So I tried Waters.
Production-wise it's a VERY good recording. I'd only have minor recommendations that wouldn't really make/break this.
My major complaint is the lack of energy. The playing and vocals are accomplished, but restrained. Too much "dead space" in the sound field. The song picks up slightly near the end, but that level of energy should really be at the beginning with it building throughout the song - unless you're actually trying to put people to sleep or just be background noise. Even "soft rock" has emotive peaks and valleys, but most of this is one long valley.
Okay, so I'm listening to Changes. Exact same problem - it's folk rock in slow motion. There's plenty of stuff going on but nothing musically front-and-center. Again, playing and recording is of the highest pop rock caliber. If this was only intended to be a showcase for the talent and not about the best delivery for the song then I guess you've succeeded admirably.
I like to remind people that being a producer involves more than making the sound clean. It's our duty to work with the artist to make it sound its best. Most musicians enter a studio knowing how they want to play something (often practicing it 1,000 times before), but it isn't always the "best" arrangement. It's tough to tell a song writer that "it would work better if", but that's what a good producer does. They open doors to the artist that they couldn't open themselves.
