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Honey Babe

ReggaBillyFunk? A traditional bluegrass/folk tune with the melody dating to the 18th century and zillions of lyric variations. Thanks for checking it out and comments are appreciated and welcomed!

Shoutouts to PG Music and PeterF for the fun factor

Janice: Lead vocal, harmony vocals, arrangement and percussion (cajon)
Peter: Guitar solos, “organ” solos riffs/fills via Helix Emulator on guitar and arrangement
Bud: Mix, vocal/cajon engineering, mastering, arrangement and photo.

Tech stuff for those so inclined.

Drums/percussion:
Drums: RealDrums Reggae Classic (all kicks removed) > Waves CLA Drums
Crash cymbal > Waves CLA Drums
BiaB Loops PAK: World Drums Acoustic Reggae > Waves CLA Drums
Cajon 1 (Janice): Sound hole mic > Waves CLA Drums
Cajon 2 (Janice): Ambient mic > Waves CLA Drums
Handclaps 1 > 140 EMT Plate Reverb sim
Handclaps 2 > 140 EMT Plate Reverb sim

Bass: RealTrack 1157 Electric, Reggae > Waves Bass Rider > Neutron 3
Piano: RealTrack 1160 Acoustic, Rhythm Reggae > Waves CLA Unplugged
Guitar Rhythm: RealTrack 1158 Electric, Rhythm Reggae

Vocal Tracks: Nectar 3, Waves CLA Vocals and Logic Pro EQ

Mastering: Ozone 9 EQ > Ozone 9 Multi-band compression > Ozone 9 Imager > Ozone 9 Limiter > Tonal Balance 2 > Logic Pro Loudness Meter

© 2021 Trad Arr B. Merritt, J. Merritt & P. Fulham
(a public domain tune for which we own all rights to our interpretation)

Had a couple of listens to this from the Facebook page. Love this. What a cool rhythm to this song. Awesome vocal. Love Peters guitar. Cool effects used. Well done

Hi Janice & Bud,

This composition changes the style we are used to with you. But, excellent musicians and singer, you have understood the reggae style well. It is a pleasant composition that you propose. I appreciated. Well done.

kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash

Love ReggaBillyFunk!

Probably the most offbeat tune I have heard by this talented team, and it sounds awesome! Fun, crisp vocals! Cool & funky guitar by Peter (wah wah pedal?). Bud, excellent sound. Enjoyed it a lot!
Time to do an original? I think you got the right ingredients for ReggaBillyFunk genre! Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Thanks Scott. It was a fun project.

J&B

The romance version of reggae was referred to a Lovers' Rock...this is really cool.
Solid rhythm and that kick replacement works a treat with Sly & Robbie thud and bounce everywhere it should be.
Cool guitar licks, cool vocal licks, cool mixing.
Well done team. I enjoyed it enormously.

Very cool version of this song!

I will admit that my ALL TIME favorite version of this song can be found here.>>>
Best Version of This song


I would be curious your thoughts.
Some people just know how to make a good song great!

Reggae blues, I didn't see this coming from you
Janice's voice is perfectly made for reggae (also).
Nicely swinging rhythm bed. Very solid arrangement and the organ and guitar solos are very tasty.

Janne

Janice / Bud / Peter,

WOW! This is just great. I love the feel of this - you guys have a unique combination of things going on here that really make this song stand out.

Going back for another couple of listens...

Bob

J&B and Peter,
This is excellent; the vocals so relaxed and warm, percussion crisp and that guitar/organ effect so well done...and it really sounds like you had fun.
Very cool.

Robert

Hi Bud, Janice and Peter,

Something different but a very amusing song.
I think a song like this fits with the new times in your country.
And...I like the double vocals very much.

Hans

Thanks for the comments and for listening to a bit of reggae!

J&B

I enjoyed it. Especially the production chops.

I like how you find those old songs and update them.

Good work to all involved

Thanks Scott - the organ sound throughout was done through the Helix which whilst it mainly emulates amps and pedals does have a few synth and organ sounds. The guitar sounding guitar was through a wah pedal.

Peter

Oh, lordy me, what a great sound. A very creative version of this. I once played this in a band but the girl didn't drip the honey like Janice does. Excellent vocal --no surprise there. Peter is a treat to any studio, especially mixed with a mastering mind like yours, Bud. Sweet honey!

LOVE it!

GORGEOUS vocals and harmonies!!

Cool guitar.

Tasty organ! (from a guitar!!!)

Excellent percussion. Well done.

An awesome mix.

Infectious as hell.

<stamp> As. Good. As. It. Gets. </stamp>

fj

Thanks Misha. We’re glad you liked the genre

Thanks for mentioning the mix. The drums and percussion were a bit of a challenge.

We appreciate it all!

J&B

Indie-Americana at it's finest. Respectful but very fresh. Clear as a bell mix that highlights every sparkling hit and lick. Really nice stuff.

Another great collaboration. Nice reworking of what I understand to be an old trad song. Nice vocals (I'm glad you didn't try to sound Jamaican - it is much more true sounding). Great mix. And, as always, great lead guitar by Peter. Nice job everyone - the band too!

I've listened to this a few times, and I have to say it's one of the coolest things I've ever heard!

Love the arrangement, just so well done with all the percussive elements.

Janice sounds awesome, both the main vocal and harmonies, and love the tasty leads from Peter.

Great mix!!

Man, this is just so creative on every level.

ReggaBillyFunk? Yeah, I dig it

Well done, folks!

Thanks for the support Ray. We’re glad you liked it and thanks again for the thoughts on the drums/percussion.

J&B

Hahahaha....fooled me.

Thanks man. That was a cool review!

J&B

Late to this party!

Actually, I had a listen on Monday, but that bass started rattling my ears, so I thought I should wait until my allergies cleared up a bit.

Nice groove, love your voice, and the harmonies are cool!

I'd never have guessed the organ parts were from a guitar.

Exactly the clear mix that I've come to expect from Bud.

Interesting to read how you've replaced the kicks with a cajon. It works really well here.

I enjoyed several listens through.

Thanks Janne. Not so sure we saw it coming either!

J&B

Now that is quite the production with some very complex elements. Love the sound you all got on this one. Pete has again contributed his instrumental expertise and Janice her flawless vocals to make this unique and pleasurable recording.

Thank you Bob!

J&B

This has "THE SOUND"!!! Janice absolutely, absolutely KILLS the vocal parts!! Great guitar and mix too!! A GEM!!! Take care. Greg

Thanks Robert. It was fun indeed! And, yep, Peter surprised us with the "organ."

Top drawer track as usual - loved the vocals, production and PeterF's work.
Nice treatment of an oldie, though as a former bass player, I would have liked a bit more bass. But it's a whole new genre - ReggaBillyFunk - so what would I know.

Stay safe,
Mike

Thanks Hans! Glad you liked the vocal arrangement.

J&B

Brava! Excellent!


Regards,

Bob

Thanks Herb ... there's a lot of good material in those PD vaults.

J&B

An interesting and totally unexpected musical take on this, but the accomplished musicians therein were more than up to the task. As always the vocals and mix were cherry on this. Primo work!

Hey now!
That's a knee slapper!
Great job on the complex vocals.
amazing how a little clap can make such a big difference.

Loved it!

moto

Thanks for everything!

Bud & Janice (aka Honeydripper)

That’s mighty generous of you mr jane and every word is appreciated. And thanks for mentioning the percussion!

J&B

Janice, Bud and Peter,

Your raggae is perfectly fits the traditional bluegrass/folk tune.
Janice's expressiveness is fully demonstrated in this song.
The arrangement and the mix are excellent.
Very creative!
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Great, nuanced singing from Janice - as she always does. The reggae background is wonderful, too ... the guitar playing is perfect for this kind of track. I didn't know the tune (what's new there? haha), but the interpretation is top-notch. Production is crisp and clear to my ears. In short: a great job from everyone involved - you always set a high standard bar and meet or exceed it every single time. Well done!

Thanks...that is everything we could have hoped for!

J&B

Thanks! We’re glad it worked for you. Having played the song in a bluegrass band it was both fun and interesting to try and take it to a place.

J&B

Thank you Dave. Your comments really help us feel our little genre mashup worked out. We appreciate you mentioning the percussion as it was an adventure . And we appreciate the support!

J&B

Thanks for mentioning the cajon -- Janice did a good thump on it and along with some Waves processing it seemed to work.
She much appreciates the comments about the vocals and, yep, Peter did a cool organ sim for sure. It certainly surprised us!
Thanks for the listens...

J&B

That is most appreciated!

J&B




Thanks Greg,

J&B

Thanks for all Mike!

As a mostly former bass player I would like more reggae bass RT's but there are only two choices -- one sw and one ev. And reggae bass was not something I ever played

J&B

Hi Janice & Bud,

I really liked this song - lovely hypnotic rhythm.

Vocals - perfect for this song.

Instruments - all good.

Claps - unexpected claps on beat 3 when I expected them on beat 2. Is this typical for Reggae music?

Keep up the good work.

Best Regards
Nigel

Thanks for the cheers!!!

J&B

Thanks! It was a fun genre mashup and we’re glad you liked it!

J&B

Hi all of you.
I listened to this a while back but can't offer any worthy suggs as it's way out of my genre and I don't know the original.
However, the vocal is as silky smooth as always and it's as punchy as it needs to be.
All I can say is "Well Done".

Vic

Hi Janice, Bud and Peter
I've been having a break from the Internet, so very late to the party. Now I'm back on line, I figured this was the obvious place to start catching up. I'm very familiar with Maria Muldaur's version of this song. Listening to your inspired take it wasn't the first time I've thought that Janice's voice has some of the same alluring qualities as hers. This is brilliant. Right up there with my all time favourite reggaefied country song; Toots and the Maytals' version of 'take me home country roads' ('take me home West Jamaica'). Oh yeah.
Regards,
Leon

All I can say is WOW! (Well, actually I'm just about to say quite a bit more...)

Talk about doing something outside your normal lane! This just proves how versatile you are. Great fresh arrangement. I just wouldn't have thought of doing a reggae version of this song. But it sure does work.

Love the percussion. Love the organ. And Peter, you seem to be channeling a little Clapton on this one.

As always, Janice, your vocals shine. I especially like your harmonies on this one.

Excellent mix, mastering, and arrangement, Bud!

Love this!

Steve

Thanks! Glad you like the handclap. We thought putting it on that beat emphasized the reggae vibe a bit.

J&B

Lawd have mercy. This is gonna make me shout and put my cape back on.

I gotta get some of this!

Yeah, I love it y'all!!

Great job.

Thank you Shigeki. It was a fun project and we are happy you enjoyed it.

J&B

Thanks!

We’ve enjoyed the occasional foray into reggae over the years.

J&B





We appreciate your thoughts Nigel and are glad you liked it.

We added the handclaps to beat three as it seemed to accentuate the reggae rhythm ... at least within this project. From our somewhat limited reggae listening I don’t know if it typically done. Like Dylan said it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Thanks again!

J&B

Thanks Vic! No sugs required at PG Music

BTW, it’s way outa our genre too but BiaB makes that easy!

Appreciate your support as always,

J&B

Thanks Leon for the Maria mention! Regarding the whole reggae thing ... it's fun to pretend we know what the heck we are doing

J&B

Now that was a fun listen. Something totally different but you three master musicians pulled it off perfectly.
Peter excellent guitar as normal but with a wha wha, fantastic.
Janice fantastic vocal as always and I was pleasantly surprised to here you play the cajon!
Bud fantastic mix as usual.

You all should be super proud of this, excellent work.

Thank you Steve for your kind words, friendship and support over the years.

Best to you both!

J&B

:):):)

Thanks David!

J&B




You are generous but we’ll take it!

Thank!

J&B

how fun is that! I liked the creativity and clean sound that supported the vocals so well. Great stuff!

Hi J&B love this really great stuff, supper engaging and love the vocal and harmony's so different from you guys awesome peace of music thanks for sharing Eric

Thanks. Glad it worked for you!

J&B



Thank you Eric!

J&B

Hi Janice, Bud and Peter.

Before this I came across your version of this song, I'd never heard it. Wow! This is so awesome.


Since you posted this, I've listened to it a number of times and not once has the song sounded tired. The familiarity that I now feel for it is the same familiarity that I feel for evergreens such as "Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home", "Basin Street", "St Louis Blues", etc. What you've all done is incredibly good.

I have to say that my headphones were very, very happy after listening to this.



Everything, and I seriously mean every single thing, is as professional sounding as the very best music I've heard.

► Bud's arrangement is superb. The style works so-o-o-o-o well. It's actually a stroke of genius to think about creating a reggae-blues-hillbilly-funk work. Just brilliant. In fact, it's probably unique!

► The mix is fun, warm and extremely inviting.

► Peter's guitar work, and organ(?) work, is a perfect fit. I can't imagine the song without it.

► Janice's vocals are extraordinary. The "comfort factor" that I feel when I listen to her singing is like sitting in front of a log fire on a cold winter's night—feet up, head back, eyes closed. And those backing vocals... What can I say? "Super superb" just scratches the surface of how good they are.

All in all...



I suppose it's no surprise that I really, really loved listening to this

All the best to everyone,
Noel

Noel,

We are speechless (a very rare state for us) and overwhelmed by your comments. You make us feel that our long journey from traditional bluegrass to Americana and blues has been a worthwhile effort. Support like this and of course from Peter is priceless.

We are deeply grateful for the time and thought you spent on your response. Your articulate comments (and the cool graphics) have genuinely given us pause for reflection on how music can create genuine friendships with people who live continents away. Thank you and PG Music for this joy.

J&B