Wednesday, December 14, 2016

A NASHVILLE CRITIQUE OF THE SONG: AMAZING GRACE

    John Newton made a great effort here with his song Amazing Grace, but in today’s world it feels a little dated and familiar sounding.  You start out with the title in the first line which would serve better in the chorus.  "How sweet the sound"?  Can you really taste a sound? But interesting choice of words.  Your next line "saved a wretch like me"  probably would not be cut in Nashville.  What artists would want to call themselves a wretch?  Your phrasing is marked with cliché one-liners that weaken the overall impact and make this song too similar to many other songs on the market. Your song has a favorable lyrical topic that, for the most part, is well presented. You might want to reword the second line of your chorus and your third verse to give it a fresher, less cliché sound. Your song has a distinct emotional draw that is well represented by your lyrics. The verses' sarcasm sets the stage for a dark dialogue about betrayal and love gone astray. 
Your musical composition has a strong haunting melody but felt a bit formulaic and lacking in any standout instrumental performance. The production should be suitable for a demo as it does show any publisher or recording artist the song's appeal. However, if this song is intended to represent your potential to become a recording artist, you will want to work more on the vocal mix and sound quality.  I would try to find someone else perhaps a studio vocalist to sing this song. A good demo in Nashville will usually cost around $1,000.  This song currently has fair potential to attract a buyer but also has much room for improvement.           
 Relatability - Song's ability to communicate a message that the audience cannot easily relate to.
 Visualization – Song's ability to convey a visual image of the story or message that the audience cannot easily imagine.
 Engagingness - Song's ability to engage the audience while holding their interest and attention throughout the entirety of the work is lacking.

Have you been called by God for a purpose? Philippines 3: 14 tells us to keep pressing forward. If you're calling is songwriting verse ...