Sang it!
After some personal disappointments earlier in the week, Saturday turned into one of the most productive studio session to date on my album project of the working title, “Pop Package.” Sometimes it’s great to go in with a gut full of frustration with people places and things and just direct that into your art. So Haters, Thank you! Once again your tongue darts have served to motivate me. The goal for the day was to reach a conclusion of all vocal recording. Despite another no show from one singer, I think I was able to do an acceptable version of the ballad, “Blinded Eyes” myself. Only repeated listening and contemplating the results will reveal if I can accept my own vocal on it when I had really imagined it with my friends voice. Eddie introduced a new microphone (can’t remember the name of it) that really translated my voice much better. It kind of made me want to re-record all my other vocals. I completed lead and backing vocals on the 3 final (I think) remaining songs with scratch vocals. I don’t want to speak too son but I think it’s possible that all vocals on this record or wrapped. Of course there’s a lot of work comping various vocal takes remaining to be done but we did get into that work and it’s made a real difference.
It goes something like this. For each song the lead vocals are sang approximately 3 times. Then we take it part by part and listen to each take, moving the best version to the new comp track. It’s really stunning how much this can improve the vocal when you think you seem it EXACTLY the same each time. Trust me, you don’t!
Preach it!
I think I may have mentioned here in the past that my concept for this album was to get all the best players around our little musical circle to come contribute in some way, whether playing or singing. It’s actually worked out really great in fact. I had one guy who I didn’t manage to capture on the album to date and I was really concerned that we wouldn’t be able to get him in there prior to the end of recording. That was my friend Eric Cook, epic songwriter and leading many for many a rock band. The stars aligned and Eric came in to do whatever I had for him. On the way to the studio, singing along to my iPhone, I wrote a special backing part for him on my conservationist themed song, “Faster”. Also, I knew I wanted Eric to do a preacher character voice for me on a spoken part. Once we had the backing part done, which didn’t take long at all, I cracked open the Bible on my iPhone and began reading in Genesis for a small sermon that would work with the metre of the song. I took the verse from Gen 2:28 and paraphrased a little bit as preachers often do. Eric put an old timey preacher breath after the first line. Wow, it worked out so great. The whole part just elevated the song.
Eddie assures me that the mixing process is at least as time consuming as the recording phase of making a record. He ought to know, but it feels like I’ve reached a milestone. I hope to complete this album by November and whether or not that happens, it’s good to have a goal. The project has ran on for 2 years at this point and I really want to have that CD release show sometime this year.
It’s been an amazing experience so far and I’m ever so grateful to those that have facilitated and contributed. I think everyone involved will be proud of the result.
Play it!
