[Dutchbeat]

ha Stephanie, totally off topic but i just heard your Stef Bos cover

van is: ""is dit nu later?"
great, did you make the translation of these lyrics?

geweldig idee

zou met nog meer nummers kunnen van Stef Bos, en recording zou duidelijker kunnen / moeten, maar meer van dat, graag!

[GTB]

Hi, this is the first of yours I've heard and I think the lyrics are especially good, very poignant.  The live feel of the recoding is great and I hear the Tracy Chapman vibe there too.  I think it would sound even better with a bass in there, or better still how about a cello?  Having said that, the lone guitar gives it a very open (almost lost) kind of sound which fits the lyrics...
GTB

[stephaniedema]

Thanks, guys!
I'll try to re-record it over the summer.
I like the idea of using a cello. Need to get my virtual instruments straight anyway, so that's a good incentive right there

DB, let me answer that in Dutch
Ja, die vertaling hebben we zelf gemaakt. Samen met de jongen die meezingt en speelt vertaald en geperformd. Ik weet dat de versie heel erg met echo en zo klinkt, maar we gaan het over twee weken opnieuw opnemen, multitracken.
Het is voor een coverwedstrijd, dus ik weet niet of er nog zullen volgen. Maar ik heb me in ieder geval al wel geamuseerd met deze

SD

[cena69]

this is really good it flows perfectly, there is lots of meaning and effort in this

[man of simple pleasures]

good stuff digging the guitar rythymn! could see you on jools with just your guitar and vocal performing!

[James Nighthawk]

Nice to hear from you again Steph!

I like the jazzy strumming method here, and, while clearly a demo, the distance recorded guitar is actually very apt for this song! I am a big close mic fan, but recently I am thinking more about using cavern sounds to colour mics. Just like this!

The melody is strong (and again jazzy) and if perhaps the strongest vocal I have heard of yours. Only the odd funny note and a clarity of control that shows you are maturing nicely as a singer and writer.

Over some of the more ambitious chord changes it seems a little like you are "feeling" for the melody which weakens the song a little at these moments. Nothing a little rehearsing won't fix, while carefully considering the melody at that point

Lovely stuff!

[The Color of Oldfield]

Hi Stephanie,

Im new to this forum and have been nosing around. Came across your song (The Stranger), think you have some wonderful deep lyrics there and a nice structured melody / arrangement. Would like to hear a studio version when available.

Regards,

Pete Oldfield
The Color Of Oldfield

[crystalsuzy]

I Stephanie...I think this is the first one I've heard of your...it's very good and you have a very strong voice...it's a pretty good recording considering how it was done...I liked the sound of the guitar kinda off in the distance...it suits the feel of the lyrics which are very good...I think some harmony in the choruses might be nice...maybe even some echo vocals...I can also hear a muted trumpet in the distance here and there...when muted and played well it can feel like such a lonely instrument which would suit the kind of atmosphere you've created in this song...I can't wait to hear the finished version
thanks so much for this share

[Dave Bradley]

Surely, it's possible for someone else to "know" where another person is going, without the person themselves knowing. Imagine someone stumbling blindly through life...you're at a distance watching them heading for the cliff's edge...you know where they're going, they don't...it could have other interpretations, sometimes lyrics aren't logical I think, and that's fine. Most of mine are just stream of consciousness nonsene ad libbed on a first pass with a song and then tweaked to seem smoother ;-)

[stephaniedema]

Thanks for the comments, guys!

James, it def. needs more practice. It was very new when I did that recording. I play it better now already  ;-)

I love the idea of putting in a trumpet, Suzy! Now: find someone who actually knows how to play it well :p

Sciencebase: I've been thinking about the lyrics, but I can't really find a good alternative. So I might indeed leave it the way it is. Your explanation seems to make sense
Maybe that's how I meant it all along, I just didn't know it. Haha.

Greetings
SD