The Songwriter Forum - songwriting reviews, tips and chat
Songwriter Forum => Feedback on Finished songs => Topic started by: tboswell on May 16, 2019, 11:38:40 AM
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Hi all,
Put this together recently, trying to dial back the quantisation and do something with a bit more feel, inspired by Van Morrison a bit and that Caledonia Soul he spoke about.
Hope it makes for a mellow yet impassioned listen...
Tom.
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A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC
(T J Boswell)
First light
You might
Scarcely believe the way it felt last night
T'was enchanting alright
Romanced
Entranced
But could it all be just a crazy dream?
Sure was something
Yeah, there’s a little bit of magic
In the night
There’s a little bit of magic
You can’t fight
And every time you come to me
There will be
Just a little bit of magic
This time
They’ll find
Your hardened heart ain’t taken in so quick
It’s all a simple trick
Sweet words
Soft light
S’all misdirection
You done broke the spell
Your eyes are open
But there’s a little bit of magic
In the night
There’s a little bit of magic
You can’t fight
And every time you come to me
There will be
Just a little bit of magic
℗ T J Boswell 2019
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@tboswell (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20223)
Hey Tom!
This is a really good song, can hear the contours of Van Morrison on this one :)
The lyrics are clever and simple but still tells a great story. The music is fantastic, and I love the guitar and what sounds like a saxophone (Or is it a trumpet maybe), gives a jazzy/bluesy feel to the song.
And you have a really good voice with a bluesy feel to it that matches the song really good :)
Well done on this one!
Cheers
Andreas
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Hi Tom.
This is very nice and great production too.
Your vocal is very cool, fits the vibe and sits well amongst the instrumentation.
Not my complete Genre but you gotta recoganise a great song.
Thumbs up here dude. and head nodding along. thats a good sign.
Andy
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Ah,Ivan Morrison,now there's a chap who does it his way and suffers fools not one bit. He's a local boy to us Norn Iron folk and we love the grumpy old git. :D
Van's talent was always in the arrangement of his songs and I believe you've captured that feel,Tom. The horns and keys play so well together,it all sounds effortless,but I'm pretty sure it wasn't!
Beyond any realistic criticism from me,just great music. Well done you. 8)
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Not my preferred genre but a real nice song, very well put together
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Yeah it's a thumbs up from me. Your vocals and the brass elevate the song to reach its potential. It would be great to hear live with a band in full swing pushing it out. As it is, the production whilst decent feels a tad restrained. You could really go to town on this one.
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Oh yes. This is good. I really like this one. Love the lyrics too.
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This is SOUL Tom. I absolutely loved this one. Loved how you created that retro vibe. Wonderful brass licks and sensational vocals. I think that someone said a while ago that your songs are SOTM winners every month and I'll second that !
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First class Tom. Vocals especially good here capturing that Van the Man soulful feel brilliantly. I like his stuff but don't listen to much of anything these days. This makes me want to go and dig some out so that's something ain't it?
The gently bouncy bass gives a nice rhythm to it and the horns touches are nice.....yeah maybe a tad restrained as it gets to the final bit (Micky Plankton) but nice restrained parts they are! Don't know how you knocked that up but DO know how tricky it is to get the dynamics.....and you went for a kind of restrained ending anyway so no matter.....wonder now if this was conscious decision or dictated by the horns...
Guitars sound real nice.
Mellow yet impassioned about says it. Very nice listen.
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first class soulful vocals, great arrangement and backing brass.
Love this to bits (as I do Van M)
Oh yeah and it's great songwriting on display as well.
Take a bow talented sir! ;D
Paul
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Thanks all for kind the comments!
@pompeyjazz (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20269)
This is SOUL Tom. I absolutely loved this one.
I'm in danger of writing a soul album at the moment, loving this genre at the moment.
You've been cracking out some amazingly soulful vocals of late.
@Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra
.....yeah maybe a tad restrained as it gets to the final bit (Micky Plankton) but nice restrained parts they are! Don't know how you knocked that up but DO know how tricky it is to get the dynamics.....and you went for a kind of restrained ending anyway so no matter.....wonder now if this was conscious decision or dictated by the horns...
I'm using something called Vintage Horns that has great sounds but is a little limited in the control over them, so yes some of it is limited to the horns themselves. I love arranging horns almost as much as I do arranging strings :)
@mickyplankton (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20769)
It would be great to hear live with a band in full swing pushing it out. As it is, the production whilst decent feels a tad restrained. You could really go to town on this one.
I never do anything live anymore but this one would be a pleasure to do. I kind of wanted to hold back the production a bit on this one. Promise and get the kitchen sink out for the next one :)
@Paulski (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=19241)
first class soulful vocals, great arrangement and backing brass.
Love this to bits (as I do Van M)
Oh yeah and it's great songwriting on display as well.
Take a bow talented sir! ;D
Paul
Shucks! Thanks Paul, always exciting to get the blessing of a master :D
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Yep, this is superb. Very well crafted, sounds very authentic... and I felt it was a really good exercise in restraint - you keep it simple production-wise all the way through, with not too much going on, but every detail is interesting so it doesn't drag. That's an art in itself... very finely balanced. A lot better than Van if you ask me! I could imagine this having mass appeal.
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Gotta say that I really enjoyed listening to that. Well done mate! Sounds fab!😄🎶👊🏻🎶
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Whato @tboswell (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20223) - A magical companion to my walk along the river to work, balanced production nothing to do there, tidy arrangement.
You might consider 2 female BVox lines in the Choruses to add contrast, nothing fancy, you might even blag it with your singing plus some Melodyne formant upward shifting...normally works OK if the song is busy.
Not really into Van but, your song is as good as him.
Nice work
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I liked the instrumentation as it is - I wouldn't want it filled out more because at the moment, it's the type of music you'd settle down with your most loved and chill out with. Any more put in and it would start to feel a little too commercial.
Loved everything, especially the little guitar riff which breaks up the flow and keeps it interesting. The chord progression towards the end is also brilliant - love this kind of thing. The only thing I would have done differently is bring the vocals down slightly; yes, I know vocals are super-important to this song, but I thought it was too loud in the mix.
Fantastic song - everything else I haven't mentioned (and others have) is spot-on. Well done.
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Love it!!
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Yeah!! very well put together song my friend, particularly liked the brass and where you've put it...it's definitly got a bit of magic...
best, Kevin :) :)
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Oh, glittering guitars in the intro. I can already tell the mix is good, crispy and wide still solid in low. Too me the vocals are a tad too up front but that may be my listening playing tricks on me. And they are good so deserves to be heard.
Usually not a big fan of brass but here it actually works a treat.
Nice song, catchy and cool at the same time, me like much, well done!
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Tom,
Authetic, cool and soulful.
Top banana this one. Loved it and bring on the album.
:-) :-)
neil
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Hi,
It's a beautiful piece you composed. It's simple and at the same time full of arrangement details that give a real progression to the whole. I really like the sound of your voice, I think you have qualities of interpretation.
Very good!
IS
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Really well done! Excellent arrangement, lyrics , and the vocals are stellar
Fun song, I also would bring the Vox down a bit into the mix ....great job on this!