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Hi, all: Here’s something new . . . another sad, broken heart ballad . . . but I think it’s ready to go and I hope you enjoy the listen. As always, much thanks in for the spins and feedback. Stay safe and stay well, all— Deej Here’s the song:NOWHERE ELSE TO GO Here are the lyrics:
So much for my sunny days My blue skies have changed To a bitter shade of grey And a cold rain is falling Ever since you went away I ask everyone where you’ve gone But no one seems to know You up and disappeared And left me sitting here With nowhere else to go Enough of empty platitudes Kind words will never do To change my solitude Because a broken voice is calling Forever crying out for you And I pray each night The morning light Will chase the dark shadows Still it finds me here Alone with all my fears And nowhere else to go Too many truths remain unspoken My love for you remains unbroken My heart’s still open Someday the sun will shine again But I can’t pretend I’ll ever feel warmer then Because this cold rain keeps falling And it ain’t ever gonna end So I’m giving in To this winter wind It’s always gonna blow I’ll just keep sitting here With these icy tears And nowhere else to go Yeah, I’ll be very clear I’ll just be wasting here With nowhere else to go And here’s the band:RealTracks 2474: Bass, Acoustic, Held RealTracks 1602: Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Pop16 Ev16 065 RealTracks 1600: Guitar, High-Strung Acoustic, Rhythm Pop16ths RealTracks 2016: Sax, Tenor, Soloist CountryShuffleMark Sw 120 RealTracks 1543: Synth Pad, PopBelieve RealTracks 3067: Multi[Simultaneous=2] VocalAahs RealDrums: PraiseWorshipSlow16ths^3
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Oh my word. Genius. Sheer genius. You know I love your songs, particularly when they are in "heartbreak mode". I am writing on my cell phone, so will come back with a more detailed comment once I am on my laptop ... but just heard the song and just had to say how much I have enjoyed it. Details later ... but BRAVO.
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Ok. Must "hold my enthusiasm in", sometimes, haha ... on the other hand, who cares about that.
1) LYRICS. Wow, wow, wow.
"Enough of empty platitudes
Kind words will never do
To change my solitude
Because a broken voice is calling
Forever crying out for you".
(to mention but a few lines ... the beginning lines, too, just grabbed my attention and held me there)
You are a poet as well as a complete singer and composer/creator of stunning music. Because you write music and sing so well, I don't think the power of your lyrics are mentioned enough. So here I am, to (at least partially) right that wrong, in my "enthusiastic" way - so sue me, everybody, this guy deserves enthusiasm :-)
2) The way you wrote and sing this song makes me think of Queen's Brian May, in some ways. But this is you. It's Deej, from the first note to the last.
3) You're so direct in your songs, I don't know how you do it. I, for one, tend to go round and round. You go to the point - I've told you this before. You say what you have to say, in a way that breaks the heart of the listener, because the singer's heart is so much on his sleeve ... and that's it. No messing around, no convoluted ways of saying something which can be said concisely. Bravo.
4) I don't know how you manage to write these heartbreak songs ... I've listened to so many different kinds of songs of yours, and they are all great ... I just don't know what the emotional toll is on you, as a writer, when you write something like this - for me, personally, if I want to write something even remotely close to this, it can be draining, emotionally. But - however you do it, you do it ... and for that, especially for the fact that you're sharing your music with us, and that I've been lucky enough to find it in this otherwise saturated world, I am immensely grateful. Thanks.
These are first impressions ... will add to this post if I can think of more :-) Sincerely, well done.
P.S. your VOICE sounds better than ever. Direct, open, communicative ... the sound carries well and communicates the feel of the song, more than ever, I feel. I like the open sound of the backing instruments, too ... some may like them more rounded, I don't ... I like this open sound. Well done.
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You are the Heartbroken Prince.
Structurally interesting and lyrically, as always, filled with phrases that essay the topic superbly.
Your voice & melodies are the winners though - ace.
Personally I'm not keen of the woolly bass or the pinched reed sax but they are barely noticed once you begin to sing.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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Dang, you are so good at this, Deej. I can listen to your unique vocals sing anything, but when you write such beautiful melodies and words there is an overwhelming abundance of goodness. What a good write. I may not be a fan of the sax solo, but pretty much any solo would be just a part where we digest what's you've said and wait for more. I'd also like to hear the bass play more than just half and whole notes (mostly), but you are encouraged to ignore me on that point because I probably have mucked up a song or two by overplaying.
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Deej...this is beautiful and moving...your voice and delivery reminds me of Robin Gibb in "Massachusetts"...filled with angst and the style and melody of something The Bee Gees might compose...some of my favorite artists by the way...we all get the sad songs...they resonate in all of us to some degree and this one is sad...but as Shakespeare might say "such sweet sadness"...loved the melody and chord changes...great job...Dan
www.soundclick.com/firesongBiaB 2024, Steinberg Cubase Pro 13, Wavelab 11.2, SpetraLayers Pro 10, Audacity, Steinberg UR44 Interface, Yamaha Genos, Roland FP60 and FP10, Windows 10 You are who you are because you do what you do because of what you believe.
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Deej, it's hard to come up with a comment already given, but I agree with them all. Exceptional write, sung with the emotion of a great voice. Fantastic mix. It all comes down to the song, and man this is a good one.
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Deej,
Really well composed tune. Terrific vocal performance! A+ lyrics and phrasing. Definitely a winner. Clear mix, easy listen. Enjoyed it and thank you for sharing.
Misha.
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Deej
Every time you do one of these ballads, you keep upping your game! You've always done excellent work and this one just builds on that! Your vocals are always emotive and very expressive! This one is a beautiful tune that will certainly resonate with many listeners!
Thanks, Torrey
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Very nice work.... man, you sure write some really well crafted lyrics. And then you match them up with interesting chords and melody.
One of the people I look forward to hearing the new stuff from..... that would be you.
I enjoyed the wistful sound of your vocals on this. I'll most likely be back later to listen on my buds for a better experience of this tasty tidbit of music.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Deej,
As always, this is OVER THE TOP GOOD! You are an exceptional writer and singer.
Loved it!
Bob
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Deej,
A well-written song. Excellent melody. And your always excellent vocals. Impassioned.
Mix is good.
I will disagree with our resident bass players - for a full piano ballad like this, I think a truly simple bass line is best - sounds good to me.
Nice job of finding an appropriate piano RT to carry the full-piano-ballad idea (not always an easy thing to do).
Personally, I would prefer the piano to be warmer.
Another excellent offering.
fj
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Deej, All of your music has an epic quality to it, and I couldn't care less how you decide to produce it.  Let me explain: I recognize an artist is at work and I am just going to assume you made the artistic choices you darned well wanted to make as an artist. So I just sit back, close my eyes and go along for the ride. There is NO QUESTION you know what you are doing word by word and beat by beat. Some real goosebump stuff, all the time. I know the word is overused, but I think this is epic. Great job man.
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Superb write, arrangement and performance. The vocals are really top notch. Excellent.
Charlie
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Wow what a awesome song Deej. The chord progressions and your heart wrenching vocal knocked this song out of the park. Really cool song. Well done
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Your passionate vocal and the lovely piano make this mournful lyric into a beautiful ballad. The melody tugs at your heartstrings before the first verse is half over. The mix is open and sounds very good on our monitors. We hope the heartbreak songs make you as happy as the blues songs do us! Enjoyed it! J&B
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Musician17, rayc, Marty, firesong, Brad, Misha, Torrey, Guitarhacker, Bob, Floyd, David, Charlie, Scott, and J&B:
I really appreciate the listens and all the feedback. Thank you all for giving this a spin and taking the time to comment. A few thoughts on some of the specific feedback:
Ray and Marty re the sax solo: I auditioned a variety of different instruments for that solo, starting with electric and then acoustic guitar, and finally settling on the sax. This RT seemed to work best. I actually like it, but that may be because my ears are expecting it. A friend listened to this tune recently and had a similar reaction as you. So, in short, I might need to revisit. Just not sure where to go with it.
Ray, Marty and Floyd re the bass: I really wanted the piano to carry this song, so didn’t want the bass to get too much in the way. So I went for simple. I initially had a second guitar in the song and got rid of it entirely for the same reason. That said, when it comes to mixing, drums and bass are the two areas where I still struggle getting the right sound.
Floyd re the piano: It feels like I auditioned every single piano RT for this, and this one seemed to work best. However, it was a bit brighter than some of the others. I did try to warm it up as much as I could, but I think you are right that it could go further . . . just need to figure out how, LOL!
Thanks again all. Stay safe, stay well.
Deej
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Deej, this is your best to date IMHO
I agree with most all of what has been said. I differ on the bass, sax, and piano as I think they were a perfect fit for this song.
Fantastic vocal. It reminded me of the Bee Gees Robin Gibb.
Outstanding lyrics and backing band.
Loved it
Unclear if the pianist is a total beginner or a professional jazz player?
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Deej,
Very few singers match your controlled passion; no wonder folks here love listening to you pour on the heartache.
The write is powerful and I liked the simple big ballad arrangement... with a slight question about the piano RT which I see you`ve answered already.
A goosebumps good from me!
Robert
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Your delivery of a sad ballad is right up there with all the great proponents of the style, Deej. Absolutely first class.
Regards,
Leon
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