edison…. new set up….! from edison on Vimeo.
CAN’T GET ENOUGH BLOG 13-14
This series of blogs (1-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Super producers Jake One and Malay contributed as well.
Where We Are
This is a very special song. The melody and bass line were composed by Patrick Mouton. I’ve known this guy since fourth grade. I was living on the famous 23rd and Madison apartment. A lot of songs got composed during that year after I graduated from Cornish College of the Arts. He worked really hard on this one. He was inspired. The song was titled "No-Regards" by him. It was a personal reference to someone in his life. I asked him if I could write lyrics to it. It was such a beautiful song. I am happy that over ten years later it is appearing on the album that I am most proud of in my career as a recording artist. These are very slick and fresh chord changes that are too numerous to include in the boy of this blog entry. I will attempt to post a lead sheet of the song in this entry.
Donyea Goodman always seems to understand where I am going with my music. He did not disappoint here. He really brings this song alive in his production. I play the acoustic piano. It is the same piano that the song was composed on. My piano from 23rd and Madison was moved into the Bubba Jones’ ContactCreate North Studio a few years back. I am joined by Michael Eads on guitar. Very tasty. The haunting string work is all done by the incomparable Geoffrey Castle. I believe Donyea did most if not all of the music production on Propellerheads REASON. The vocals were recorded at the ContactCreate North Studio and the mix was done by Vitamin D at Woodshed Studios.
At the time Patrick wrote this song the lyrics totally bring from the unsaid what was between them. I’m proud to have had the opportunity to participate in bring such a beautiful piece of music to the world.
Here is the lead sheet. Chords, melody and lyirics. The last change on this chart is different than the one on the album. Donyea ended the song with and Abmajor7. In the lead sheet below an Ebmajor ends the song as Patrick Mouton composed it.
Can’t Get Enough Blog 12-14
This series of blogs (1-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Super producers Jake One and Malay contributed as well.
DESIRE
This song started out as a Vitamin D drum beat. Of course I had this chord progression Fm11-Ebm11-Dm11 already sketched out in Reason. The Reason file is actually on drum beat with three 8 bar segments one of which is the aforementioned chord progression. I played everything in on the Yamaha Motif to his drums. Bass line and keys were done mainly on the Vintage Rhodes patch. Later Malay played bass on it. He may have played a little guitar on it too. Thaddeus Turner played the dominant guitar parts on this song. I had visions of pitching this song to Michael Jackson, rest his soul. Can you imagine how bananas the song would be if Michael Jackson did that s*#t? Anyways I did it and…so there. I almost can’t remember writing the lyrics to this song. It has been so long. I haven’t even seen scribbles on the way to ‘aha these are the lyrics’. I must have done it all in word or on a tablet at the old Pharmacy off Morgan. The bridge or change section in this song pretty much goes back and forth from Dbmaj7-Bbmaj7 and repeats until there is a Bb-7-Dbmaj7-Eb and then back in to the main changes. I actually composed it on the spot as Vitamin D was telling me there needs to be a bridge or change right…..here. It just came out of my fingers, bass line and all. That doesn’t happen that often!
Oh yeah! There is a Bbmin7-Dbmaj7-Eb at the end of the first 8 bars of each repeating section. I hope this doesn’t sound too confusing. If you know at all what I’m talking about and listen to the recording it will be clear.
To me the standout feature of this song is the flute. Bernie Jacobs is the culprit. Ok…I think this is one of the best flute solos EVER recorded. I should issue a public challenge for DJs to come up with one that bests it. The singing and harmonizing you hear being done on the recording are not overdubs. He is singing and harmonizing while playing the flute in real time. WTF?! I didn’t even know you could do that. We were jumping up and down outside of the recording booth (closet) while he was recording. We felt lucky that such a great solo was going on something WE were recording.
A side story. So I donate 25% of the Can’t Get Enough’s cd sales to PATH. (www.path.org) When I was searching for an organization I wanted to support with the album I had a list and which after listening to my heart settled on PATH. When I called their offices a woman named Jan Jacobs answered the phone. Guess what? No bulls*#t it was pure kismet, Jan Jacobs is Bernie’s wife!!! I knew I had made the right decision. The universe works in unforeseen ways.
Anyways I will see if I can post up the original REASON file that this song comes from.
Here are the lyrics….
Open up let me in.
Get this party started I can’t wait to begin.
Give me the release I’ve been searching for.
Release from this wanting, wanting more and more.
It’s so insatiable,
It’s so gravitational,
It’s everything that I need.
I just can’t satisfy it.
I’m so attracted by it.
Following it makes me free.
Ooo it drives me insane.
The way you do it to me.
Haunt all my thoughts
And come alive in my dreams.
Ever pretending that you’re just out of reach
Is there no satisfying this desire in me?
I may be charting a course.
With love as my guide and pleasure my guiding force.
My life as my witness and the ALL as my source.
If I win or lose deep down I know it’s my choice.
It’s so insatiable,
It’s so gravitational,
It’s everything that I need.
I just can’t satisfy it.
I’m so attracted by it.
Following it makes me free.
Ooo it drive me insane,
The way you do it to me.
Haunt all my thoughts
And come alive in my dreams.
Ever pretending that you’re just out of reach.
Is there no satisfying this desire in me?
ENJOY
Can’t Get Enough Blog 11-14
This series of blogs (11-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Super producers Jake One and Malay contributed as well.
HOLD ON TO YOU (Vitamin D version)
This version was created and recorded about two years after the initital Donyea Goodman version. When I wrote this song I heard a Motown vibe for it. Vitamin D was answering that call. It was a treat to watch it be remade. I played the bells and vibes on it. The vocals are the same as the Donyea version so it is like a remix. It was important to me that both producers had their say with this song. I love both versions. This is actually my favorite song that I have written in my career as a songwriter. So I welcome any other incarnations of this song from other producers as well. I love the message and how it got organized onto paper. It doesn’t always come out so good.
Herman Brown, Vitamin D’s father played the rhythm guitar on this track. Vitamin played most of the percussion instruments live. Geoffrey Castle played all the strings on the song. Unfortunately this was the first song I got him on. I didn’t realize he would provide such a great service. We were almost done with the album when we discovered him. I promptly hired him to play on "Where We Are". Needless to say I would have had him on more of the songs if I had known before that we could do it. My cousin Len Hammond plays percussion during the solo break. Great stuff. A family reunion. (That reminds me I haven’t talk to him in a while) Gerald Turner came in on the yummy bass.
Like all the others we ad a lot of fun making this one. If you listen closely we left in Geoffrey Castle’s laugh at the end of the session. It was perfect and hearty. He loved it, we loved, we printed it!!! Stay tuned for the next blog. i promise i will post another by next week!! Stay tuned for Sketches for Album 4 coming up as soon as I get through this series.
Can’t Get Enough Blog 10-14
This series of blogs (1-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Super producers Jake One and Malay contributed as well.
All The Way Slow
This song originated in REASON. I really like that version. I will include it in this post. The album track was produced by Vitamin D. He programmed the drums and chose all the textures. The Yamaha MOTIF and microKORG were in heavy usage here. We stayed up until the sun was peaking through turning knobs and having fun with the microKORG. I have bequeathed that keyboard to Vitamin D. I and guest vocalist/arranger Topspin arranged vocals here. Choklate laid the sweetness under the bridge in like 25 minutes. I called to schedule her to come in and she said "I’m at the bank right now-I’ll be there in 10 minutes." Voila! Malay doubled my keys bass line as well as did the guitar work.
My REASON version of this song is very solitary, sexy and dreamy. The hard hitting is not my forte so I call in help for that. I’m more of a finesse guy. The whole song is A-7 Gmaj7 Fmaj7#11 Emaj7 E7b9. Bridge and all. Although I come from a gospel music to jazz piano background I try and use fewer changes. I have been most inspired by Prince and Stevie Wonder. Stevie’s songs are very melodic and seemingly simple until you go to play them. You may be stuck for a while trying to figure out his changes. Prince’s songs sound very involved with lots of stuff going on and then you go to the piano to play it and it is very simple. I guess I am taken by how much he could do with so little. I am no stranger to a lot of hard chord changes. Hell I was in Kevin Nortness’s ensemble. (inside joke:amazing musician) I am curious how one can come up with a musical idea that is 2-4 bars long that repeats incessantly and after 5 min you are not begging them to turn it off. I was definitely intrigued by that after receiving my jazz piano degree. This song is where the rare coincision of fun and introspective occur. People really like this one. I was offered $40 as a tip during a live performance at The Sorrento Hotel to play the song again. Back to back. I can’t say that about any other song I’ve ever performed. Great song to kick back to and take it All The Way Slow.
Lyrics
Verse 1
I want to be somebody.
I feel like I’m nobody.
I want to get inside out,
For all to see.
I want them all to love me.
If I only have just one dream,
It’s that I find and know
Just who I be.
Chorus
So I thought I’d take some time,
Sit and have a smoke and just unwind.
Release the thoughts that plague my mind
Take it all the way slow.
Won’t you join me too?
There are some lovely things that we could do.
Come on now sit down take off your shoes
Take it all the way slow.
Verse 2
How do I celebrate me?
Reveal the truly great me.
Oh and turn the tide song by song.
Let go of wondering if they’ll feel me,
Just let me get through to the real me.
If I trust this heart I know I can’t go wrong.
Chorus
Bridge
Oh celebrate this moment of quiet.
No more stressful voices in my ears.
Let me give myself this vacation.
A time to relax before I face all of my fears.
Here’s the original REASON file
Can’t Get Enough Blog 9-14
This series of blogs (1-14) chronicle my thoughts, whims and history of every song on my newest album “Can’t Get Enough” which took six years to make. I was thrilled to work closely with musical geniuses to make this album a reality. Super producer/engineer/mix artist Vitamin D masterfully led us and was in charge of the overall sonic quality, production and mixing of the album. Music superman and multi-instrumentalist Donyea Goodman’s production skills are featured on over half the tracks on the album. Jake One and Malay contributed as well.
‘Why Fight’ from Cant Get Enough
This song was done in REASON.
Started by me and finished by Donyea Goodman all in the same session. Vitamin D, Donyea and I were in Bubba’s old studio for the day. It is difficult to get us all in one place for an extended period of time. At a specific time on the session Donyea had to leave to do some thing at church. I believe Vitamin was still there and was editing some live drums that Donyea played, for samples. While he was doing that I came up with this little ditty. Basically the changes are Abmaj7-G7alt-Gbmaj7-F7(b13)-Bbmin7-Eb11. Fun stuff. We need to work up a live version of this one too…. my god. Donyea wrote the changes to the bridge but it’s still like I did because he just knows what I’m thinking. Love him. G-7b5-C7alt-F-7-Bb7. The signature Donyea part is how he takes the whole song up a half step without you hardly noticing. That is a skill I don’t have…yet.
This is a song inspired by the beginning of an amazing relationship. Tentative because of weird circumstances yet the connection, irresistible, undeniable, electric. The period of a year and a half that followed I was the most fulfilled in a relationship than I had ever been. We do however fall from heights. (Ahem!) Yet I know many people never get to truthfully say those words. I was feeling the let’s just go ahead. There is also a line in a movie (the title of which escapes me) where a guy is trying to explain to his crush how she makes him feel. He said (paraphrase) "You make me want to run around in a field." Ah inspiration. I know the feeling. So I run around in circles in similar fashion. I am not even sure if I have a pre-Donyea version. It was all one and the same session. He came into the room while I was making it. Chris Littlefield played live flugelhorn later to make it extra saucy like he does. In postproduction Vitamin D and I added some synth parts to the end. Voila. Let me see what kind of audio if any I can dig up on this one. This was originally titled "In Bubbas House". That’s where we were.
Lyrics
My life is shining when I speak your name.
You and the word lovely are just one and the same
I know your love could save me if you’d just lead the way.
I wonder why you hesitate…
Why fight
When love feels this way
Let’s make our move
And be unafraid.
I wanna show you what I’m made of with you in my life
All I wanna do is hug and squeeze you every night
I’m using all my powers to make everything right
So we can be free, fly away on love energy.
Chorus
I’ve never belonged to someone like I belong to you.
I’m so excited I don’t know what to do.
I could run around in circles with this new energy.
No, no let’s not fight it…let’s not fight it baby.
I know the future is uncertain you just want to be sure
Oh we may never tell the future oh but my intentions are pure.
Here is the link for the Album