Hi All,

After a break from the forum over the holiday period, this
is the first offering from me and Eddie this year.
It's another blues, but not in the traditional format - more
jazz based and with influences from JJ Cale and Robert Cray.
Eddie is on lead vocal and I'm responsible for the BVs, guitars and keys.
The OOHs and Sax are RTs.
The minimal lyrics are mainly Eddie with a few lines from me.

GONE
Every night I'm wide awake pacing the floor
Hoping you'll come walking back through the door
I listen close to hear your key in the lock
But all I hear is the tick, tick, tick of the clock
Soon it'll be too late
To put it right, to slow the pace
I was wrong, all along
And it all adds up to you
Being gone.

As ever, we're just SO pleased if anyone has the time to give it a listen.
Many thanks,
ROG

Hi, ROG and Eddie !

....and a most Happy and Safe Year
to both of you 2021 !

I am SO pleased to give your
superb tune and performance
a listen and to tell you that
I really liked what I heard !
This is a very nice and cool
bluesy tune that really
makes the listener sink into
a cosy dreamlike state of
condition, a condition that
you surely wanted to happen !
Congrats to both of you for
a superb collab once again !

Stay safe and take care

Cheers
Dani

Hi Rog,

Superb guitar playing that goes well with the lyrics. I like this arrangement with the sax which has its place and goes perfectly with guitar playing. Very pleasant composition.

Kindly regards
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash

ROG,

Terrific overall sound. Excellent combination of tracks. SWEEEET guitars throughout - love the Cray influence!

The BGVs are really tasty. Nice sax.

Excellent mix.

fj

That was tasty in so many ways.

Nice mix. I like so may things about this..... guitar tone, selection of the instruments, simplicity of the lyrics, and that it's kind of a blues tune. Nice job on the vox too.

Rog

A really smooth sounding bluesy tune - excellent guitars and complimentary band. Nice vocal and overall production.

Peter

Love that sweet guitar, super tone and chops.

I really liked everything about this one, the backing tracks, vocals, lyrics, mix etc.

You have raised the bar quite high with this one.

IMHO your best to date.

Nice! I can hear the Robert Cray influence in there, I've listened to a lot of his music over the years, seen him a couple of times too.

Guitar is perfect, vocals sound great too.

Really well done, enjoyed!

That's a really good pop groove you've got happening in the verses Rog! The vocals and melody are catchy! That horn is an excellent choice! Guitars are beautiful! Top shelf work for sure! T

Cool!
Nice write.
Well done.
This has a familiar sound to it....I'm trying to place it.

moto

Really cool. personally I'd have preferred a longer guitar solo that the sax part but that's just pp.
The drum sounds a little distant - as in the next room.
Well done.

Enjoyed the melancholy of the story.
Familiar sounding but tasty chord progression.
Good vocals and the backing vocals add a new dimension.
The sax is a great choice and together with the beautiful sounding guitars create very nice band.

Janne

Hi Dani,
Good to hear from you and all the best for 2021 to you too.
Many thanks for the listen and kind comments - much appreciated.
Stay safe,
ROG.

Hi Derochette,
Many thanks for looking in and for the complement about the guitar playing.
Pleased that you liked the arrangement - the sax RTs are really special.
Cheers,
ROG.

Floyd old friend, you are just too kind!
Always appreciate getting a review from you and pleased you approved.
Stay safe,
ROG.

ROG & Eddie ...

This is a very sophisticated Blues with slight Pop and Latin elements. It has just enough Latin influence I could hear Santana taking a run on this one as he fronted Cray's band. Well conceived and mixed. Everything sits kust right in the mix. This is such a cool tune! A tip of the hat to both of you. A wonderful collab!

Wishing both of you a wonderful 2021.

Alan & Di

Loved the big room sound this had. Great vox, good lyrics, wouldn't change a thing.

Super cool tune, guys. Really enjoyed it.
Regards,
Leon

We can definitely hear the JJ Cale and Robert Cray influence - nice. And from a couple of folks who have, indeed, listened to them at length.

The smooth lead and background vocals nail the vibe!

The guitars are simply standout and, man, that sax is tremendous.

The laid back groove had Janice swaying in the chair ... always a sign of a great groove!

Ya'll done good!

J&B

As long as we can get Janice to either sway or shuffle...

Yep. We done good!

Great feel!! Can pick up the Robert Cray thing! Vocals are really strong....lead and BGs! Love the live feel of the track.....BIG and energetic! Very cool guys!! Take care. Greg

Hi Herb,
Thanks for looking in - always pleased to hear your thoughts.
Many thanks for the positive comments.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Peter,
Many thanks for the review and the kind comments.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Mario,
You're very kind with all the positive comments - I'd hoped
this might be one which would appeal to you. The guitar was the
Tele again and this was the first outing for my five-string fretless
which is actually the only new guitar I've bought in the last forty years!
Many thanks for the listen and review.
Stay safe,
ROG.

ROG & Eddie, the first thing that struck me was the big sound of the recording. The guitars sound great and the BGV are very cool. Eddie delivers a good blues lyric with conviction and smoothness. I love blues and I love this, Tom

This is an irresistibly listenable
song. If I were in my car driving somewhere I would search for it on the radio. The quality of the vocalist's voice reminds me of Elliot Lurie of the band 'Looking Glass' singing his 1972 monster hit , 'Brandy'.

Ahh blues my favorite genre. Another super tune Guys. Love the rhythm tracks on this tune. Very cool feel. Super vocal and the guitar wowser. Well done...

Hi Dave,
Yes, I've been a Cray fan for years, but never been lucky enough see him live.
Many thanks for looking in - much appreciated.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Torrey,
Many thanks for all the positive comments.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Cap'n,
Thanks for the listen and review - if you manage to place it let me know!
Cheers,
ROG.

Your guitar parts drive this song. So good.

I like the minimalist lyrics and the all around vocal sound.

Hi Ray,
I love it when people ask for a longer guitar solo - I'm usually worried that I'll go on too long!
Many thanks for the listen and review.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Janne,
Eddie takes credit for the storyline and lead vocal, but the BVs are mine.
Thanks for all the positive comments and I'm pleased that you enjoyed it.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Alan,
I always like to hear your views old friend and many thanks for looking in on this one.
Pleased you liked the mix because your mixes are always spot-on.
"Sophisticated Blues" - that's very kind - I can easily live with that!
The best to you and Di.
Take care and stay safe.
ROG.

Hi TM,
Many thanks for the review and positive comments.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Leon,
Many thanks and pleased you enjoyed the listen.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi there J&B,
You're very kind with all the nice comments.
Always appreciate you looking in and listening.
As Eddie mentioned, Janice swaying is more than we could ask for!
Many thanks, you two.
ROG.

Love those changes, Rog. A good-feeling blues arrangement. Well presented. Yeah, Robert Cray-ish. The guitar is perfect.

Hi Greg,
Many thanks for the listen and review - much appreciated.
Cheers,
ROG

Hi Tom,
You're very kind!
Many thanks for all the positives.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Ardent,
I do like your phrase "irresistibly listenable" - many thanks for that.
First thing I'm gonna do now is look up Elliot Lurie - a new one to me!
Thanks again for the review.
Cheers,
ROG.

hI Rog and Eddie really great peace of music love the guitar work and the vocal was excellent fit for the song well done Eddie mixed excellent great work hope to hear more Eric

A little sidebar here. When I was stationed at Ft Sill in Lawton OK, the hot place to go for music was called The Zodiac Room. Really nice bar that of course has been gone for decades. I wandered in there one night and there was a band (6 nights a week!) and about the 3rd song they played in that 2nd set was Brandy. I remember telling the people I was there with that "They are okay but this singer doesn't really do the song justice."

And it was THE original band, The Looking Glass! They were out looking for exposure doing a string of shows across the country, kind of the white boy version of the chitlin' circuit. This would have been late summer of 1973, and they had just released Jimmy Loves Maryann. Soon after that the band changes started with players coming and going and the name being changed several time, once I remember to Fallen Angels.

That was a true shoe in mouth moment.

The highlight of that stay in OK though was the outdoor show in July of 1973 in OKC with The Buddy Miles Express opening, followed by The Band, followed by Deep Purple, and headlined by Santana.

Tickets (sit down)...


Were 8 dollars.

ROG,
Excellent tune! Glad it was bumped up! Yeah, can hear the influences you mentioned, however I feel it is original for the most part. Ace composition, lyrics and performance! Nice vintage sounding mix. Short and sweet. Liked it! Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Hi Scott,
Many thanks for all the positives - much appreciated.
Pleased that you liked it.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Ezekiel,
Thanks for the kind comments, especially the guitar.
Pleased you liked the song and many thanks for the review.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Marty,
Many thanks for looking in and the positive review.
Being a bass player yourself, I thought you might be interested
that this is the first outing for my new five-string fretless jazz on
this track - the only new guitar I've bought in the last forty years!
I have it strung with the fifth string on the top end, not a low "B" as
is customary. Do you play fretless at all?
Cheers,
ROG.

Loved it - great sound from the guitars and liked the snare filling the room. Nice lead and background vocal as well!

As for the bass, it fit in along with everything else.

Hi Eric,
Pleased to see you look in and many thanks for the good review.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi Misha,
Good to get your thoughts on this and thanks for all the positive comments.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hi David,
Always pleased to get a review from you - much appreciated and many thanks.
Cheers,
ROG.

Hey Rog! Great to hear some of your music again! Your submissions to the showcase have always been among my favorites!

I've always been a sucker for a blues tune played in a minor key, so you snagged my attention immediately. And whatever combination of effects, recording technique and stylistic approach made 80s music awesome is present in abundance in this song. I am reminded of SMOOTH OPERATOR, but I'm not sure why.

I was going to comment on the fact that the vocals sound like a different ROG, but then I scrolled back to read that it was your bandmate Eddie singing on this one. Kudos to both of you. I like this song a lot. I look forward to hearing more!

update: back from multiple listens. The comment about being highly listenable is true. I didn't realize until reading the other comments that the Eddie in your band is the Eddie from this forum! The one who visited me here in my home town a while back! Man, small world! You dudes make a good musical team!

Good intonation technique on that fretless bass! I can usually hear a fretless a mile away by the flat or sharp notes... but this was perfectly intonated.

I liked the use of sticks during the line "tick tick tick of the clock". Little details like that make a song interesting.

great collab! More!

Hi Pat,

It's really great to have you back on the Showcase again and many thanks for all the nice comments.
Eddie and I have been collaborating for the best part of nine years now and although it might on
the face of it seem like an unlikely team, being 3k miles apart, we're both plain speakers so it
works well and we get things done. Also on the plus side, I've now got Eddie watching soccer and
he even understands the off-side rule!

Love your blues track! Must have more like that.

Cheers,
ROG.