Mystery Vocalist. What Do You Think?

[iagtrplyr]

You wife has an exceptional and lovely voice. She would benefit from working with a producer or engineer who will be honest with her to improve the VERY few areas in which her intonation isn't hitting the mark. It's very clear she's got the ear and musculature to sing well and hit her targets, so these little micro areas are likely just things she didn't notice.

A good engineer or producer will have the ear to flag these moments and get a do-over, which will ultimately pull a flawless performance out of an exceptional singer. This is how it's done on a pro-level, most singers don't always do a flawless performance in one take and we all need someone behind the glass who will say "let's try that one again."

Many so-called producers are not up to the task because they don't have the ear for it.

I only mention this because it's clear she has the talent to do this exceptionally well, and a lot of people will blow smoke and tell you she's perfect. She very nearly is, but finding a producer worthy of her talents is your real challenge here.

Best of luck!

Thank you so much for the feedback, we really need to hear this. I'm the guy right now who's doing that and I know I'm not catching everything.

This all started out as a lark as I'm recently retired and wanted to add to the hobby list. But the positive comments we've received over the songs the past year made me realize this could be larger than just us making fun recordings. And maybe not, we'll see which way the wind is blowing from this point on.

Yours is the kind of comment we've been looking for, and my wife asked me to thank you for it!

 

[iagtrplyr]

Guys, I'm not going to respond to anything not about the singing part after this. I apologize for any ruffling of feathers, but if you've read past the initial posts you know they it wasn't meant to go that route.

Souly was just helping out a bass brotha who was on the fence about putting his wide's songs out for critique, that's it. His heart was in the right place even if his words weren't, and that's what matters to me.

I've already been given a treasure trove of ideas and advice, but if I re-post something like this in the future I'll do it myself. So let's give the guy a break unless your glass house is shatter-proof.

Thanks!

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Red flags are up for me but I wish you good fortune

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Would any musicians want to collaborate online?

Sure, I'd play bass on her tracks. Just curious though, wouldn't you just play the bass yourself (assuming you play bass)?

 

[SoulReflection]

Sure, I'd play bass on her tracks. Just curious though, wouldn't you just play the bass yourself (assuming you play bass)?

I do play bass, but not up to her standards. Her husband is a great bass player and I was referring to other musicians that they could collaborate with. I am pleased they got an intro and wish them well.

I am also pleased you responded without the hint of argumentative, ulterior motives. Your signature suggests practice, which is what I have decided to do rather than waste time posting on TB. I can hear the cheers already .

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Hey Jeez! Thanks a bunch, man, we respect your ear as a fellow Ampeg lover. Yeah, we've covered everything from broadway to metal and so far it's come out pretty decent. Now we're looking to take her talent online and see what happens.

I've received some really positive PMs from those looking past the start of this thread and focusing on what we hoped to do, which was offer to collaborate with interested musicians, and we'll continue doing just that.

Thanks again, Jeezy!

Np bro

 

[HardNHeavy]

Great vocals, just a wee bit pitchy here and there...But not really noticeable at all.....@LBS said it best.. My thoughts exactly!

 

[iagtrplyr]

Thanks so much! She agrees with you on those pitchy notes as well and now realizes under the tutelage of someone more advanced than me, she could make positive contributions to someone's music.

I was asked in a PM if she's had any formal training and the answer is, other than teachers in middle and high school, none at all. It's a natural gift and I'm honored every time we begin recording.

Thanks for the comment!

 

[Confunk]

Very nice voice; very nice song.
I assume it's an original, there's a song by the same name recorded by OC Smith, for info's sake.

My wife is a Vocalist, superb IMO, but of course I'm biased. She's done sessions and has sung with other projects, but we work together, performing R&B/Soul/Funk covers.
She loves to write, especially lyrics. In all my years playing, I've really only written (2) songs, one, a ballad, the other a Funk! tune that really brings the heat.
I hope to record it with her at some point. Again, I'm biased, but I think it would tear it up, especially with her singing.

As far as collaborators go, in our 'hood, there is really only one proven method that works for us:
$$$!
We get shows, we hire players, they collaborate in the sense that they play the material as desired & arranged. This (Las Vegas) is a tough town insofar as the players with the skills we need require m-o-n-e-y
for their time- Makes perfect sense. If/when we record my tune; I would gladly hire & pay the right musicians and engineer to make it happen & get what I want.

Like every other city, there are plenty of singers and musicians who are trying to record/promote their originals, and like every other city- It's a beot**! Show biz.

Best of luck with your endeavors.

 

[iagtrplyr]

Very nice voice; very nice song.
I assume it's an original, there's a song by the same name recorded by OC Smith, for info's sake.

My wife is a Vocalist, superb IMO, but of course I'm biased. She's done sessions and has sung with other projects, but we work together, performing R&B/Soul/Funk covers.
She loves to write, especially lyrics. In all my years playing, I've really only written (2) songs, one, a ballad, the other a Funk! tune that really brings the heat.
I hope to record it with her at some point. Again, I'm biased, but I think it would tear it up, especially with her singing.

As far as collaborators go, in our 'hood, there is really only one proven method that works for us:
$$$!
We get shows, we hire players, they collaborate in the sense that they play the material as desired & arranged. This (Las Vegas) is a tough town insofar as the players with the skills we need require m-o-n-e-y
for their time- Makes perfect sense. If/when we record my tune; I would gladly hire & pay the right musicians and engineer to make it happen & get what I want.

Like every other city, there are plenty of singers and musicians who are trying to record/promote their originals, and like every other city- It's a beot**! Show biz.

Best of luck with your endeavors.

Confunk, thank you very much for your comment and words of wisdom. No, the song isn't ours, it's a song from one of the Spiderman movies with my wife's voice in front of the studio instrumentation. We're limited to adding bass, limited guitar, and cajon, which is why this thread was posted; to see where to go next. By comparison, you're rounding third headed for home while we're still trying to get to first base!

I totally understand your point about the monetary motivation when creating a musical collaboration, but are there still those out there who just want to record for...fun? I've been doing this for just over a year now and have a lot to learn, and would enjoy finding people with the same aspirations without making the project similar to those in your "hood?"

I'm working on just that with some friends of mine from out of state, but I'd love to get her voice involved in some simple, less stressful projects (if there is such a thing) to start with. I'll continue pursuing based on the advice I've received so far in this thread.

Thanks again, and good luck on your endeavors as well! Here's another song we covered from our current fave group, Blackmore's Night. Hope you enjoy it!

 

[Confunk]

Confunk, thank you very much for your comment and words of wisdom. No, the song isn't ours, it's a song from one of the Spiderman movies with my wife's voice in front of the studio instrumentation. We're limited to adding bass, limited guitar, and cajon, which is why this thread was posted; to see where to go next. By comparison, you're rounding third headed for home while we're still trying to get to first base!

I totally understand your point about the monetary motivation when creating a musical collaboration, but are there still those out there who just want to record for...fun? I've been doing this for just over a year now and have a lot to learn, and would enjoy finding people with the same aspirations without making the project similar to those in your "hood?"

I'm working on just that with some friends of mine from out of state, but I'd love to get her voice involved in some simple, less stressful projects (if there is such a thing) to start with. I'll continue pursuing based on the advice I've received so far in this thread.

Thanks again, and good luck on your endeavors as well! Here's another song we covered from our current fave group, Blackmore's Night. Hope you enjoy it!

My wife & I went through many attempts without much luck at finding musicians who would want to be part of a collaborative "band' effort, both here in Las Vegas, and in SoCal when we lived there.
Many who were willing just didn't have the chops we felt necessary, those with the skills we liked wanted to know only 2 things: When's the gig & how much? Show biz.
This might be due in part to those particular "markets" for performers, both are overcrowded with studio/session hopefuls and Casino showroom performers.

It always bothered me insofar as the incredible egos present sometimes. IMO, you best be humble if you play an instrument or sing, as there are artists out there who have unbelievable talent.
That aside-

Your wife has a beautiful voice and a unique tone & style. I'm sure if you keep at it, you'll find your partners- in- crime.
TBT, the instrumentals on the tracks you posted sound pretty top rate to me.

 

[LBS-bass]

I totally understand your point about the monetary motivation when creating a musical collaboration, but are there still those out there who just want to record for...fun? I

In my limited experience, you'll be unlikely to find people with high-level skills to do the things that will do that music justice effectively and efficiently if you aren't willing to pay for it.

I wrote several songs last year and produced a four-song EP; I could have never done it to my satisfaction if I'd been relying on local or otherwise unpaid collaborators because even some of the paid collaborators were not up to the challenge, and I had to pay them anyway. The unpaid talent pool is shallow; good session players don't work for free.

That said, you will find plenty of people who will want to step up and do something. If you're very lucky they will also have the chops to do it, but whether they have the time to do it, the equipment to do it, and the willingness to continue to do it after two or three sessions is a big question. Working with good session players is by far the easiest way to assure something gets done well and on time. The bonus with working that way is that I never have to deal with them again once they are paid, unless I want to hire them to do more work.

All in all, it didn't cost that much, relatively speaking. It's like any other hobby; you have expenses that allow you to keep doing the thing you want to do. Whether you're buying a boat to help you catch fish, or a better set of clubs to play golf with, or whatever you do, there will always be ongoing expenses.

 

[LBS-bass]

This might be due in part to those particular "markets" for performers, both are overcrowded with studio/session hopefuls and Casino showroom performers.

It's the same here, and I'm not in a big market. The world is saturated with so-so players, and the ones who have the chops to do this kind of work are aware that their skill has value.

If you're truly networked in at the local level you might find someone who you've worked with that's willing to come in and cut a track as a guest artist for free, but that person probably isn't going to be willing to be part of an ongoing project. The simple reality is that all these things take time, and good session players are keeping busy with paid work.