https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130/not-today?in=user-296497130/sets/birch-2019-part-2

Hi everyone,

This song I made in 2018, but never brought it to this forum. The recording wasn't too well then and it was hidden somewhere between other songs. At that time I didn't know how to deal with Soundcloud. But I liked the song very much so I re-recorded it these days. I believe it's improved now, but you have to judge if I'm right at that.

It is Blues, so it is sad. But I think you might like the sologuitar the most.
I made it after sitting in a car for hours (as a passenger) with aweful music on the radio. At home, making this song was the first thing I did. I don't make Bluessongs so often, but sometimes I have to make one. Like that carride...

The style is Soultry, the tempo 95. The key C#.
I haven't change one instrument, only added the sologuitar: 576 RealTracks.

I hope you enjoye it,
Hans

I nearly forgot the lyrics:
Not today

(c) HwBerkhout 210818

I used to sing my favourite song
About beer, women and so on
I fell in love, more than intended
Much broken hearts to be mended

I was the villain most of the time
saw feelings flew out o my chime
I didn't want to, I'm not that bad
but troubles each morning make me sad

No, I don't need it, not this way
Live must be special, anyway
I like to see you'll be the one
To let my doubts all be gone

No, it can't be over, not today
Tell me what new song you want me to play?
It's so easy, can't you see?
If you still have these feelings for me

Live had to give us roses I believed
Not the thorns that we've received
They often hurt me, as to you
But we managed to get through

No, I don't get it, why things can't stay
Maybe it's wrong to say
But I don't want it, not this way
You know, that villain has long gone away

No, it can't be over, not today
Tell me what new song you want me to play?
It's so easy, can't you see?
If you still have these feelings for me

No, it can't be over, not today
You must believe me, please do stay
It's so easy to realize
Don't throw away something nice

You are correct sir. I like the solo guitar the best. Very good blues sound. Keep up the good work!

Hi Hans,

This is such a great groove and it suits your singing and your song so well.

Your singing is excellent and the mix is wonderful. As I'm sitting here right now listening through headphones, there is nothing I'd change. And yes, the solo guitar is excellent!

You've sure raised the personal-best bar with this one.

All the best,
Noel

Hello Hans. The guitar work reminds me of Clapton.
The production is very well done.
Great work on this and thank you for posting.
Rob4580

Wow Hans, you really delivered the blues, no question.

Great mix, balance, and fantastic groove, great breaks and fills.

Every part of this works so well.

Your voice is like made for blues I can hear Chris Rea vibes in the melancholy mood and in your voice. Enjoyable chording and melody especially in the chorus. Nice arrangement and the solo guitar is a working addition, maybe chorus could get a nice lift from the verses with an additional instrument, like an organ?

Janne

Now that's what I'm talkin about! Excellent job on the mix 2, sounds great on my BX8's. I'm off to find those real tracks. Thanks for sharing.

Rick

Ok the guitar solo is good, but don`t sell your excellent vocal short,Hans- that`s the highlight for me. A little rasp and lots of feeling in your voice - the processing works for the style too.
I think Janne made a good suggestion about adding that b3 organ on the chorus- mix is good though.

Robert

Hello Hans ...

I'm a big fan of the Blues. This song is a terrific example of why I am. Love that guitar solo ... sparkles like freshly shined diamond. Your vocal is strong and perfect for the song. I'll add a +1 for the thought of a B3 on the chorus.

That was a really great listen! Best to you ...

Alan

You've definitely got the groove on this.

Yeah, I love that guitar.

Strong vocal performance!

Suitable guitar solo but it's a little loud.
The vocal gets a little loud in places as well.
Nice blues though.

Hi Hans,

Listened yesterday but didn't have time to comment.

The star of this song is your vocal in my opinion, very good! I love your tone!

Good song, enjoyed!

What a tune Love the smoky vibes all over this. It has a mysterious quality to it, and I thought it flowed nicely. That solo knocked it out of the park for me, too.

Thanks for sharing!

Hello Steve, Noel, Rob and VideoTrack,

Thanks for listening and your nice comments and compliments.
Steve, as I thought, you liked the solo. It is a significant part of this song, and I enjoyed making it sound this way.
Noel, nice of you to say i raised the personal-best bar. While making the song I was only thinking of what a terrible cardrive I had that day. Worked out nicely, reading your comment.
Rob, that's a very nice compliment; comparing the guitar with Claptons playing skills. I think it's BB that can put that compliment in their pocket too!
VideoTrack, I'm getting curious about your real name, but beside that you gave a very nice compliment (you delivered the Blues). I had to look it up on Google translate, because here we translate it as if you delivered a package. you couldn't mean that, I thought.

But all your comments gave me more drive for another Bluessong (within some time). Maybe first an awful airtrip or something like that...

Hans

Hi Janne, Rick, Robert and Alan,

I got a smile reading your nice comments, and suggestions.
Janne, beside your nice words, I became curious about that organ in the chorus. I'm not such a fan of organs, but I tried the song yesterday with a suitable organ (sound). It didn't sound so bad as I had expected. In fact, I also used it on some parts of the verses as well. Today I will finish it all and put the song on SC. Maybe you like it more now. But don't hesitate telling me I did a wrong job with that organ...
Rick, I'm glad you became so enthusiastic. In that style I mentioned (Soultry) I changed the pedal steel for a vintage piano (2906), added the sologuitar (576) and now also an organ B3 (673). Make me some nice Blues!
Robert, That's very nice of you to say I don't have to sell my vocals short. I had some doubts about the cracks in my voice, but you made that fade away. Thanks!
And Alan, you succeeded in surpassing Robert with your compliment about you loving blues and my song is why. Makes me proud...
And I listened to Janne, Robert and you to put in an organ. by accident it is that B3 you mentioned! I didn't know what you meant with a B3 on the chorus, now I do. Thanks for learning!

Hans

Nice bluesy feel , with vocals to match the feel nice. Guitar sound Brilliant.

Thanks

That is a great solo guitar and we have used it several times...it seems easy to fit in with it's sparse phrasing.
Also the guy playing it was once in the Allman Brothers Band.

And you added that guitar to a fine production including the write and the vocals.

We love the blues and this one is excellent...it has a bit of a mysterious edge to it not often heard in blues.

Excellent!!!!

J&B

Hi Hans,

after all those great versatile songs you're now performing 'the Crying Dutchman' - wow, I must say: I AM IMPRESSED.

Great song, great singing, fine arrangement, but your soloing is among the most interesting and best blues solloing I have heard in a long time. Man, would I be happy, if I could play like that....

Very well done, Hans, really VERY well done.

Groetjes,

Stefan

Loved this Hans. Super vocal. Such a cool backtrack. My kind of music. The guitar was really nice add. Well done

Hi Ezekiel, Ray, Dave, Deryk, Beatmaster, Janice and Bud, Stefan,

Thanks all for your comments on this Bluessong.
Ezekiel, you felt the Groove...! and loved the guitar. And you are right. I like Blues, but doubted if my voice was good enough for it. Probabely when the reason for making it was bad enough I can succeed. But with the help of that sologuitar. From Janice anD Bud (or one of them) I just learned it was the sologuitarist of the Almand Brothers.! So I am proud a famous guy joined my band!

And Dave, because of what I just wrote about my voice, your compliment on that gives me wings... Thanks for that, because I keep in mind who is singing with you. That makes the compliment even bigger! And about the sologuitar. I had this kind of solo in mind when I wrote about your latest song.

Deryk, the smokey vibes... Like the term, but the other one as well; you were knocked out by one of the Almand Brothers!

Beatmaster, you also mentioned that sologuitar. Yeah man, it was fun working with it. I had to push the re-genetate button many times to get the solosound I liked for this song. Then immediate frooze it and kept it as it was.

Jannice and Bud, I mentioned both of you before in this reply. I didn't know it was a gitarist of that famous band. Nice to know! And I was wondering wich part you thought sounded mysterious.

Stefan, man that was a very nice compliment from you. You who make those beautiful songs and funny videos... (well ok, Maha did all of that, you did the drinking). But it felt very good getting you IMPRESSED!

And Ray, I saved you for the last. I like your act of immitating a grumpy old man although I know you certainly are not at all. Unless the fact that I am older than you (and know more) I know you're allways right and say that like a hamer hits the nails'head. Directly! Yes you were right that both my vocals as the solo were mixed a bit too loud. So thanks for that. I have corrected it in a new version on SoundCloud. In it I also added a B3 organ as I promised Janne, Robert and Allan. It only took me a day longer than expected. And thanks you liked the song too.

Hans

Nicely done tune Hans...
I did like that guitar solo...
BTW...
You're "awful music on the radio" reminded me of the MRI I had to have on my leg...
The tech asked me what kind of music I wanted while in their clanging MRI contraption...
Whoops...
I mentioned country...
Forgetting that country music has dramatically changed in recent years...
Fortunately I couldn'r hear the country rap music because of their clanging MRI monstrosity !

Enjoyable listen!

Jim, this reminds me of something I heard way back in the 80s, when Bill Maher told Jay Leno on the Tonight Shos that he had developped a new musical fusion style, combining Country and Rap.

And he had named that style, too: Crap LOL

Greetings,

Stefan

Awesome blues vibe here!! The solo guitar is great, and your vocal shines!! This is a real quality write/production all the way!! Take care. Greg

Hans, this is a killer track! Your vocal is wonderful! Excellent performance that fits that bluesy style so well!! I think this song has been recorded very well...my favorite of yours by far!! Thanks, Torrey

Dear Hans...

So, you say you don't make blues songs so often??? Well, based on how gutsy your vocal was, and the way it amplified the bluesy sound of the Real Style you chose, I don't believe it's necessary for you to do blues songs often, because you did this one so well that its impact will last, and last, and last, for a lo-o-o-n-g time !!!

The way you sang your lyrics for Not Today, Blues (that's a pretty hip title, by the way), surprised the hell out of me. Passion is a fashion you wear very, very well. In fact, I came to that conclusion upon hearing the way you delivered the line, "If you still have these feelings for me". I literally sat up in my chair and said, not aloud, but inwardly: "DAMN!" I mean, sir, that the emotion in your voice came through as authentic and powerful, and it simply caught me off-guard.

Your lyrics are, to my ears, as electric and as immediate as the romantic crisis they describe. I could imagine you wrote them while you were actually engrossed in that 'real life' situation. Also, I couldn't help but be aware of how you so accurately phrased the words as you sang them. I mean, you sounded like a seasoned 'bluesman', Hans, the kind I would pay to see/hear at a blues club. The feel, the style, it was 'just right' !!!

So, don't worry about having to produce any more blues songs for a while, because this one's got staying power .

LOREN

Hi Jim, David, Stefan, Greg, Torrey and Loren

Thanks for your replies and nice comments (except for Stefan, you replied on Jim...).

Jim, you mentioned having the same sort of experience when dealing with music that teases your brain for a long time. You understand perfectly why I had to make a bluessong! And you were suffering even more than I did!

David, thanks for the compliment. If it's alright, than it's good, ain't that so?

Stefan, I have nothing to say on your comment, beside you mentioning Bill Maher . Like his shows!

Torrey, I missed you for some time. Glad got you back, at least for this song! Thanks for what you said about the song, and also proud to achieved the status of being on your list of favorites (the song I mean).

Loren, what a nice comment you wrote. I almost saw you jumping out of your chair when the chorus came, spilling whiskey on your trousers, shouting "Damn!" and suddenly liked the song for all that! When writing this comment to you all, I noticed the song lost it's 'staying' power' on BB... But I've mentioned your comment to my wife and she thinks you're a very nice guy

Hans

Hans,

I think the intro is very strong—not much of a blues fan, but it definitely caught my ear and attention. Good vocal that sits well in the mix and works well with the music. Engaging beat and just love the guitar solo (seems like I’m hearing a lot of those today—BIAB is on a roll!). Very chill tune—liked it!

All my best,

Deej

Hans,

A great groove on this.

Excellent vocal.

Good mix. Enjoyed.

fj

Very nice sound here Hans.
You must have taken a lot of time to get it so right
Enjoyed it.

Marty Ricciotti

This song has a really wonderful, full sound to it. Thanks for sharing!