A funky blues tune this time up, always fun to do: High Pass

The band:

RealTracks in song: 2622:Organ, Rhythm FunkSwing16 Sw16 085

Drums: EZDrummer2

Bass: Marty Straub
Guitars: Dave Bell
Vocals: Chris Spruit

Mixed with Reaper, mastered with Ozone 9

High Pass (2020, Christiane Spruit)

Now that we are cruising
the sun is on the way
Taking the roads wherever they will lead us
we are on a high pass
soon we'll be down by the sea

Time to cross borders
change the state, space and time
down to the beat in lust for life
we are alive
soon we'll be down by the sea

Nothing could be better
forever and for ever
we leave the known behind
whatever we will find
forget about the weather
we are drifting, we are feathers
we are rain and we are sunshine
not matter what we find
right by your side
we are on the highpass
flying by

We are on a high pass

forget about the weather
we are drifting, we are feathers
we are rain and we are sunshine
not matter what we'll find
soon we'll be down
we're on a high pass

Chris also did a video:


I'll get it uploaded to soundcloud in a day or two.

As always we welcome all comments!

Simple, uncluttered hard-blues with a solid vocal performance; I especially liked the little stop that you put in at the end of the chorus, and the unison bass/guitar notes coming out of the chorus. Enjoyed it!

Well, ya'll have certainly put an HPF on the mood with this one! Chris sounds spectacular. I maybe haven't been listening as long as some, but to my ears she is really finding her zone behind the mic. Love that Marty groove...intentional and song-based. Really NICE! The solo is everything I've come to expect from Dave, emotional and on purpose. The arrangement is solid. Love the little breaks and the production in the bridge and the guitar/bass unison section.

The only thing I might have wished for in the mix was more presence in the funky rhythm guitar...especially in the beginning. "It" felt a bit like the most under-appreciated member of this hard-working BA band.

What a great listen! My favorite BA tune so far.

Round up the usual suspects.

A good Blues Rock write. I like how Chris write in short phrases - that fit so well. Makes for a very sing-able song.

Excellent vocals and harmonies. Love that "down..." - emotion.

Beautiful bass from Marty. Very musical.

Gorgeous guitars. Needless to say. Cool tone on the solo.

Drums and organ are solid. Excellent mix. Good music.

All the pieces. Tightly in place.

As always.

Lovely impressionistic lyrics (we are drifting, we are feathers, we are rain and we are sunshine), an excellent vocal from Chris (also love that 'down') and great playing from Dave and Marty. Another really impressive production, folks, much enjoyed.
Regards,
Leon

Yeah!
That is excellent funky cookin!
Very good vibe and strong artistic bond, especially considering looooong miles between you. EVERYBODY sounds great! Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

P.S. I do wish rhythm guitar, especially before first solo would be a hint louder. It equals out on the second half.

Yep another lovely blues performance - with great all round performances.
As usual some wonderful guitar playing, excellent bass and Chris sound fantastic.

A great all round group production (even liked the organ player - whose name escaped me).

Peter

Thanks for the listen and comments!

Hi Team,

Fabulous.

First up, I DO like Chris's voice and she's flying in this one.

Marty's bass is always exactly right for the style and mood of the song
and this line really underpins the arrangement SO well.

And Dave - man, you were obviously born to play the blues.

Loved the whole thing.

Some of your best guitar work, a more energetic Robert Cray to my ears. Liked the lyrics and your singer, of course, is gold. Well done!

Very cool tune Dave and Chris. Martys bass line gave the song the old bar vibe. Took me back to my earlier years. Super vocal and as such a cool tone on your guitar. Smooth with a little touch of nasty. Well done....

I agree about that guitar. That particular part was a last minute thing, I recorded it after I had already sent the bed off to Chris so she could do her final vocal. After a couple of days away from the mix I can hear now that it should be a little more upfront. And I’ll do that at some point, but already started working on the next song.

Awesome review, thanks very much, Tang!

"forget about the weather
we are drifting, we are feathers
we are rain and we are sunshine
not matter what we'll find
soon we'll be down
we're on a high pass"

Love that!

This is great. The write and arrangement are tops.

Chris's vocals are soul filled and have the perfect amount of edge to them.

Dave's guitar is soaring...Clapton like.

And, that bass guy got all funky on us! Cool. Janice was scat singing the bass line

We most enjoyed it and the vid scenery was great.

J&B

Hi Dave, Chris and Marty,

That's a cool Blues you made here! It's always a pleasure listening to your songs and this one is no exeption at all.
I thought you told us Chris will be on a vacation, so I had accepted that this would mean no songs from your hand for a long time...
But luckily that is not the case! This is a Blues mixed with soul I would say. I can agree with what J&B say about the 'soul filled' voice of Chris.
I liked that solo from the leadguitar. Very well done. Again!

Hans

Dave, your band sounds awesome! Everything here is really good! Your guitars are always at the top level tone and playing! Marty's bass sounds so good! I can never compliment Chris's vocals enough...they are always spot on! Great!! T

Thanks, floyd!

And thanks for mentioning the tone on the solo, I experimented a bit with the FX chain for this one. Always looking for the perfect tone!

Appreciate that, Leon, thanks!

Dave / Chris,

This is superb all around...

The production on this one is a real stand-out - you guys keep raising the bar!

Excellent!

Bob

Great track. Outstanding guitar playing. Loved the solo. Bass was in the groove. Great vocals and lyrics. The band was good too. Good one to everyone.

Thanks, Misha!

I agree about that guitar part. I'll fix when it comes time to remix this one

Thanks, Peter!

Yes, there are a few really good BIAB B3 tracks to chose from, I get a lot of mileage out of them.

Thanks, ROG, appreciate that!



"more energetic Robert Cray", I'll take that! I'm actually a fan of his, especially his older stuff. Thanks!

“Smooth with a little touch of nasty”, I like that! Thanks, Scott

What a wild guitar playing, nice funky rhythm and great riffing. The whole band really works, funk always works for me Nice contrast in the lyrics, being free and then down by the sea. High quality singing and mixing once again.

Janne

I can hear Janice doing that scat thing in my head. Sound great! Thanks you two



Hi Hans,

Yes, she was gone for almost three weeks. But I had a few tracks backed up for her to listen to when she got back, doesn't take her long when she is on a roll, same with Marty.

Thanks!



Means a lot coming from you, thanks, Torrey!

Dave, I can't tell you how much fun it is to work on these with you and Chris. Man, her voice is soooo engaging, then your guitar comes in with its own sweet voice, eventually blending together in such great music. Your ability at the mixing board is outstanding, and I'm happy to be learning what I can. Thanks, and whatever you do don't fire the bass player.

Just having fun, Bob Thanks!





Thanks jpt*3



Cheers, Janne!

First of all, that is some butt-kicking guitar work!

Just bought some new speakers, and Marty's bass is shining through. Great work!

Of course, Chris's voice sounds most excellent.

This is one tight and grooving song! Enjoyed it immensely.

Hey Marty,

It's been lots of fun having you onboard, the chance of you getting fired is slim

Reminds me of Maddy Bell on the Suicide Sal LP. Blues with some swing.
The organ was a fine choice for the band's augmentation.
The kick drum, well you know what I'd say..it only seems that way occasionally when it pokes out between the otehr instruments.
Stinging solo...bass is well funky!

hi dave chris marty great job clear and crisp mix pro sound!!!! loved it thanks eric

Dave, that is some of your best guitar work. Marty you’re such a perfect fit for this band. Chris, your vocals and writing are getting better all the time. A really great listen,Tom

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I agree with Tom. Everything that I was going to say already has been said so I will end with this, if you put a CD out with songs like this one it I will be the first in line to purchase it!

Alligator Records don't have music this good!

You made my speakers sound great!

Nothing to add that hasn't been said, so I'll cheat and write "What they said!

Thanks, happy you liked it!



Maggie Bell has actually improved with age IMHO, saw a youtube video of her performing from a few years back. Better than ever.

Cheers, Ray!



Thanks, Eric!



Great to see you back, Tom! Thanks for the kind words



We will definitely do a CD with Marty in the mix, just need a few more songs. Thanks, Mario!



Thanks, David!