Waiting for Johnny

Hi everybody - it's been a long time! 
 
Anyway, here's Waiting for Johnny, which shouldn't be confused with Waiting for Skinnybones, which I sincerely hope and believe that nobody did:
 
New Link: https://soundcloud.com/laura-thomson-723335445/waiting-for-johnny-july-2017
 
 It's raw but there you go! :)
Hope somebody might give it a listen ... 
 
LJ

Thank you very much for listening and for your thoughtful advice, mcmd. I have posted a new link above after attempting some corrections. I think the overall sound is now fuller, but I may try again, taking your comments into consideration.
Thanks again,
LJ

Hey Laura, this was really enjoyable!  love the kick and then the build of the instruments!  your doubled vocals that start around 1:02 sound phasey.  that's something that's a personal pet peeve of mine.
 
at 1:24 when the bass and acoustic are playing hotter your vocals get a little buried.
 
same at 2:57 (and 3:50) when you're strumming hard on the acoustic, it buries the vocals.
 
this was really enjoyable, tho!  really liked it!  great performances, great song - just a few mix crits!

Hi Laura ,
 
WOW Very Nice
I like how you can take what starts as a very simple Idea and then all of a sudden as the song starts unfolding you put such an individualized artistic spin and expressive interpretation on it that I'm like hey wait where did all these complex chords come from and I marvel at the fact that it all fits together ever so nicely .
You are certainly a rare talent and you certainly have the ability to pull a person in once you start singing . 
 
I listen to a lot of music and Yeah , I'm open to being reached by the music .Often times it may only be a fragment or a phrase that gets through ..When I listen to your music I feel as if everything has gotten through .
 
Listening to you sing and perform brings me back to a time when I would listen to a vinyl record while looking at the album cover .I also used to enjoy looking at the pics or reading the liner notes .
There is a part of me that hopes someday that maybe you can put something out there where you get some decent musical exposure so we can get to know you a little better ...
Anyway , I hope I don't creep you out by what I just said  , I do mean it as a complement ...
 
all the best,
 
Kenny

jamesg1213
Really like this Laura. Darker than some of your other songs perhaps, but full of your usual creativity and style. Tori Amos meets Kurt Weill.

James this is a wonderful d(i)scription.  The jazz influence is definitely there.  I like both your lyrics and your harmonies which are often complex and keep my interest throughout.

Hi Wookiee! Sorry I forgot to thank you for your comment before! I answered your comment on SoundCloud but not here. I want to thank you again for always being so kind. It's great to have your support :)
LJ

Cool song and unique arrangement (as always).
 
Glad to see you back L (aka sbl)

jamesg1213: Thanks so much for your kind comments and very flattering comparison (though, of course, I could only wish for 1/100th of the talent of either of them and even that wish could only seem real in a dream ). 
 
Also thanks very much to you, eph221 - you're always quick to offer support and it was nice of you to back up James' remark (crazy though it was ;) )
 
LJ
 
 
 

Wayfarer, thank you very much for your comment!
 
Thanks E bapu, it's always great to see you too :)

skinnybones, your music is so unique.  I have always enjoyed it, and it is good to see you are back at it.
 
jqs

Yup... we're back at Laura's cabaret.  With a little edge this time around, though still as uniquely you as always.
 
Mix-wise, the main suggestion I would make is to push the guitar to the side just a little to leave more room in the center for the vocal.  It's not bad the way it is, but the guitar does have some high-end taking up some of that space IMHO.   As said above, just a little polish could help bring it forward as long as the natural grain still shows through. 
 
 

Wow, it's great to be back at the cabaret, nice to see my table is still available. :) You're in fine form here. Your vocals have a warm intimacy with a relaxed but clearly skilled delivery that makes short work of the complex melodies you write. You make it sound so easy and natural and that's a big part of why I like your work so much.  I personally enjoy your guitar and piano playing and the journey through uncharted waters your music always seems to seek out. Love the musical interludes here and there and your little embellishments are quite fun to listen to.
 
I do agree with philz that with a little practice in learning some mix/mastering skills your music could really soar. For example, the guitar has a number of places where the transients really leap out, and some limiting would go a long way toward getting it to settle into the mix more politely. I also think some judicious use of reverb/delay here and there would help open up things and give us more of a sense of musical space. There's also an opportunity for some careful eq'ing that would add some clarity to parts of the vocal track without diminishing the intimacy of the experience.
 
Unfortunately, all that work at learning the tools takes away from writing and performing, so there's a balance that can be frustrating at first but the investment will pay off handsomely for you over the longer term.
 
Thanks for sharing this with us.
 

I wonder why I've never heard you before.  I love this song from the opening measures. Such a mix of different time periods, it's like being caught in a chrono-synclastic infundibulum. Wonderfully inventive. Are you Kurt Weill's granddaughter? I agree that the piano gets in the way of the vocal. And the guitar spikes too. Otherwise it's perfect! I love it!

To kevinwal (Kevin), bjornpdx (Bjorn), mcourter and Lynn:
 
Your support, advice, and encouragement have made my day. You know how strange it is to put your music out there for people to hear. Often, it seems even worse when nobody even seems to care to listen. 
 
I always read everything many times through, so your thoughts are emblazoned on my brain by now :)
 
This week, despite my pitiful production "skills", my album "LeJiT" (my initials are LJT)  came out on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music, etc. Go figure! I'm still in shock. It's got 10 tracks, and this is one of them. Wish I'd had time to fix it a bit, though ... it's embarrassing, but I'm still thrilled and very, very nervous to have something actually out there. Yikes! 
 
Thanks again to all of you!
LJ
 
 

Thank you for saying that, Kevin (kevinwal)- you're very generous! :)
LJ