Just wanted to drop this here ... my latest effort - "fresh out of the oven", as it were. Hope you like it! I'll be back tonight to listen to all the songs I've missed from everyone else whilst I've been away, but hope it's ok to post this in the meantime! Thanks for listening and for any comments! :-)

https://soundcloud.com/jamesdelsono/you-were-the-best


YOU WERE THE BEST

When we met, first time, that Sunday morning,
That first time you softly looked at me,
I felt mine own eyes slowly filling up with tears
And, for some reason, I could no longer see.

***

I can't fall in love, baby
My soul's an empty nest
I can't fall in love, baby ...
My mind simply won't rest ...

For I can't love another
My heart won't take no guest
And I can't love no other
For you were simply the best.

*****

Sitting here, visiting old memories ...
It's been many years since I ever saw your face
It's been e'er so long since I looked in your eyes ...
Felt you close in a mutual tight embrace.

Women come and go ... with passing glances,
Smiling back, I let them go, each one ...
I am grateful for all the second chances ...
But my mind, my heart, my soul are done.

***

I can't fall in love, baby
My soul's an empty nest
I can't fall in love, baby ...
My mind simply won't rest ...

I can't love another
My heart won't take no guest;
I can't love no other
For you were simply the best.

*****

Many years have passed since we first met
Many years will pass 'till I see you once more
But, until the day does arrive,
I will always love you as before.

Stunning roses do remind me of you
Their perfume of your heavenly scent ...
Travelling ever, we will be, once more,
You, my lady ... and I, your gent.

***

I can't fall in love, baby
My soul's an empty nest;
I can't fall in love, baby ...
My mind simply won't rest ...

I can't love another
My heart won't take no guest;
I can't love no other
For you were simply the best.

****** Song Summary *************
Title: You Were The Best - 28 August 2020
File:You Were The Best - 28 August 2020.SGU
Key=Ab , Tempo 100, Length (m:s)=5:00
No intro. 121 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 121. Repeat x1 chorus
No Melody
Soloist track has 155 notes, Soloist harmony is < no harmony >(0)
Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0,
Style is _POETRY.STY (Poetry British Psyc Soul w Oohs)

RealTracks in style: 1174:Bass, Electric, PopCalypso Ev 100
RealTracks in style: 1408:Piano, SynthLayer, Rhythm Soul70sHeld Ev16 100
RealTracks in style: 3442:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm BritPsycFunky Ev16 100
RealTracks in style: 3027:Vocal Oohs, Background Pop3-part Ev 085
RealDrums [in style:FunkHalfNotePulse: a: Snare, Kickb: Busy Kick, Snare

*******************

Voice recorded and mixed in Audacity.

Wow, that's an ambitious song! I'm really glad to hear you sing it, versus saying the words. My favorite part of this are some of the lyrics, "visiting old memories" and "stunning roses". I also liked your addition of the horns near the end to give it some "ummph" as it closed out. Good work!

Thanks Tano - appreciate your really nice and kind comments!

James ...

You once mentioned ... a year or so ago ... that you didn't like your singing voice. I beg to differ. I think you sound just fine. You have a distinctive and unique ... in a very good way ... voice that I enjoyed. One suggestion, FWIW ... a little bit of reverb on your vocal would add a bit more dimension to it.

Loved the lyric ... very beautifully crafted! You're an excellent writer/composer. Would really enjoy hearing more of you on vocal. That was a real nice listen!

Wishing you the very best. Be safe, my friend ...

Alan

James,

Very nice.

A good song. A good backing band.

It is really nice to hear you singing this. You should do that more often (like all the time). It's great to hear the melody (since it is not "spoken"). Nice.

This would seem to show that the "boom-i-ness" that happens comes from singing too close to the microphone (proximity affect), because it only happens in the verses - and really only on the lowest parts. When you sing the higher parts in the first chorus there is no boom-i-ness at all - sounds great. I really like it when you reach for that falsetto!!

One of your best. I like it.

fj

I loved this tune James. I agree with Floyd. Was very nice to hear you singing this tune. Very well done

I agree with others - very nice. You've got a nice voice, and it's a good melody.

But the mix... not so nice. The vocal is too loud relative to the instruments. Instead of sitting "in" the mix, it sounds like you're singing along to karaoke tracks.

I'd suggest listening to some reference tracks (something I admit not doing myself) to hear how loud the vocal should be in comparison to the backing tracks. Additionally, you might want to add some reverb to your vocal so it fits in to the same space the instruments are recorded in.

All in all, a pleasant listen... but it would be much better with some work on the mix.

Good the hear you singing!

James,
There`s the voice we`ve known was there- especially when your falsetto is set free; please keep keep singing!
Its a catchy, warm love song- with a pleasant backing band and nice horns to close.
I agree with other listeners:the vocal levels and processing would be worth tweaking.
My tip would be to try a vocal rider initially to set a more consistent level in relation to your mix.
The takeaway though:This is very good!

Robert

Thank you so much, each and every one of you. It's really nice of everyone to listen and comment on my little efforts here.

The mixing: argh! haha. I really thought I got it ok this time - or, at least, better than other times, haha. But yes, what David C says rings true ... it sounds a little like karaoke singing - which means that I must work on the track again :-) Reverb is one of the things that I will try to add, for sure! I have to set aside some time, one day, to really experiment with things - it's the only way I'll learn. Thanks, therefore, for helping me out :-)

Again, bless you all for listening!

James,
This is a VERY strong, confident, effective vocal performance.
The essing & plosives have been minimized and the voice is clear.
There is the proximity effect which could be fixed easily enough.
I'm REALLY impressed with your recording progress.
The arrangements, structures and melodies have always been solid and well done.
The difference in vocals performance/capture is fabulous.

I really enjoyed hearing you sing, your soft voice has nice nuances and fits magically with the romantic lyrics and the soulful arrangement. Beautiful melody and interesting chord progression have nice variations even in the end. I can hear some John Lennon's Happy XMas in the chorus, but that just made it more interesting because of familiarity

Janne

Wow - thanks Ray. If I have progressed, it’s only because of people like you that pointed the way on what to do to improve my mixes. I’ve only followed your and others’ advice. THANKS!

Thanks Janne. Yes, that chorus sounds eerily pop-like, but I hope it works anyway! Thanks for such nice comments.

Nice work. Good lyrics. Good melody. Good use of the band.

Wow, am I surprised and pleased!! This is a very good song and the vocal is pretty good as well. If you were able to mix it into the track, it would be super! Again, I'm impressed! Way to go!! (Work on learning to mix vocals, it will be worth the time. I'm only just starting to learn myself.)

I agree about the mix and the vocal explosives.

But all in all this is one of your best songs. Keep singing all things will get easier (look who's talking ). I really liked your lyrics. You have a PM.

Thanks everyone! I'm going to continue to work on my mixing - I was even worse when I started, so I don't see why, with a little work, I may not get better! haha. Thanks for all your kind comments - and thanks Mario for the PM, I've just replied and will keep in touch on this for sure!

"stunning roses..." That line is very memorable.

Your voice is fine. Keep it up!

Bring it down a touch and add some reverb. As mentioned that
will enable it to still be out front but blend into the overall mix.

And remember ... a mix is never finished -- just abandoned!

Enjoyed the spin!

J&B

James, I really enjoyed the melody in this. It seems familiar yet brand new. Your singing is fine except for the mix. That’s easy to fix. Waves has a plug in called vocal rider that smooths out the volume level and is frequently on sale. Worth the 25 dollars. Tom

Thanks Janice, Bud and Tom!

Janice, Bud: Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging comments! It helps the confidence, and that's a major thing for me! I'm in the process of re-mixing the song, as per everyone's suggestions ... as soon as it's ready, I'll let everyone know! Thanks again!

Tom: thank you for your kind comments, too! Just had a look at the Waves plugin - it's priced at around $80 at the moment, it seems, which is a little out of my price range right now ("in one go", as it were), but it does look well worth saving for! Thanks for the suggestion :-)

Thanks everyone again, hope to let you know about the remix soon.

Nice James!! I like the way you sing!! Take care. Greg

Ditto, James!! I always sing your songs along with you talking them. Sweet lyrics. Quite a lot to say and such a wonderful way to say it. Simply the best.

Thank you Greg and Marty! I must admit to a little faux pas here ... I've re-mixed the song and, by mistake, replaced the original file instead of posting it separately ... so what you, Greg and Marty, have been listening to is the re-mix version ... complete with added reverb and a little lower in volume, as advised by everyone on here. Sorry for this little mix-up ... but there we go. Thanks so much for such kind comments!!!

Hi James,

What a surprise hearing you sing in your songs!
All the time before you made us think you couldn't sing.
I realize, almost everyone here already told you so.
So I can't bring in a new aspect on that.

There is something I want your attention to. The band is a bit 'modest'. The sax could be more upfront when doing it's solo part.
And when you proudly sing "you are simply the best", let the two last words sound a little longer and go up a bit in your tone.
You stay more in line with the sphere of your song then. But, taste differs.
I'm confinced I'll hear more songs in future with you singing!

Nice day,
Hans

Hans: thank you so much for your thoughtful comments! Yes, I agree ... the band IS a little bit "modest". I eventually "settled" for this band, so to speak, but will see if I can cook up something more "strong", so to speak! And thank you for the singing tip ... the more the merrier, as I really like to receive advice on my attempts at singing! :-)

Many thanks again!

James,
different from others I have heard by you. Definitely has a lot of potential. Flows very nicely. Nice harmony and vocal phrasing. I saw some comments about mix... Personally, I think you improved your vocals significantly. Personally, I would lower vocals by a couple of Dbs and add a little bit of reverb on it and also some reverb on sax. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.