Summer Of Love

Another fine one my brother......I like the drums on this one.....nice conga thing goin' on............great lyrics as always.........ooooh.....very nice harmonies......I like the bridge although it seems a little empty......I have no complaints at all on this except I think the bridge needs a little more movement from one of the instruments......a very nice tune.
 
Wow, wow ... wow

In the beginning you create an 'observer' AND a narrator ... in just a few lines. Excellent writing. We watch you, watching the ferris wheel, and we are on it with you, going back in time, spinning, helpless, just as you are ... falling into the song, and the memories. This is a fantastic visual technique, great imagery to hook us into the song.

ahhh ... those damn green eyes ...

'spun' ... the ferris wheel again, great writing.

god ... what a hook. Yeah it's corny, but that life, that's real.

'dancing neath the august moon' ... That could be the CD cover, just a silhoette of the lady against the moon, she on a little knoll next to a cypress tree, in a knee length skirt ... shoes hanging from one arm raised up ...

This is a horny song huh ? but it's PG I think ... :D

on 'those glorius days', your technique of getting up out of your chest voice, by 'releasing' up into your voice is noted, excellent technique. And the second time you do this ... it is more pressured, and that is appropriate as you create some tension at the end of the song ... to keep us hooked, just like you are.

Your intonation is dynamite. The more we feel it huh, the better it is for everyone ...

Man there could be some killer country fiddle slow fills ... pedal steel might be better.

At 00:41 to 00:46 IMHO, I hear an orchestral strings walk up, 1/8 notes moving into 1/6ths instead of so much drum completely exposed at that point.

This is very saleable material, if Dave doesn't play something like this he's a damn fool.

The technique you use to 'frame' the lead with the harmony backups by close panning them right and left, very well executed.

'hide out in the cypress grove' ... man that is excellent writing ... at once colloquial, but inviting ... whew !

If I had to make a suggestion, I would use less compression on your lead vocal and at 2:38, I think those keys could be crisper, perhaps double that track, and EQ the upper mids for a touch more punch, mix them together and pull the fader down a bit on that submix, less verb on the keys maybe ? Either that, or go to the other extreme and just totally liquid type of organ sound there ...

Yeah, that last 'glorius days' has just the perfect amount of tension on it.

Damn, I just want to keep listening over and over ... and just keep writing cool stuff ... easy to listen to, easy to write about ...

A very, very fine performance, writing, recording, engineering ... a great addition to the board, top 10 for this board in my short 6 months of real participation.
 
Beautiful song Al.Excellent songwriting as usual.Beautiful melody.It's ready for radio as far as Im concerned.This is the kind of stuff that turned me on to country music back in the early 80's.I sure hope this sound cycles back around real soon.I hate everyting on countyry radio at the present time.Im not exaggerating either.LOL.I listen to absolutely ZERO of the country/disco(same as disco was with one hit wonders using the SAME crappy formula to create ONE top ten single)crap that saturates country radio.It seems like you brought out the rage I have for country music with another one of your posts awhile back.lmao.Thanks man.:D

5 Stars!
 
What a great voice. Pay attention, gentlemen. Al's got soul and knows how to use it.

The congas are a real nice touch.

Nice harmonies, and they're well-mixed too.

And the lead has not one forced note in the whole track.

mmm...cotton dress...

Nice nice nice chord progressions. The mark of an experienced song writer.

It's not country, it's not pop, it's not blues, and I'm not gushing. It's just a great soulful piece of music. I've got visions of being out in the midwest again, riding through the prairies of Montana with Sonia. Thanks for taking me there.

Al, you got somebody important you can send this too?
 
Al, this was gorgeous. Don't change a thing. Tugs gently at the heartstrings, without invoking a formula (or an obvious formula anyhow) as modern country does so often now. Changes are simple but not cliched, imagery is REAL powerful, delivery is heartfelt and solid.

Thanks for letting us hear this one. It's a keeper.

Daf the envious
 
Ok, got my attention with this. I had to listen to a few of your others, then came back for another listen to this one. Chills twice during the third listen. This song touched me deeply. That's darn fine song writing with lotsa soul Al! Thanks.
 
Crap this is good. I mean really friggin good. There is such good separation and clarity. You don't hear that much among us amateurs. Things are panned perfectly.

Nice singing. Good guitar playing. Pretty song.

If I had to pick on anything... when there is no harmony going, the voal competes with the guitar a little bit. On second listen, no that's not true. I'll leave the statement in just in case...

I can't find anything wrong. Trip.
 
This is nice

Everything works. I Really like how clean it is. Not too much layered in. It is easy to get too much going on in a piece. This is just right for me.

Well done and very pleasant to listen to.
 
Everyone has felt the emotions like the ones you describe in this song - your song brings those feelings back. The true magic of music - my friend - in an instance I'm carried away. And life seems so doggone nice.

Masterful playing across the board. Beautiful, heartfelt singing.

But I'm way past the individual elements and mix - it's real music - I'm swept up in it. You've made my day. Thank you!
Milan

(Please imagine a bunch of smilies and stars and thumbs-up thingies here 'cause I don't know how to do that shit.)
 
Man, J.T would have a field day with this..but you know what? I don't think he could come close to what you just did. Your voice is one of the best i've heard in my 44 yr's on this earth Al...sorry for gushing and stuff:) ..said I wasn't going to do that haha, but my God man this so beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

David

btw; got my "crawdad sampler cd" today..Thank you!
 
What a beautiful song, very well written and recorded...

It pulls you in and takes you away... very soothing melody...

Its a nice simple song, but I can sure hear some subtle strings dancing around here and there, or not...:)

Good wholesome americana..

You are such an awesome talent, man it doesn't get any better than this...






:)
 
Beautiful tune Al,
Very very nice one here. Man, you have such a great grasp on how to record your vocs. These are no exception, as always an appreciated listen and lesson. Great dynamics in this. Every little nuance sounds wonderful and intentional.

Shit, I aint gonna critique this... ....just give it a big fat 5.

Great stuff here Crawdaddy!!!
*****
 
This such a lovely, well written tune. Very nice work. Your vocals are perfect. Just the right feel. I actually could not imagine it being sung any other way.

Only mix nit - the hi-hat seemed to draw my attention in places. I am on headphones though. Maybe just a double check. Maybe it's just the loop that bothers me.

Thanks for sharing. It was a pleasure.
 
Ok...I'll spill the beans on this guy....

Al has a reputation around Detroit as one of the best guitarists around. I say this because my best friend of 26 years has played with Crawdad, and ANY musician on the scene here would say "duh!" if you said you thought Al was a great guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter.

Crawdad is also one of the humblest, genuinely "real" musicians on the circuit here too. That is why he has sooo much respect from the circles around here. It was a privledge for me to meet him, and I only wish I had as much talent in my body as he has in his left testicle.

I found out that he is good friends with quite a few of my musician friends here, and EVERY one of them has nothing but respect and admiration for him.

Oh yeah...The song?

What is there to critique?
He should be signed to a label, make a buttload of money, and buy us all some recording gear.

James Taylor would wet himself for this tune.

Perfect.


VI
 
no complaints here. i like that song man, very chill.

i'd like to hear it with real drums, and maybe a bit hotter vox mix during the verse parts.

James Taylor would wet himself for this tune.
Click to expand...

i almost posted this exact thing. well, not exact... but similar... in a "not peeing on oneself" kind of way. :)
 
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