Critique Notes /February 2007

The second meeting of the year brought another set of good songs. Seventeen songs were submitted for consideration of the group. There was a good mix of songs from being played live to some that were highly produced. This mixture really adds to the enjoyment of the meetings.

Lisa Loftin/ I Wouldn’t Go There… Lisa once again played live for the group. The song has a nice country feel. The song provided a good description of turning down an advance. “You’re asking me to wait for you, while you make up our mind what you want to do”. Suggestions from the group were to vary the melody a little and rearrange the lyrics to make the song stronger. A good effort!

Ron Tintner and Pat Bishop/Everyone Pays, There’s No Escape… Ron put music to Pat’s lyrics to present a well-produced song. The song is about not escaping from the wrath of nature. “There’s no escape from nature as it lashes out it’s wrath”. It is a well-written song with a dark theme, short and punchy. One suggestion from the group was to maybe shorten the break and rethink in the last line of the bridge.

Buddy Trotter and Pat Bishop/You’ve Got What It Takes… Buddy Trotter put music to another set of Pat’s lyrics. The song has a retro 60’s sound. “You’ve got what it takes to take my heart away, Baby, you’ve got what it takes”. The verses were spoken and the chorus were sung. It fit the song very well. This is a fun song. A couple of suggestions were to maybe make the bridge a little edgier and speak the ad lib part of the song instead of singing it.

Clyde Sarye/ The Man Who Once Was Me… Clyde brought in another well-recorded songs. The song is a good funky blues song with a CCR feel with some good guitar work. The song has some really good visuals. “Sentimental witchy woman’s chained me to her throne”. One suggestion from the groups was to maybe change the title to “The Man I use to be"

Dan Ennis/ That's What You Are… Dan brought in this song, which has some nice piano work. The song is about being away from someone special. The song has some good striking images. “You’re like rain drops hitting the desert, snowflakes in the middle of July”. The melody is very nice. One suggestion from the group was to warm up the images in the chorus.

Bobby Mitchell/ I Got Busted Last Saturday Night… Bobby played live for the group. This is a good, fun, typical Bobby Mitchell country song. It could even be a bluegrass song. “I got bused last Saturday night, I got busted for cheating on my wife”. Everything ties together very well in the last chorus. It was suggested that the song could have another verse.

Tony Rose/ For the Sake of Sanity… Tony played this song live. It’s a good song with a good tempo and a lot of energy. The listener can interpret the song in several ways. “The bookmark slipped from your life, flicking through the pages in your mind”. One suggestion was to add some words after the chorus instead of the ad lib.

Pat Bishop and Ron Tintner/Road to Nowhere… Once again this duo has teamed up to bring the group a song. A nice song with a country feel to it. “Every night he heard him say his prayer, Lord, I feel like I’m traveling on the road to nowhere”. The song was well recorded. One suggestion from the group was to have a better resolution to the song.

Bob Boelsche/Sweet Magnolia… Bob played the song live for the group. This is a good song with a bluegrass, gospel feel. “We laid him down beneath the sweet magnolias, where he can always enjoy their blooms”. One suggestion from the group was to move the guitar solo to between the second and third verses.

Mike Darnell/ Words… Once again Mike has brought in a good song with a nice melody. This song is about how words and what they do. “Sometimes they come out easy, other times they don’t, are we talking to each other or is it that we won’t”. One suggestion was to look at the last line of the last verse.

Chuck Elliot/ Columbus… Chuck played this song live. It is a good song with a nice feel. The song tells a good story about Columbus. “He’s just a common sort of fellow, three ships against her court’s advice”. One suggestion from the group was to change the tense in the third verse to match the others. Well done.

Andrew Ricardson/Love Never says No… Andrew brought in a good song, well recorded with a good feel. The song is as the title suggests. “Love never says no, it’s a spirit which will lift you”. Only some minor word changes were suggested by the group.

Danny Liggett/Ramblings… Danny brought in a song that was well recorded. The song speaks of the things we miss everyday. “We miss so much as we rush around, the quite colors ad the subtle sounds”. The group suggested varying the melody more and ave a conclusion at the end.

Patti Guyer/You Hung the Moon… Patti played live for the group. This is a good song that is short and to the point. “Wish I’d seen it when you hug the moon”. There has a good tempo and very good tag at the end.

Zane/Things… Zane brought in a good song. “But I know you, I know the things that you do”. The song has a feel and good tension. It was well received. One suggestion from the group was to speed up the tempo just a bit.

Mike Garcia/ That Was the Day… Mike played the song live. It is a good wedding day song. “It’s putting two hearts together that will never be the same” The song is quick and full of energy. It has a lot of neat lines in it. One suggestion from the group was to make some changes to the chord structure in the chorus

Dale Rychlik/Leave You Troubles Behind… Dale brought a nice song with a Jimmy Buffett feel. “Leave your troubles behind, pick up your guitar and be free” The group suggested some changes to clarify some aspects of the song. A good effort with a lot of potential.

Well gang that is it for February. We had a good set of songs to listen to and we enjoyed the company of everyone there. Keep Writing!

C’ya in March