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A Will And A Way

It takes both...

Janice Merritt: vocals, melody, arrangement and photo of how to ride a mountain bike
Peter Fulham: all guitars and arrangement
Marty Straub (BabuMusic): bass
Bud Merritt: mix, lyric, mastering, arrangement, photo, etc., etc.

BIG thanks to our music partner Peter and to our friend Marty!
And thanks to PG Music and any of y'all who choose to listen and comment. We love ya!

Drums: RealDrums - NewOrleansSwinginPop > Waves CLA Drums

Snare: from the RD drum kit > Neutron 3

Cymbals: from the RD drum kit > Waves JPL Percussion

Congas: BIAB CongasShuffle loop

Piano: MIDI SuperTrack 2166 - Piano, Rhythm NewOrleansSwinginPop > Logic Pro Grand Steinway > Waves Unplugged (comped from several regens)

Vocal tracks (3): Rodes NT1 > Scarlett 212 Interface > Logic Pro X > Nectar 3

Mixed in Logic Pro X
Mastering: Ozone Dynamic EQ > Ozone Imager > Ozone Maximizer > Ozone Tonal Balance > Ozone Loudness Meter

A WILL AND A WAY
© 2021 J. Merritt, B. Merritt & P. Fulham
Verse 1:
It’s a long path outta this swamp
Clear the fog, get ourselves in gear
Strive for the higher plain on the horizon
There’re times we must face our worst fears

Chorus:
When we have the will often we can’t find a way
And when we find a way we may’ve lost the will
Grab that moment when they come together
The journey doesn’t always have to be uphill

Verse 2:
A little sacrifice will help pay it forward
Break outta your bubble, take a look around
Been here before and we did not surrender
Do the right thing and stand your ground
Repeat chorus

(Bridge)
Find the will, find the way
Pull your self up, join the fray

SOLO

Chorus:
When we have the will often we can’t find a way
And when we find a way we may’ve lost the will
Grab that moment when they come together
The journey doesn’t always have to be uphill
No, the journey doesn’t always have to be uphill

Janice and Bud...another gem...I love this...It's got a little Momma's and Poppa's flavor to it...Sweet!....Janice, the vocals are way cool and the harmonies...wow! Bud, the lyrics are top-notch...Peter and Marty did a great job...completely pleasing...thanks for posting...Dan

Hey All ...

Super! A great message wrapped in side some great music and a delightful vocal. Peter and Marty are just so good att what they do. Great job, guys!

Of course, Janice is such a gifted vocalists. And nobody turns those mix knobs like Bud. This song has the best of everything going for it. What a treat!

Wishing all of you nothing but the very best. Take care ...

Alan

The complete pro package.
Well done complete pro team.
Oh, & those bvox!!!

The best of the best produced another outstanding song.

There is nothing more to say.

Thanks Dan. It was a fun project all the way around. Glad you liked it!

J&B

Excellent job on all fronts, but those vocals, lead and BG, stole the show. What a pleasure to listen to someone who sounds like Maria Muldaur and Bonnie Raitt combined. Fantastic work by the whole team, of course.

Excellent lyrics and composition, professional sounding mix, great playing and Janice's usual superb singing. Those backing vocals are sensational. Congratulations people on another outstanding production. Love the photo, too. Plenty of will on display there!
Regards,
Leon

Bouncy and upbeat!

As usual, excellent singing and playing in a clear production. I enjoyed the positive lyrics.

The high point for me was the harmonies. (I'm pretty sure that's grammatically correct).

Hi Janice, Bud, Marty and Peter,

I don't think this one could have been done any better !!!!!!! Simply gorgeous.

A great song, a great message, and Janice - what can I say that I haven't said before: Your vocal is devine. And if there's anything above that (I'm running out of suuperlatives...) this would be the appropriate description for that incredible BGV.

Marty, that was an ace bass job - so good I had an extra turn with my attention set to your playing.

And, Peter, another very nice job on the guitar.

Bud,your productions are always
so crisp, clear and well-balanced that it will be hard for you to ever trump ... sorry, surpass them. This time it's simply top-notch again.

Loved and enjoyed the listen.

Take care, everybody,

Stefan

Hello Janice, Peter, Marty & Bud
A great song you have recorded there
The guys at the instruments deliver once again class
As always with Janice a really great singing
But what I like most is the outstanding chorus work.
Excellent Song
Many greetings
Andi ;-)

Hi Guys,

Good song and catchy beat.

Thanks for the listen.

Best Regards
Nigel

Thanks Al! We appreciate the thoughts and supportive comments.

Best to y’all,

J&B

Love this tune. Everything is just perfect on this tune. Vocal, harmonies, guitar and basslines. Excellent mix and master as well. One of my favorites. Well done

Hey this sounds great y'all. Nice pic!

Happy holiday season!

This is a well written, well produced song. Great vocals and playing by all. The other instruments sound great. Nice mix. Cool song with inspiring message. Bravo!

These four people make GREAT music in my opinion! Seriously, this song is SO good. If I could tell you 1 thing I thought was average, I would. It would be so much easier then stating all the things that are so right with this song.

So...the short version. I love it. Every performance made it seem SO real to me. The blending of BIAB and everything that is real seems indistinguishable.

I feel I would only keep repeating myself if I were to start naming individual things...the vox, the backing vox, the guitar, the bass, the mix...I just can't stop once I start.

The piano intro a short section that sounded almost Little River Band-ish to me. Great comping where you did. I'm not sure where, because it's done so well.

Thanks for the share of all of this talent on full display!

Many thanks Ray. The vocals were fun as was the entire project.

J&B

We appreciate that Mario!

J&B

You guys already know how magical I believe your formula is, and I'm thrilled whenever I get the call to be a small part of it. Peter, your guitar is always so perfect for each song, and, Janice, you sing with such glee, passion and precision. And no one puts it all together in such a profe3ssional production as the Bud-meister. As fir this song... man, what a perfect song to start each day. Highly recommended.

I just absolutely love it when I hear a song with a "real singer" and no doubt Janice fits that bill to a T. She makes every song a GREAT song no matter what because of her vocal talent. GIRL CAN SANG !! No disrespect Peter :-)
I'm in the camp that if a song has vocals and the singer is struggling it's just not a very good song and I click off because I can't tolerate the flat notes. No disrespect to anyone reading this. I won't even bother with any production comments because like myself you guys are your own producers so why should I get involved in that. You know what you want and you always achieve outstanding results. Another great song and performance in this thread. All the best to you two and any of the other musicians you involve in your projects. -- Henry

Thanks for the comments on my part in the song.

I particularly liked how this song evolved, from a basic arrangement lifted by those fabulous backing vocals and the addition of Marty's bass track which complimented the vocals and my guitar wonderfully.

It's always a pleasure and a privilege working on these tracks.

Peter

Wow! Mentioning Janice in the same sentence as two of her favorite is humbling. Thanks for all!

J&B

J&B (and Peter and Marty):

Really great tune—brilliant production work as usual; terrific vocals. Love the harmonies on “Our worst fears” and throughout the chorus; nice and soft, well mixed. Piano is pretty killer, too! Sweet tune!

My best to you all,

Deej

BTW J&B, thanks for your kind comments on my track “Help Me Kind of Love”. I’d thank you there, but am hesitant to bump up the thread at this point.

Thanks Leon for everything and having you compliment our lyric is quite a treat as we so admire yours.

J&B

That is a fully integrated creative effort, a wealth of production values, and a feast for the ears and eyes.

Thanks for all and Janice much liked your mention of her harmonies.

And we agree with your grammar!

J&B

Yeah!

As you know I love Janice's vocals, but what really blows me away is the harmonies! Fabulous!

Peter is doing his usual stellar job on the guitar, and Marty is probably the best bass player I've ever worked with.

Good write, Bud, and your usual fine job with the mix.

Enjoyed!

Thanks Stefan we all appreciate your comprehensive comments.

Peter

Janice, Bud, Peter, Marty...

GREAT piano sound! Love the opening!!

Killer bass.

The STAR doing her usual stellar vocals. BGVs are outta-this-world. Vocal arrangement is killer...

A good write. "...The journey doesn’t always have to be uphill" ... nice.

Mix is off-the-charts good.

Excellent in all regards.

(Now, you've got me wonderin'..."Where's the video???")

fj

Hi all,

What an inspiring song!
Great music and of course Janice's vocals are wonderful again.
We love the backing vocals.
Enjoyed it very much.

Rob and Anne-Marie

Stefan, we ALWAYS appreciate the depth and thoughtfulness of your comments. We do not take them for granted as they are inspiring and build confidence in what we are attempting. So thanks for all and for the big smile on Janice’s face when she read your remark on her BGVs!

J&B

Thanks for listening and the nice comments!

J&B

Hat's off to everyone!
Mountain Bike........OH MY!

Great arrangement, band sounds perfect and love the extra Janices .

Well done

moto

Thank you.

J&B

4T strikes again. talent times a zillion.
loved the bounce of this.
truly wonderfull effort and vocs.

while i was listening to your song i was thinking...
'why hasnt a major label signed you ages ago' ?
then i answered my own question 'cos the major labels arent smart enough'...lol

merry xmas to you all.
om

Thank you Scott. It was a fun all around project.

J&B




Thanks David! Same to you.

J&B

Glad you enjoyed it!

J&B

Everyone here is at the top of their game. The vocal and harmonies as well as the arrangement are super. The mix is stellar as is the piano sound. Marty sure knows what he is doing down there on the low end and Peter always finds the perfect complimentary guitar parts. The write is uplifting and the photo
a great visual representation of the theme. Well done all, Tom

Reading this turned a chilly rainy day into sunshine!

We all greatly appreciate your kind remarks and it's cool that you like the piano ... gonna make us revisit Little River Band. The BiaB MST's are golden.

Thanks for such kind words!

J&B

Marty, your contribution on bass is greatly appreciated. It’s so cool to have that bottom end working with and supporting the vocals and guitar!

J&B

Forgive me for being late for the party, but I was there, silently for auditions
A couple of spins later... I must say, you have a talent of attracting talent. Sweet upbeat tune and excellent message "The journey doesn’t always have to be uphill". Everyone engaged and whole tune sound relaxed and natural. Ace harmonies by Janice. You are one productive team. Marty sounds great. Mix is A+.
Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Marty you are too kind.

Peter

Henry, your comments are very much appreciated. It has been encouragement and support like this that have kept us on this relatively new musical journey.

I (Bud) have told Janice she can sing and arrange vocals within genres like this for years but obviously I’m biased

Thanks Deej. We appreciate everything you said and, yep, those MST pianos are are sweet!

J&B

Thanks Ed!

J&B

Sometimes we all need a happy sound and this does that.
Good one all.

Vic

Janice, Bud, Peter & Marty,

Another GREAT collaboration!

Stellar vocals, playing and production. Every song is a new favorite...

This one needs a video.

Excellent stuff!

Bob

Hi there Janice, Bud, Peter and Marty,

The list of names is growing, but you all did a very good job on this lovely song. I enjoyed it, and of course the harmonics in the vocals. Very nice.

It took me some time to get back on the forum, because of technical issues, but this is the first song I listened to after that 'pause'.
Very good. No complains on whatever. Just alright!

Regards,
Hans

Nicely done. As is usual, top quality from everyone on the team.

Such a sultry vocal.

What a masterpiece production?

The song has an exuberant drive. Marty's bass and that N.O. piano really propels this song.

Janice's vocal is flawless and expressive.

That is my favorite Peter guitar solo.

Splendid all around.

[quote=BlueAttitude]

Thank you Dave. We are delighted you like the harmony. It has been quite a journey for Janice moving from bluegrass harmony to styles like this. And yep Marty really is a fine player as evidenced by how well he supports vocalists and lead players. And thanks for mentioning the write and mix.

J&B

Thanks for all! And thank you for guiding Janice into vocal explorations beyond bluegrass harmony. Thanks for the kind words re the mix and write. It is time to begin another video adventure indeed.

J&B

Exactly what I need, a will and a way at the same time.

Great job by all. Much enjoyed and very uplifting.

Josie

Thank you and good to see you back around!

J&B



Glad you liked it and especially the extra Janice’s Bud notes that Janice had quite the mountain bike race career!

J&B

Thank you very much for the very kind remarks. Hey ages ago a mainstream minor label would not have signed us as we played and recorded nothing but bluegrass

J&B

Thank you Tom for the kind word and for your counsel and support over the years.

Happy Holidays!

J&B





Thank you Misha for all and especially the “relaxed and natural” comment - that means a lot!

J&B




Yes we do and thanks!

J&B




Thank you Bob for the kind words. This might indeed be a fun video project!

J&B

Thanks and glad you are back!

J&B



Thank you Herb!

J&B

Thanks a bunch for all of your kind remarks. We all thought Marty's bass was special and felt the same about that MST piano.
Have a great holiday season!

J&B





Thank you Josie. It is nice hearing from you and we hope you and yours are doing well.

J&B

J&B and the gang,

I appreciate the work you folks always put into your productions! Great care is obviously taken in putting together every piece of this song! The result is always the same...Excellence! Thanks, Torrey

Another winner from "the house band"!!! Always love to hear Janice sing, and this is doubly good with the BG vocals!! The band..... piano, bass, and guitar all sound fantastic!! Killer Job guys!!! Merry Xmas!! Take care. Greg