Hi Floyd ...

I listened to both songs day before yesterday. I wrote a long, detailed comment. I clicked onto the "Submit" button, and like two other comments I wrote ... it disappeared into the dark regions of cyberspace. I'd bet there's a lot of cyber junk out there!

Anyway, I sat and thought about each recording for quite sometime ... perhaps an hour total, before writing that comment. I'll try to recapture what I wrote that vanished as best as I can remember.

The demo version: Loved it! That lady can sing ... should be a star. It had all the elements looked for in a demo ... a demo of that time and era. In my opinion, it's about as good a demo as could have been recorded anywhere by anyone. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Your version: Super! It's my opinion that few singers, demo or otherwise, can fully infuse the emotion of the writer. The emotion may be as strong but not necessarily express the exact mental/emotional state of the writer. You know what you wanted and man ... did you ever deliver! Your vocal and all the backing tracks were simply super. There's a certain "begging for gut emotion" in your version that does not exist in the demo.

In summation, it's very difficult to compare the two because they were recorded many years apart and the wants and taste of Nashville and the listening public changed noticeably during that time frame. I think the demo was perfect for the era (early 90s?) of country music in which it was recorded. There's little doubt in my mind it would have been a monster hit had Reba put on her CD. In today's country music world, I don't think the demo would get a lot of second listens. Not because it's an inferior song (it's a GREAT song), but because it doesn't fit the image of today's country music. And producers, A and R folks, etc., listen through today's ears.

So, for me, it's not a matter of which do I think is the better delivery of the song. It's a matter of which version fits the mold of country music at the time of recording. I think your version would have a much better chance in today's marketplace, but the demo would have been a better fit for the era in which it was recorded. They're both fabulous. It just depends upon which hole you're trying to plug into.

I hope that made sense. if not, let me know and I'll try to better explain.

Regardless, it's a super fantastic song, regardless of when it was recorded. Best to you,

Alan

BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*16GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar

Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops