Your song has already been to #31 in the Hotdisc Most Popular Tracks Chart as voted for by the most influential DJs in Europe and some even further afield. Only the elite tracks from the recent Hotdiscs deemed good enough by the DJs get into this chart on merit so this is a great achievement; and there are many major label acts in the Top 40 too.
Stuart Cameron - Up Country magazine, UK "I'm a fan of Richard's, and while it's not stone country there's plenty of good things in the mix and he merits play on country radio for doing something different, And having the guts to follow what he believes in
Alan Potter - Harrogate Radio, UK "Easy listening voice and song"
Maureen Allen - Linedance DJ, UK "Faultless!"
Graham Hassall - Radio Nightingale, UK "Enjoyable offering"
Alex Pijnen - BRTO Radio, Holland "Excellent"
Sue McCarthy, Colin H. Blanchard and Mike Saunders - "A song that is on the pop borders of country"
James Pearson - BBC Radio Shetland, UK "Good voice"
Alan Priestley - Linedance DJ, UK "Crossover pop/country Good voice"
John Gould - Speysound Radio, UK "Jazzy and funky. Cocktail bar country, but great"
Al Watts - Australia "Nice voice and lyrics. Good backing. Great, a winner with me."
Ries Verwijmeren - Radio Rucphen, Holland "Likeable"
Arno Bierings - Eagle Radio, Holland "Very impressed with it"
Sam Harris - Gigs & Jigs Magazine, UK "Enjoyable"
Otto Waldoft - Radio Gladsaxe, Denmark "Nice country pop"
Ray Grundy - Metro Radio, UK "Not an ounce of country in this one but, judged as a Funk/Soul tune, this is a good aelf-penned song with equally strong vocals from Richard. The sax instrumental in the middle is excellent!
August 2007
TAXI - The World's Leading Independant A&R Company has done a complete review on Richard's CD "Point of View".
Well produced, performed, arranged and put together, Richard. Sounds like lots of thought and energy went into this.
The strength of the blend, interaction between the vocal delivery and the instrumental work stands out. Do you get to play live gigs? It's tough to put the studio team together on stage, I know, but in the end, the feedback you get from your audiences is invaluable.
Have you presented these to any local radio there in Milan and vicinity? Take an objective look at where YOU think this fits into a local regional radio. Which stations are playing similar artists?
*Check the various Billboard Mag charts. Where do you think this fits in the best?
**The title melody here has to play an important role. The chorus lyric, title remain somewhat familiar, even overused so the more creative, compelling the melody and the chord changes, the easier it becomes to build a unique signature for each song. Of course, pop / rock and country hits are filled with common, even derivative language. The key is to meld the lyric and the tune into a phrase that sticks with the listener. Keep writing, play on.
STYLE
Singer songwriter. Americana / pop / and traditional influences. Artists like Jimmy Buffett come to mind *
MELODY
Tender melody in the verse works with the narrative. Vocal emotion brings out the meaning of pure, honest and the values you attach to this love. While the verse establishes the direction, you might do even more to give this title / chorus section a more distinctive, inventive melody **
STRUCTURE
Good pop / song verse / chorus form
Chord progression of the chorus does give the tune a bit of a lift, overall. (some inconsistant intonation with guitar overdubs in this arrangement)
LYRIC
Personal lyric. The verse references and language leave little doubt as to your sincerity here. This theme is personal, and universal.. This is a finished CD, of course, but in general, I'd avoid the more expected phrases...rhymes. Let each verse advance the story. Who, what, where, when, how, etc?
No arguing with the sincerity of the lyric, but, if you use the 'baby' in the first line of the chorus, avoid also using it in the last line.
