott C Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/08/19 11:32 AM
Boy do I like this backtrack. That guitar was very cool. Excellent vocal and lyric. Well done
Posted By: Belladonna Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/08/19 01:45 PM
Good sound!! Reminds me a little of Tracy Chapman.
Posted By: Deej56 Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/15/19 03:16 AM
Noel, Scott, and Belladonna:

Thanks for stopping in . . . can’t say how much your support means. It’s greatly appreciated.

Belladonna: I just got back from three weeks in Italy a bit a go—can I say “Pretty Lady”? smile

rayc: Thanks for the revisit—I remixed the remix—just a tad and not in ways anyone might really notice, and updated the posting. So, hopefully, here on in, that’s what folks hear. Anyway, really appreciate your input—good call on bringing up the reggae guitar.

Oh, and also, terrific call on importing dry from BIAB to the DAW . . . I usually try to remember to do that . . . . but sometimes get careless and forget. Totally agree, though, that’s the way to go.

My best to you all,

Deej
Posted By: Jim Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/21/19 01:40 PM
I thought I'd better listen to this again before it disappears...
Yeah...
I really like this one...
Good job DJ!
Posted By: Leon1 Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/22/19 02:49 AM
Late in commenting, but I really like this. Great song, first class vocal.
Leon
Posted By: TuneMonger Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/22/19 04:14 PM
Listened again, sounds great to me, on the chart with a bullet!
Posted By: Deej56 Re: Ooh Ooh Baby - 08/26/19 10:45 PM
Jim, Leon and TuneMonger:

Sorry for the delayed reply, but my utmost appreciation for the listen and kind comments.

Was surprised to see this one bounce back up again. Thanks, Jim.

Leon, better late than never, I always say. Glad you liked the tune.

My best to you all,

Deej
Posted By: TuneMonger Re: Ooh Ooh Baby [Resolved] - 08/28/19 06:09 PM
Sounds much, much better now! Great job!
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