hobbit rock

Got it. Thanks again, man.

Thanks Draven! What do you mean by "dynamics in power"?

Anyone else care to weigh in?

Thanks for the reply Robert. Those are really helpful comments.

The breathy tone is definitely my default and while it has it's place, I agree that I should have transitioned into a more present, assertive tone midway through the song. I used to only have a breathy tone and it has always been a "safe" place to sing from. There's something stabilizing about that posture for me. I have, over time, managed to cultivate other tones with more closure and resonance but they are less familiar so I rarely reach for those levers.

As for the cues- I think you're right about the one at :51. I think the delivery was just late and that could be seen as an oversight. Having said that, I do have a tendency to let my phrasing sit a little bit behind the beat. It might be from years of listening to Zeppelin but it's definitely something I do a lot. Sometimes I think I should try to be more deliberate about my phrasing...kind of along the lines of Liam Gallagher or something. That would probably help contribute to an overall sense of assertiveness.

The main source of paranoia/self consciousness for me over the past few years has been pitch/intonation. I know there was a time when I couldn't hear when I was a little under/over a note. I think I do now, but I don't always trust my ear. There are a couple of spots in this tune that sound a little out to me. Nothing crazy but still......

I did play the melody on a piano along with the finished vocal and there were definitely some areas that rubbed a little. Sometimes I wonder if doing that sort of thing is too stiff of a measure. Since I've gotten into some ear training I've realized that a lot of my favorite music from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's have vocals with less than perfect intonation. Anyway....

Yes...it's an original. I appreciate the supportive comments.

I already know what I think of this performance....I'd like to hear what others think. Referring to the timeline of the track would be helpful (example- "the sustained note at 2:21 needs work.")

Thanks in advance.

The way I read this song, it seemed to me that the woman was gone forever....either she's left the narrator for good or she's left this world entirely. So that's the way I went with things. These are live takes with no editing, comping or tuning. Honest feedback is welcome ........

Good tunes in both genres. That worked out nicely

I love Willie. The album "Red Headed Stranger" is in my top ten of all time....any genre.

Jazz-  

And my other country selection

@Bzean- Yeah, I've heard the Neville version. He's another monster vocalist imo. The Grand Tour is definitely the quintessential "my woman left me" song. Neville really makes you feel his pain.

Merle Haggard said "His voice was like a Stradivarius violin: one of the greatest instruments ever made." ....talking of course about the great George Jones. RIP

If any of you have never heard this song, do yourself a favor and listen to the whole thing. His tone and control are really amazing. And the lyrics are classic.

I also meant to say....the high falsetto part in the post chorus had a really nice tone. That sort of finesse is worth cultivating......

   My Fathers family have been in Grayson Co, Virginia from 1780s to1930s, A few times in my life close cousins have move back and forth from there.

   I have close cousins on my mothers side in Ash Co. North Carolina. I spent summers there from ages 7 - 20 It has been a while since I visited.

Nice. So that's where the bluegrass slant comes from. It's in the DNA. Have you ever heard of the Easter Brothers? They're from that neck of the woods I believe. They're pretty great.

"All of me" is a tough song. I messed around with it today for the first time. It only felt good if I sang it from a real restrained heady kind of place. My only criticism of your version would have to do with the pre choruses. "My head's under water" etc. The high note on each of those passages sounds like it's being reached for. Regardless of the word being sung because I believe it's a different word each time.

   Now let me just pause to say.....I AM NOT AN EXPERT AND CANNOT DO IT ANY BETTER .......that's a fact. And it's the reason that I zeroed in on the reached/pulled tendency. It's exactly what I do in a lot of songs and what I'm trying to fix. I'm trying all kinds of things.....leaving my mouth narrow and loose. Slightly modifying vowels in that area (E4 etc) to possibly headier shadings instead of more open shadings. And not doing a big applebite emboucher to grab at the high note. Holding the sound in a restrained position which for me often improves the tone. That has nothing to do with holding back air.

  I try to think about the sound instead of the air. The sound travels on the air so if I focus on the sound not exploding out of my mouth then the air probably won't either. That's something I noticed that I do when I record myself....I spill out tons of air at the end of phrases. I had a teacher once who called it "gushing". I'm trying to get the whole thing to live in a more "back" kind of position. Maybe this is the inhale sensation people talk about though I wouldn't describe it that way. Or maybe the "yawn"...?

    Anyway...good job man. I always like hearing your covers.

   Thanks GSoul, Pronunciation is something I have trouble with really, especially in singing. For plain speaking I am right in the middle of Baltimore and pennsylvania Dutch country add to that North carolina and virginia influences......quite a mixture. Americans have it bad enough with dipthongs, Try tripthongs and quadrathongs on words like "This" Looks simple but comes out like "The-ih-us". It comes in handy some times when a little run or embelishment is called for like with Elton John's "Daniel"....."Headin' for Speh-ih-ah -ehn" All I have to do is pronounce Spain like I normally do and that run is there.

   Having an RnB background do you believe the RnB sound is from a firmer closure on the vocal folds? My description above was not quite accurate, I am singing soft like in an intimate conversation yet loud enough to be heard. It seems that DStarr has a firm closure and more compression and support. You can even hear the breath escape in a little gasp between phrases, sort of like Michael Jackson in "Billy Jean". Just curious.

Just curious....what parts of Va and NC? That's where I'm from. Deep family roots in Eastern NC

@ Killer. Looks like we were thinking the same thing at the same time.

Gospel would be a pretty legit genre to consider. Also classic 60s soul (Stax and Motown).  It doesn't get any beltier than that. I'm thinking Wilson Pickett here. Also jazz standards. Great American songbook kind of stuff. Maybe not a lot of high notes but definitely some tricky intervals. This is a great idea by the way.

the link doesn't seem to be working man.

Nice job man. Keep writing the tunes...

I agree with the others. Love your voice. Very nice job. It's such a great, classic song. Cool to see something like this on the forums. There's a great version of this tune by a guy named John Boutte from the HBO series "Treme". Look it up on youtube. You'll dig it.

    As for microphones.........a large diaphragm condenser mic is going to be the way to go most likely. It's going to add more "air" and "sparkle" to the top end. I've been frustrated with a lot of mics in the past....mostly in live situations....sounding like there was a ceiling on the eq spectrum. Dull, lifeless, boxy.

    Part of it is being (slowly) solved by my vocal training (trying to achieve a brighter tone) but part of it is finding a mic that works with my voice. I always feel more inspired and give a better performance when the mic has that sparkle and the detail and nuance of the soft singing is preserved.......even enhanced.

    I'm pretty sure the Rode M2 is a live mic. I've got an early generation Rode NT-1 which was $200 over a decade ago. I think they still hover around that price point. Get something like that and maybe throw in a tube pre amp and no one's going to be able to get you out of the vocal booth. Enjoy.

Very well done. I've been working on this one too but I'm not there yet. It's that elusive A4.

I often think it's the highest note I'll ever need/want....actually because of this song. Eric Burden is easily one of my favorite vocalists and his low range is as epic as his high belty stuff.

I wish they had a karaoke version of this Animals tune

Don't know how to embed....maybe someone can help me out. Anyway, nicely done.