Hi, all:

Here’s another collaboration with John Vaughan. When John sent me the original lyrics I think he had a ballad in mind . . . and I think I surprised him a bit going in a little different direction--something new for both of us! I did say I wanted to focus on some more upbeat tunes in 2020, so . . . here goes. Not sure I’ve quite nailed it, but hope you enjoy it nonetheless. As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Here’s the song:

DRINK WITH ME

Here are the lyrics:

Ain't got much just friendship to give;
no flash car on the drive where I live—
lived alone since love come to an end.
Her lies, always persuasive, took our friends.

It gets lonely when my day’s works done
I sure miss hanging out with someone . . .
I’m at the bar in my own company.
Will somebody have a drink with me?

Does anyone care to have a drink with me?
Let's hop on a cloud from reality.
Pretend that we're happy, like good friends should be.
Does anyone care to have a drink with me?

Hey, don't be silly, don't you be shy—
this one's on me I'm happy to buy.
It's my anniversary one year today.
I’m single now, but it ain't all what they say.

Does anyone care to have a drink with me?
Let's hop on a cloud from reality
Pretend that we're happy, like good friends should be.
Does anyone care to have a drink with me?

Do you come here a lot?
Is this your second home?
Are you one of those guys
who keep checking their phones?
Me, I get tired of keeping myself to myself.
Hey, there's a crowd of us now—
let’s leave bygones alone;
find the ultimate high
in a place all our own.
Set life aside, and
cheers, let’s drink to ourselves.

Does anyone care to have a drink with me?
Let's hop on a cloud from reality
Pretend that we're happy, like good friends should be.
Does anyone care to have a drink with me?

And here’s the band:

RealTracks: 2939 Bass, Fretless Electric Rock8thsRene Ev 120
RealTracks: 2023 Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm CountryRockJohn Ev 120
RealTracks: 847 Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountryRockRiff Ev 120
RealTracks: 844 Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountryRockPopping Ev 120
RealTracks: 593 Fiddle, Rhythm Bluegrass Doc Ev 100
RealTracks: 669 Guitar, Slide, Background EasySouthern Ev 120
RealDrums: DrivingPop8ths^01-a:HiHat, Snare, b:Open Hat, Snare

Nice rock song - excellent vocals and melody. Nice use of the slide track.
Liked the song structure kept it interesting.

Had a Stones / Buffett vibe.

Well done.

Peter

Bravo. Hats off, once more ... I sat up from those very first, hard-hitting rock guitar notes.

It seems that, in Western Anglo-Saxon culture at least, open emotions and compliments are frowned upon ... but I'm a musician, emotions are my business, so I can't shut up, haha ...

You know what my genuine first thoughts were on hearing this? "Screw him ..." (joking, of course), "... he's far too good". I'll leave it at this, shall I? haha. But, seriously (and since I've started on the path of honest feedback, haha) ... let me just say this: you really do NOT do "crap" or even "mediocre", haha.

Also, with those lyrics, yes ... I read them first and did not expect this kind of song. Well done for making it work. I'm going to listen to it again now :-)

A show opener if I've ever heard one. Of course, it sounds good and is well put together. I love the way it builds and gets more drunken the longer it goes. Fantastic fun with subtext. Hugely enjoyed.

Nice country rock. Not upbeat thematically though.
You need to tame the cymbals as they're burying the vocals - it'll require some careful EQ subtraction but is easily done.
You've placed yourself squarely & solidly in modern country Deej, your voice suits the style well.
Nicely done.

Ah, well done, DJ. I first read all of the lyrics, then tried to listen as if I was John Vaughn expecting a ballad. My eyes opened wide with a wtf look when it started, but quickly changed to a smile of delight. I was singing along by the 2nd chorus, and raised my glass several times before the end. Great production, use of all the best band choices, and vocal!

Cool intro. Guitars were excellent. Super vocal and lyric

Deej,

A good rockin' BAND. Nice vocal. (I agree with ray about the loose open hi-hat in the chorus).

Cool that you are working on the upbeat side...

fj

Peter, James, Tangmo, rayc, Marty, Scott and Floyd:

Thanks all for the listen and kind feedback. Glad it was worth the listen.

rayc and Floyd: It’s always the things you don’t quite hear on your own that makes a board like this so helpful. I’ve gone back in and EQ’d down the symbols a tad, trying not to overdo it too much. I can always do a little bit more if need be. Let me know if you think this works better, or if a little more tamping is needed. Thanks for the feedback.

rayc: Yes, “upbeat” might not have been the best choice of word for this one. “Lively,” maybe? It does have a sad element of loneliness to it thematically.

My best to all of you.

Deej

Deej,
Those twin riffing guitars really keep this rocking... as does your fine boozy vocal ( you know what I mean-you sound loose and in character!)
I couldn`t hear the cymbal issue so I think whatever taming you did worked.
A very convincing lyric so easy to relate to.

Robert

Deej, you had me from the git-go on this one. Super rock with excellent lyrics. Your vocal was very strong and that rhythm track was outstanding.

A great song and yes I will have a drink with out anytime!

Oh yeah! Another good one from you.

Tight production. Excellent vocal performance. What a captivating rocker!

Hey Deej,

Good song! And great vocal as always. Enjoyed!

Deej, you do a great job with an upbeat number as proved here! You've got a super voice with awesome range! Powerful chorus! Thanks, Torrey

Deej & John
Solid collaboration piece.
Rides well. Cool musical bed. Deej, you swinged those lyrics very well Vocals A+. Not sure if I heard revised version, but everything sits well to my ears. Liked it! Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Cool rocker!

Great vocal (showing off that range!) and excellent use of RT's...especially the
BG slide RT.

Upbeat in that Stones groove / vocal but a bit melancholy in the lyric.
An effective contrast.

Enjoyed it!

J&B

Robert, MarioD, Ezekiel, Dave, Torrey, Misha and J&B:

Thanks to you all. I’m hoping the adjustment I made worked and it appears so . . . but glad you all seemed to enjoy the song either way.

Janice & Bud: Well, definitely pushed myself on those back up vocals, and it works well enough (though not perfect) in the mix . . . but let me tell you, I sure wouldn’t be eager to share that back up vocal track with anyone to listen to anytime soon. Not pretty on its own, LOL!

Hope all is well with all of you,

Deej

Deej,

This is great! Love the song, arrangement and your delivery - nice rock voice!

Bob

You are my absolute favorite singer here and one of the best artists overall. I'm a big fan. I liked this track, but it's not quite an earworm like so many of your songs are. Still good, and I wouldn't dissuade you from uptempo.

I too was expecting a ballad after reading the lyrics, so you caught me by a surprise. Anyway, touching lyrics I can relate to (not that I go to bars alone...). Good melody and powerful rocking band, maybe the verse could be even lighter so that the catchy chorus could pop out more. Left positive feeling after all, as always with your enjoyable vocals, cheers!

Janne

Hello Deej and John,

What nice rocker you made! The vocals are very nice. Gave a good feeling when you sang about your problem, no one wants to drink with you.
But I won't make fun on that...
We have heard other songs about this subject recently, so it must be a big issue!

NBut back to the song. The electrick guitar was very good and immediatly gave the right mood. I haven't heard the cymbals pushing you away, but mostly Ray is right on these things.
It must have been fun singing this strong song!

Hans

Bob, Tunemonger, Janne and Hans:


Really appreciate the listen and kind feedback. This was a fun one to do after working on a string of ballads. Glad it seemed to work for all of you.

Cheers to you all,

Deej

Nicely done - a rock solid collaboration. I thought the mix was concise and professional, and the vocals on this are top notch. I wouldn't bat an eyelash hearing this on the radio.

Thanks for sharing

A good rocking upbeat tune for sure...
I think you've got a great start on accomplishing your 2020 goal!

Deryk and Jim:

Glad you enjoyed the tune! Thanks for stopping in and giving it a spin.

My best to you both,

Deej