Soul Searchin'

This song ended up being a co-write between Marty and Chris. I developed the initial song idea and sent the bed to Chris, who then developed the melody and added a couple of lines. Marty then came in and wrote the rest.

The band:

RealTracks in song: 3245:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm FunkyBluesSol ev16 090

Chris Spruit: Piano, vocal, BGV
Marty Straub: Bass, BGV
Dave Bell: Guitars, BGV

I used EZDrummer2 to build the drum track.

Mixed in Reaper, mastered with Ozone9.

Soul Searchin' (2021, Marty Straub & Chris Spruit)

Minnows swim to the other side
of the pond outside where they came alive
I'm waiting for the light to come
and you know that you gotta go on
I wave goodbye to the Summer light
shine on my soul into what I'll find
And I don't know what's goin' on.
I don't know what's goin' on.

CHORUS: Soul searchin'. Lookin' for the answers.
And I'm soul searchin', but nothin' yet.

Something stirs in the swirling wind
and there's movement in my mind inside
I listen for the voice to guide
but you know that it never comes
Hot pursuit of the hidden truth
and there's nothing to be lost in youth
Still I don't know what's goin' on
I don't know what's goin' on

BRIDGE: Now. Now I gotta know
Now. Now I gotta know
what I'm gonna find when I look inside.
Gonna change my mind when I know I lied?
Gotta know. Yeah, I gotta know.

All comments welcome!

Hi Chris, Marty and Dave,

Wow, we need a clean up on isle 5, there's soul oozing all over the place over here! And when you're finished you can take a funky break. The vocals and the playing are top notch on this tune. Thanks for posting, I enjoyed the listen.

'Blue Attitude', Mr. Straub, and Ms. Spruitt...

This here 'funky blues' number you folks cooked-up is packed with so much soul that I think the title of the song, 'Soul Searchin', does you a disservice: you don't have to 'search' for it -- you've found it, already, and you're slinging it around like musical whips. Ooo, but it hurts so-o-o good, !!!

Great funky blues crackling with musical energy. Terrific guitar throughout, and the vocals, as always, are stellar. Well done!

Dave, you really wring that guitar until it rings.

Cool song - nice drive to it - that part walking part jumpin' bass really holds down the bottom end.

Chris' playing and singing are on point.

Terrific collaboration - you three drop into your parts like you've been at it since forever.

That bass and drums are working so well, great groove. Nice snare! That whole kit sounds great, which kit is it?

The lyrics, it's cool when the song could mean something different to every listener.

Vocals sound great.

"I used EZDrummer2 to build the drum track."

"Build", that's a good word to describe it, better than programed or sequenced. I've been looking for that word,thanks.

This sounds great Dave. It has a real retro feel to it. Really takes me back to an era of music I liked a lot!!

Cool stuff!!



Groovy.

Hi Dave & Team,

This is a beauty!

All sounds great and particularly liked the choruses and the refrains.

Also - top guitar playing.

Only minor suggestion is to look at the verses - especially the first two where there may be too many words - it's a touch crowded.

Excellent - well done all of you.

Best Regards
Nigel

Interesting lyrics, bit mystery and bit despair, nicely the swimming and swirling turn into movements of mind.
Great vocals once again and I enjoyed the backing vocals in the chorus.
Dave's guitar is alive and burning, nice riffs and solos.
Marty's bass feels like gentle touches on the bare skin.
Very relaxed work, a pleasure to listen to.

Janne

Upbeat soulful blues. Everything in place, and everything sounds great.

Thanks for giving this a spin, happy you liked it! I see you have a new one up, I'll be along shortly to give it a listen.

Thanks very much for the listen and kind words!

Dave, Chris & Marty,

AWESOME!

Love this - such a great track with driving vocals by Chris. Blistering guitar and a robust bass line - they are all present here.

EXCELLENT!

Bob

Hi Dave, Chris and Marty,

You did it again! I really can't remember if you ever made an 'average' song.
This one is also top!
I enjoyed the song itself (Soul), but your guitarplay is really very very good!
And of course so Chris with her beautiful voice and Marty on his magic bass!

Nice to read how this song finally saw the light. So now you have 3 writers for your songs.
Had to look up what a minnow is. Now I know.

These EZ drums sound very good, by the way.

Tell the other two I loved the song!
Hans

Very cool groove DAve. Guitar was really talking and being sassy too. Loved Chris's vocal and Marty's baselines were also as well. Awesome tune.

Dave & co

Excellent, great vocal, loved the harmony parts.

As always beautifully played guitar - really nice melodic stuff.

Marty's bass was accomplished.

You are getting to be a bit of a master at composing those drums, nicely done.

Peter

Thanks, TM!

Hi Dave,

I listen to your song again, the day after ;-)
At first I tried your side that I had saved on my browser, but that didn't work.
So here I'm again. And I have a feeling you have slightly improved the song and the vocals, or not?
If not, than the song is sounding even better than yesterday (almost not possible). It's like pasta. Taste better the next day, warmed up.
A geat song, I want to say again (now listening to Cry a river)

Hans

Chris and I have been working together since 2015, and have done more than 60 songs together. And when Marty joined up a couple of years ago he fit in so perfectly it seems like he has always been a part of our little group.

Thanks very much, Ray, you made my day with those comments

BA team,
Excellent collaboration. Very "live" and natural feel on this tune. From structure to performance, a very rounded song. Mixed very well. Enjoyed it! Probably the best tune this year from Blue Attitude. Thank you for sharing.
Misha.

Hey Frank, I just used the basic kit. Did some processing on the individual kit elements after the fact, shoot me a PM if you want details.

Top Notch!
All the instruments work well together.
Vocals shine!

Love to vibe on this!

mot

"Retro" pretty much describes what I'm all about when it comes to music I think

Thanks, David!



Thanks for the listen and comments, Nigel, very much appreciated!

Dave, Chris, Marty...

Everything about this screams "Classic".

The mix is so good it's hard to pick any one part to talk about. SO cohesive. OOOh, that buttery bass!! Drums sound good. Killer guitar throughout. Wonderful vocals and BGVs. Nice keys.

This sounds like it came off one of the classic albums that we spent our entire lives listening to.

Classic.
Killer.

fj

The band sounds GREAT!!!! You guys always put together some class A music!! Love the BGs!! Another home run for the band!! Take care. Greg

Cool song. Good collaboration. Cool vocals, lyrics and mix. And, the lead guitar work is out of this world as usual. The band isn't too shabby either.

Good one!

Thanks Janne! Loved your description of Marty's bass part



Appreciate that, David, thanks!

Thanks to all for listening and commenting. I love this song, and working with these 2 gifted & talent musicians is such a treat. Really love reading all of the comments.

A note for Nigel (Hey, wait. That's a good title: A Note For Nigel.) about the jam-packed lyrics. We all talked about that, but didn't change it. When Chris was working out the melody she sent us a quick track with some cool scatting. There were some actual words scattered in there, so I used them. Keep in mind that wonderful German accent in her beautiful voice, and how it's easier to scat than to sing words --especially in a foreign language. The plethora of words seemed to fit the urgency of the soul searching, and Chris stormed through them like a trooper. So, yeah, you're right, Nigel.

Appreciate that, thanks, Bob!

only one word...SUPERB.
i'm searching my soul to find something negative to say.
i came up with nothing...lol.
great femme and bg vocs.

only thing i might suggest from a audio engineering standpoint, and check with a pro AE cos just my preference..i found the snare a tad tiring on my ears.
maybe compression used .

a great song effort...

best/happiness/respect.
om

Hi Hans, thanks for listening twice! And for the kind words, very happy you liked this one.

To answer your question, the mix has not changed.

Thanks again!

This is a really cool song. Great write, performance and top notch production. You guys have it all together.

Charlie

Really terrific song!
Great music and vocals!

Rob and Anne-Marie

This is an awesome total package.

We love Chris's sassy lead vocal (and her piano) and the background vocal variations. No surprise that Dave's soaring guitar is outstanding or that Marty's bass lines most excellently glue it all together. Nice work on those drums too.

The fine write and edge of funkiness make for a heckuva enjoyable listen!

Way to go, y'all!

J&B

Appreciate that, thanks, Scott!



Thanks as always for the support, Peter!

Wow what a killer sound you folks have put together here Dave! Chris's vocals are smokin! Everytime I try to put a bluesy lick in one of my tunes I'm just trying to be like Dave lol!
Marty's bass work is so good it would be a step back to try to use realtracks for the bass! Great job, Torrey

Hi Misha, yes, it's probably my favorite of the ones we have done this year too, although there are a couple of other close contenders

Thanks very much for the listen and comments!

Thanks, mot! I see you have a new one up, heading over there in a minute to give it a spin



Very much appreciate your comments as always, floyd

Appreciate that, thanks, Greg!



Thanks for the listen and comments jpt*3!

Hello
great song
I especially like the guitar solo
Great guitar sound
Makes real fun
Many greetings
Andi ;-)

This is the first time you have checked out one of our songs I think. Thanks very much, happy you liked it!

(mix is done at this point, already sent out to Spotify etc., but I'll check and see what I'm doing as far as compression goes on the snare on the next song we do)




Really appreciate that, Charlie, thanks!

Hey Rob, great to see you here, it's been too long!



Thanks very much Janice and Bud, we appreciate the support you have always given us!

Y'all rocked the rhythm, barbecued up the blues, and sauced it with soul to cook up what I think is probably your best yet. It was the kind of song that made me sing along with the background singers before it was over. You know he kind--just that groovy. Hugely enjoyed.

Thanks, Torrey! And man, when it comes to guitar you don't need lessons from me, that's for sure!



Thanks for the listen, Andi!



Not sure it's our best, certainly right up there though. Thanks, Tangmo!

See.... That's what happens when you're away working on the tractor and cutting wood and just being busy with life on the farm.... You miss gems like this.

Really nice. Loved everything about it from that "buttery bass" as Floyd put it to the smoldering guitar tone, to the writing.

You guys have chemistry. Don't lose it.

I find it very hard to keep up with new posts these days, just about impossible to keep up unless you log in at least once a day.

Thanks, Herb, appreciate it! We are still having fun, and at the end of the day that's what matters most I think.

Late to the party but glad I finally caught this one. Excellent write. Love the vocal (always love Chris' singing) and the playing is exemplary all round. You folks never fail to deliver the goods.
Regards,
Leon

WOW! I'm so glad I got to hear this.

I'm very late to the party but super glad I made it.

This is pro all the way and should be on the air today!

Loved it

I like all the guitar bits, but I especially like the bit after the first chorus. And the solo at 2:45 is awesome.

Great vocals.

The rhythm section has a slinky groove going.

I enjoyed this one very much.