gmiller1122,
From your post I take it you don't want me to do a mix critique, so I won't. If you want me to, just ask, I'll do so.
I hate having to download, but know you are signed up on NWR, so I went there to play back your tunes.
I Never Win - Rythm gives me an early swing feel, sounds like the type of bass rift Aretha would belt one out to
Took me a bit to seperate the vocals enough from the mix to get the lyrical value. Still a bit tough to focus on them enough to pull out the whole bit. The flow of the song seems nicely matched to the lyrics. If you post the lyrics, I can critique them a bit more.
I would vary the bass a little bit more, it's pretty constant until about the 2 minute mark, after that it improves.
Sounds like a well written song, although I couldn't say that it would win any awards for 'uniqueness', as it appears to be written for an older commercial atmosphere. You (or the song writer), my guess would be, are a fan of early classic rock
Real - Same early rock feel, with a bit of late 70's early 80's influence. I'd have to call it 80's pop. Almost that 'Life is a highway' feel... Now what was his name... hehe
Lyrically the song could be powerful, the mix needs quite a bit of balancing to push the lyrics into their proper spot. To bring up the power, I might also use an electric in there with a dist. effect with the heavy emphasis of the lyrics. Vocals are pretty disembodied.
It may just be the bass overpowering the rest of the instrumental value, but I think that's the section that needs the most work. Think of backing the vocals with an orchestra, where the orchestra could easily play without the vocals, and yet the song would almost sound the same...
At this point, you could put almost any lyrics in the song, and most people wouldn't notice the difference. Need some lead instrumentation in there to match the vocal and tie them together.
Once again, wouldn't mind seeing the vocals posted
Good work for your first shot(s)!
W.