[CaliaMoko]

I haven't been around much. Keeping up with caring for my sweetie, moving to a new house (with far too much stuff), my mother passed on the 11th and a person can't just mourn--you have to hurry up and take care of stuff--so I've been overwhelmed and not doing much with music. Lately, though, I'm working my way back in. I need something to balance the stress and music works. So does exercise, so I'm trying to be sort of consistent with that too.

Anyway, other people have been reaching out to me with ideas, which helps get me moving. This song started as an instrumental sent to me by someone I never met. He asked me if I might be able to come up with some vocals for it. So I went far out of my comfort zone because the instrumental wasn't like anything I would typically do. I sent some stuff to him and he mixed it in and sent it back to me.

I'm interested mainly in what you think of the mix. We probably won't change anything but the mixing at this point. Although if you think anything else really does need work, please point it out.

Here's the link: https://soundcloud.com/caliamoko/gimme-hope

And the lyric:

GIMME HOPE

Drag my feet down the street, feel the heat, skip a beat
Gimme hope, gimme hope, gimme hope, gimme hope.

Slippin' down to the ground
Gimme hope, gimme hope, gimme hope, gimme hope.

Dark skies, tellin' lies, hear the cries, deep sighs
Gimme hope, gimme hope, gimme hope, just a little bit a' hope
Gimme hope, gimme hope, gimme hope, just a little bit a' hope

Help me see through the smoke, don't let me choke, have a stroke
Gimme hope, gimme hope, gimme hope, just a little bit a' hope

It's a slippery slope, it's no joke, I can't cope
Gimme hope, gimme hope, gimme hope, just a little bit a' hope

Copyright 2021 Steven Clarkson, Vicki Morrison Goble

[IronKnee]

Very Cool.............I'm the first to respond!!
From the opening it reminded me of the Beatles 1967 psychedelic stuff.
Love it!! Love the vibe.........very fun. And hope is what I'm searching for most, these days!
Thanks,
                          -T

[moraamarolaloba]

Hola @CaliaMoko

 I'm very sorry for what has happened in your life. I hope that little by little normality returns to your steps and thoughts, surely the move will help you by keeping you busy.

The track has a very atypical instrumental base for your style and for that of many others, but from what I have heard you have achieved it, the melody you sing fits perfectly to the base and your voice sounds so beautiful! but
I think that your voice would have to have less volume so that the rrhythm above all, not the guitars, has more presence.

A big kiss for you!!!!

Mora

[rightly]

A very original track
the indian instruments really make it atmospheric.
Seems really genuine, going by the lyrics
A very nice piece.

Sorry to hear of your recent misfortune.

I actually went through something similar
just 3 days after my sister died I had to fly back to Germany, pack up and leave for Chile, with my pregnant wife. It took a very long time until things got better.
I never recovered.
My family ties, already strained were for the most part irredeemably broken.

Once a wise man asked me how I was doing
I answered humorously and tragically "far away from home"
He responded soberly and without theatrics
"An artist is never far away from home"

It helped somehow.
It stayed with me.

 All the best Vicki.

R

[LostBoy]

Hi Vicki, lovely to have you back! Sorry to hear you’ve been having a tough time. You sound on great form in the song and you did a good job melody wise against that musical backdrop.

My only suggestion on the mix is to cut out the lip noise that comes in just a fraction before your very first word. It will just make it sound a little more polished.😊👍🏻

I hope life picks up for you. Keep writing my friend!🤩🎶🙌🏻🎶

[MonnoDB]

Hey @CaliaMoko Vicki - this is very unusual and very intriguing.. Love the backing track and what you've created over it.. Very sultry and moody. Great words and your vocal sounds fantastic in this musical context!

I absolutely love it..

Hope to hear more from you.. So sorry about your mother - you've had such an amount to deal with over the last while.. Take care of yourself Mrs! And yes, please use music as your release mostly for you but also so that we can hear more of it...

Brava!

K

[CaliaMoko]

Sorry I'm so slow with the thank you notes.

@IronKnee : Yet another attempt to be more contemporary failed! But that's okay if I can remind you of the Beatles!

@moraamarolaloba : Thanks a bunch, Mora! I believe Steven made an adjustment to the rhythm sound after you heard it.

@rightly : Thank you for the complimentary remarks. Life is certainly full of challenges! Seems like there's always something new and so often caused by a lack of tolerance one way or another.

@LostBoy : Thank you, Leo. It is nice to be back. It is still difficult to find time to listen and comment, but at least once in a while I manage a bit. And thanks for noticing the lip noise. I missed it. Steven took care of it.

@MonnoDB : Thank you, Karen. At first I had no idea what I could do with it, but I pulled out some lyrics I had never used and mashed them up a bit. I originally was going with something more rhythmic and speed but ended up with what you heard. It was fun!

Thanks to everyone for listening!

Vicki

[ChrisPrice]

This is fantastic. A psychedelic vibe and that always goes down well with me. I would like to hear the vocals a little more clearly..not louder but maybe a bit of eq required. Someone mentioned the Beatles..I really liked their more adventurous stuff which is probably why I enjoyed this track so much. Shades of Baby You're A Rich Man, Within You Without You, and Tomorrow Never Knows (the best psychedelic song ever)

[adamfarr]

Great sounds - and a really brave and perfectly judged vocal to accompany the backing. Perhaps the backing could develop a little more or have some more rhythm as mora says. But I'm super impressed with your versatility and what you have done here.

Sending good wishes to you in any event and hope things aren't too overwhelming.

[Maya Clars]

The mix is fine. The volume of the voice and music are harmonized well for this style. Cool psychedelic vibe. It sounds well as background music.

Maya

[cowparsleyman]

@CaliaMoko - LOVE the intro, Boy this is good...I can imagine you and Mora doing collab one day, beautifully sung.

I can imagine this in 'Cisco in '69  LSD, Hendrix,

Maybe Waves J37 on the LVox, with a bit of Wow and Flutter etc....maybe some BV's pahsing in the background

Very very nice....One of your best

[CaliaMoko]

I'm on the ball this week!

@ChrisPrice : Steven and I are loving the Beatle references for this. Thanks so much!

@adamfarr : Thanks for the complimentary remarks. It did take some bravery to attempt this!

@Maya Clars : Thank you! I'm hoping this might someday be used as background music for something.

@cowparsleyman : Wow! I'm honored. Steven has offered to provide another backing track for me to try another. I think I'll take him up on it.

Thanks, everyone a bunch!!

Vicki

[digger72]

Hi Vicki,

Sorry to hear of your loss, hopefully music will be a distraction, if only a little.

Trippy song. Definitely getting that late 60s vibe. The heavier guitars work well.
Mix sounds good to me. I might have gone for a slightly darker overall tone - make it more moody perhaps.
But wonderfully creative.

Digger

[CaliaMoko]

Thank you, @digger72 !  It certainly was a new style for me. 

[Tony G]

Hiya Vicki, greetings from (not so) sunny England.

So sorry to hear about your Mum. You're doing the right things to be happy anf fulfilled though, keep it up.

Mix-wise, all I can really add is that perhaps you could add some effects to your vocals at certain times? To emphasise breaks, changes and progressions in the song, that sort of thing. I don't know if you use it but BandLab is really good for that x