For Heavens Sake

The band:

RealTracks in song: 3099:Organ, Rhythm AmericanaSlow16thsMike Ev16 060
RealTracks in song: 2879:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm AmericanaSparseSlow16thsColin Ev16 060

Vocal: Chris Spruit
Bass: Marty Straub
Guitars: Dave Bell
Drums: EZDrummer2

I ended up recording five guitar tracks for this (not all playing at the same time )

Mixed in Reaper, mastered with Ozone.

For Heavens Sake (2020, Christiane Spruit)

In my tunes
in my tunes blue
nights come crawling
back home to me
now and then
in those times
in those times
I am holding myself
upright
for me to stay
safe
for heaven's sake

Bringing the blue
into my room
laying my heart down
next to you
your picture in the frame
looks as if it's going to say
all broken hearts must cry

Hurting you
did hurt me too
caught our love by the blade, instead
avoiding the pain
Like a cut
like a cut
that opens up
again
now and then
grace
for heaven’s sake

Also up on soundcloud: For Heavens Sake

and youtube:



All comments welcome!

Hi there, Chris, Dave & Marty,

This band just gets better and better.

The first thing that struck me is how Chris's voice is developing
with each successive song. So professional in her phrasing and the
amount of emotion she pours into the lyrics.

Fabulous guitar work here as well - some of your very best, Dave.
And Marty, doing exactly what a great bass player should do - always
sympathetic to the track, always underpinning the excellent backing.

And the arrangement - so accomplished, so well thought out, maintaining
interest from start to interrupted finish.

Did I say I liked it?

ROG.

Nothing not to like here! Good job folks. The guitar solo starting at 3:34 was especially tasty.

A very long and totally convincing intro shows you guys really are at the top of the game.
I agree with ROG- Chris raises the bar on her vocals here; there`s more presence and emotion than ever.
Nice layers on those guitars and that outro:whoa!!
Its going to be unavoidable... you`ll be hearing "your best yet" many times.

Robert

Loved this Dave. Chris’s vocal was perfect. Loved your guitar work. Tone was so bright and crisp. I must add to Rogs comments on Marty’s bass lines. When I am looking for things to add to a song I mute all the tracks except the bass and drums. He has a great feel. This is a very cool song.

Dave / Chris,

This is as good as it gets. Outstanding vocals and really sharp crisp production.

The best!

Bob

Fantastic tune! I love the electric guitar. Outstanding. Wonderful vocals. Love the bass lines. Excellent work. The band is holding its own too.

Great work to everyone!

Thanks for mentioning the arrangement, that is something we spent quite a bit of time with. And thanks for mentioning the guitar too of course And yeah, Marty always delivers the perfect part for the song.

I passed along your comments to Chris

Thanks for the support, ROG, we appreciate it!

Dave, Chris & Marty.

Y'all are making killer music.

Loved the opening. A nice delay on the guitar. Cool tone.

Both the organ and bass are "sexy" - both in tone and playing.

Chris' vocal is every bit as "sexy" as the underlying tracks. Might be her best ever - they seem to notch up a little more each time - amazing.

A gorgeous guitar solo. Soulful.

There is SO much over-the-top-good. Pro-level.

Loved the ending!

Great. Music.

fj

Dark and beautiful. The drum pulse is like a heartbeat that underpins the whole thing. The guitars are stunning. The vocals beautiful. The writing sublime. All of it so professionally done. Congratulations!

That is some solid modern blues at it's best. Great breaks and drum fills. The guitar swells on the first verse fills were inspired. Solid as a rock bass lines and I agree that the vocal may be the best yet from Chris. I thought the guitar volume levels were on the money and the overall mix sounded great. You three are on a tear. Great stuff and these observations come from a lifelong lover of the blues, Tom

Excellent playing on everything. Nice subtle vocal harmony. Enjoyed the build through the song, and killer guitar playing.

Love the mix - every note of the vocals, solo, and even the guitar harmonics come through clearly, and every note counts.

Boy, that is some fine, fine stuff!!! The band just gels so well, and Chris' voice gets better and better.......tons of emotion in this vocal!! And Dave's soaring lead over Marty's sweet bass rounds out a great production!! Great work by all!! Take care. Greg

Really liked this a lot, all the attention to detail paid off. Terrific synergy. More than 'kept my attention,' this kept me thrilled throughout. Great work!

Absolutely love the intro...best I've heard in a long time from anyone.

The vocal/melody has a slight slight Twin Peaks feel, which I live very much.

Those five guitar tracks give this a rich sound.

Marty's bass sounds great in my new speakers.

The dynamics really create the drama to support the narrative.
Holes and parred down parts that create anticipation.
There's the occasional touch of Chris Issacs guitar to go with the soaring lead licks.
Nothing to not enjoy...the package is excellent.

Dave, Chris & Marty (and the organ guy)

Wonderful - loved the intro and the outro solo was superb.

Excellent vocal and bass, production and song writing.

Well done to all involved.

Peter

Blue A.
Cool intro! Guitar(s) is/are an ear opener. Very emotional, intimate vocals, almost gypsy music influenced. Very balance between achieving perfection and yet not being uptight. Liked it a lot!

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

Appreciate that, Dan, thanks!



Thanks very much, Robert!

Hey Scott, I thought that tone worked well for the intro. Went back to my normal blues/rock tone for the solo though. Thanks for the listen/comments!



Thanks, Bob!

Fabulous track. It's not often I want to keep listening and replaying tracks.

Not gonna enter the best yet fray

BlueAttitude has set an extremely high bar for production quality for a long time. And this one rests right up there with its brothers and sisters. Admittedly we all hope to grow our production chops, etc., and no doubt BA has but when you start with such great songs and performances it's hard, at least for us, to cherry pick. OK, adding that bass guy did up that bar up a bit more

Many of your sounds have hints of mystery to them but this one really shows more of that, maybe ethereal vibe. And what's so interesting is that you do this w/o ever distracting from the fact that it is great Blues Rock.

There's simply a synchronicity of your guitar and Chris' (Janice says exotic) vocals. Like it was out there waiting to become one. It really shows on this one.

Hopefully all that rambling is taken to mean we really like this tune. And the abstract vid is perfect for it. We listened multiple times on the three platforms. ReverbNation seems to have a bit more "punch" to it...ever so slight. But we mostly like the SC version because we can add it to our playlist!

J&B

PS: And a little bit of a Santana feel also.

Hi Dave, Marty and Chris,

How J&B put it is exactly how I feel it too when it comes to your quality and the entertainment content. Brilliant recordings / mixing / masterig, but above all the songs are all very good. While typing this post I am listening for the fourth time to this song. Very good, but I have to stop saying that or you become as arrogant as, as... Well as something not nice.

It's amazing when listening to the kick and snaredrums. It almost feels as if they are located next to me. The same with the other instruments, but the drums you feel in your stomach. Maybe one day I reach that mixing level too!

Huge kudos to the three of you,
Hans

Dave, Chris & Marty
I know when I click on one of your posts I'm going to hear something good. Professional quality mix, great playing and terrific vocals. Another very fine song, folks.
Regards,
Leon

Really nice piece. Listened once for the whole experience. Outstanding band, song, and mix. Listened again with greater attention to Marty. Lovely unobtrusive tone, song-centered and melodic in it's own right, and rhythmically rich. Given that these are the same attributes that Dave delivers in his own play, it's no wonder it all fits so sweetly together.

The whole package hugely enjoyed here.

Thanks, jpt*3!



"Dark and beautiful", I like that! Thanks very much

Thanks for the very nice review, floyd!
I really appreciate all the support you have given us over the years, it means a lot. Not to mention all the production tips you gave me when we were first starting this journey

BlueAttitude:

You all just keep bringing it! I know when I click one of your tunes I’m going to get something fresh, something compelling—I’m never disappointed. Every aspect of this tune is spot on. Gorgeous clarity on this production—really pro level stuff, IMO. Brilliant!

My very humble regards,

Deej

Thanks so much, Tom!



Thanks, David!

Blue Attitude...
Chris, Marty Dave and EZDrummer2...

WOW, I mean wow.

There are just so many layers of this song!
the lyrics, while simple, paint the picture...PROPER!
As Hemingway once said, "big emotions don't come from big words"

The vocals To me, sounded as if Chrissy Hynde was singing a an alternate universe version of Strange Fruit...

The talent you all have is on full display with this tune. Such a cool, smooth blues tune. Accolades for all of you!

Thanks for the listen and comments, Greg!



Thanks, TM!

Thanks, Ezekiel!



Appreciate that, thanks, Ray!

Thanks, Peter! (love those BIAB B3 tracks!



Yes, a very fine line between getting too "slick" and losing the feel, you are right about that!

Thanks, Misha

OMG!!! This is great.
RE: production, vocals, guitar, songwriting, bass playing, drum track, I don't feel qualified to comment.
Except for: "Loved it!!!"
Mike

Appreciate the listen(s)!




Wow, probably the nicest review we have ever received! Thanks very much I sent it over to Chris also.

And of course we are both huge fans of the music you and Janice produce

Thanks for the kind words and multiple listens, Hans! Happy you liked the song

For the drums I use EZDrummer2 which gives me much more control than RealDrums, including having each drum on a separate track. Because they are on separate tracks I can process the kick drum different than the snare, etc.




Appreciate that, thanks, Leon!

Thanks, Tangmo! Very happy you liked this. And yes, Marty is the perfect fit for our little band, we are lucky to have him.

Appreciate that, Deej, thanks very much!



Very kind of you, thanks for taking the time to listen and writing such a great review!



Thanks, Mike! Love your latest.