[Jambrains]

Wow, I dig this! Great, great vocals for this song. Was this my song I know exactly where I would take it and that would be what NeilC use to to call "the epic power rock ballad", building it up until it's way larger than life  But then, after all I'm pretty much a one trick pony....

[ShinyThang]

Beautiful.

The song, the performance & the mix

Nothing to add.

[Sing4me88]

I really this one. Nice stripped back feel and a vocal that seems to fit the lyrics and the stripped back feel of the song. Melodically its very nice and reminded me a little of Cat Stevens 'Father and Son'. Great use of harmonies on the chorus and I love the lift in the high notes on 'cry' and 'try' at the end of the verses just before the chorus. While I liked the stripped back feel I felt that the 2nd verse needed beefed up a little. There was a natural expectancy that some bass and drums - albeit very subtle and mixed low in the mix - would kick in to drive the song on a little. All in all hough a nice wee number.

[olivergearing]

Hi all, thanks for your comments. I'm going back into the studio with this one, so have got a really good idea of where to take it, thanks to you!!

@ MartiMedia, thanks very much! I've got some ideas of how to build the chorus back up the second time, probably using some percussive strokes on the guitar body. This is an Ed Sheeran trick I think, so it would be interesting to try it out!! Totally agree on more build up needed...

@ Igg, wow, great mixology knowledge! I'll try that panning idea, you've made it beautifully clear on how to achieve this. I've got a journey to take on reverb usage, so it will be fun to experiment on this one...

@ Jambrains, thanks for the kind words. I defo agree, more beef needed, and whilst I probably won't reach the fizzy heights of rock ballad epic, something more is definitely needed!

@ ShinyThang, thank you so much!

@ Sing4me88, thanks very much, being compared to Cat Stevens is a massive compliment! I'll play around with some percussive ideas in verse two, building toward the chorus...

[tboswell]

Excellent commercial song Oliver, really good write.

Things I would consider doing with it to make it more commercial sounding.

- Add some synth pads or strings over the back for the central part of the song.
- Add some drums and bass over the piano in the middle. Needs to be sparse with nice long reverb on the snare drum to keep the open sound of it. Then drop that out at the end

The other thing that occurred on first listen is the hook line "Heart Of Us" I found turned up bit too easily and the meter of the line seems the same as what has come before. I would consider a little delay before delivering it, perhaps a little cadence in the piano and stopping it then deliver the line in the vocal after.
Not sure if I am describing it right but I think you can make it work harder for you.

It's a lovely song and deserves all the attention you can give it.

Tom.

[Wicked Deeds]

Beautiful piano and vocal. not sure if this needs anything else. The stripped back presentation leaves the listener to imagine a suitable production. I hear a string section/orchestral approach but equally, it would be more chart friendly with acoustic and electric guitar accompaniment - just likeGary Barlow would present for recent take that material.

Lovely song.

Paul

[v8burble]

It's all been said by others but it's a beautiful song and stuck with me when I heard it for the first time this morning.
Also agree that after the first section I was waiting for (and wanting) a lift, whether drums, another instrument or whatever, before dropping back down to the touching finish.

A great song, lovely lyrics and I'll have a listen to others now.

[Friedemann]

Very cool song! I like your simplistic arrangement and you got a beautiful chorus

I have 3 suggestions for you:

1) the line "It's enough" repeats too many times. I get you're making a point, but it gets old very quick. Replace it with something similar-sounding after a while "it's been rough", "it ain't love", etc.

2) melodically, try going up in plateaus in your verse. For the 4th lyrical block, go higher, don't come back to the same notes over and over again. They are beautiful but again, they get old.

3) Mixing. You're overdoing your compression! Be a little careful with your threshold setting. Use a tiny (!) bit of reverb (with lots of pre-delay) on the vocals. You want to sound close-up and personal, I understand that, but not one-dimensional.

I have some small ideas for your chorus which I think would make it shine more. But I'd have to sing that for you. Send your song in for the next Feedback Friday maybe?