Score: 8

"An interesting piece"

submission: La Llama el Baile

date: December 20, 2009

I think that this is a good sounding Latin number and I can see a few hips swaying to the beat of this piece. Perhaps there needs to be something a little more dominant in the piece, such as a more aggressive piano piece, where the whole piece gets taken to another level, away from the 'cabaret' sound that you've got going at the moment. Just for a moment or two, elevate the game and see where that takes you.

I think that you're onto a winner here, with the guitar leading into the piano. I'd also suggest some sort of Latin vocals, just to give another dimension to the piece.

[Review Request Club]

Score: 8

"A little noisy"

submission: Cthulhu In Your Dreams

date: December 20, 2009

It's got a good beat, but the way that this piece really start to struggle is hwo it seems to be fighting against itself. I can understand with the invocation of things like Great Cthulhu, you're going to be going more than slightly mad with a piece like this, but at the end of the day, there are things that can be tidied up within.

Perhaps you could give us a slightly more surreal imagery when you get to the really messed up part. Perhaps take some of the bass out and mess with the beat, giving a sense of impending doom. You know that it's coming, so put a 'calm before the storm' in there and then hit us with something big, loud and scary, since that's usually what happens before the tentacles reach out and grab you.

It's sinister, but not quite sinister enough.

[Review Request Club]

Score: 8

"Interesting"

submission: The Challenger

date: December 20, 2009

A strange choice of musical blend to lend to this particular piece - I love the vocal sample, but it sounds quite upbeat and quickly paced to be tragic as we all know the Challenger disaster was.

I think that as we listen to the vocals, there was a feeling of loss there, but this could have been put into perspective with the music by some sort of slower solo that stepped away from the pace of the beat and allowed people to come to terms with a tangible sense of grief and loss that this scenario embodies.

[Review Request Club]

Score: 8

"Needs balancing"

submission: This Is Rock n Roll

date: December 20, 2009

At first, I thought this tune could have used some vocals. Then when I listened more closely, I discovered that there were some on the track. I think that you've got the balance all wrong here - try increasing the volume of the vocals and decreasing the volume of the music, just to balance it out. Sure, you can have softly balanced vocals for parts of the track, but if it's going to encourage people to sing along, it's going to need a little more help to get there.

I think that the track itself is good. A nice balance of guitars and drums, but you could certainly use a solo, just to take that piece to the next level - without it, you're going to be lacking slightly and it just seems like you're repeating your same guitar riffs over and over, which no-one wants to hear.

[Review Request Club]

Score: 9

"Good piano"

submission: Cleanse My Heart - BK

date: December 20, 2009

I like that this piece is quite forward and up-beat. It has a great lifting feel to it and there is almost a euphoric quality to it. I think that you could possibly sort out a slightly slower piece in the middle there, as it would just give the listener a chance to hear it as a step taken back, which then prepares them for a second run at it.

I think that it's certainly a very good piece with lots of potential for growth, so you're one of these artists that is poised to exploit that. I think that you could take it further with the addition of a few more instruments, giving an interesting aside that can bring more people into a great feeling from this tune.

[Review Request Club]

Score: 8

"Calm and almost surreal"

submission: wandering in the dark

date: December 20, 2009

I like this track. The harp music just seems to be what was called for here, just to blend in with the sounds of the background that you've made for the piece. There is a serene calmness about the whole piece and I can even feel my shoulders loosening up as I type this.

I think that as you progress with the track, perhaps it could have something that was a little more hard hitting in contrast. Perhaps some sort of deeper solo from the strings, just to impart a little more of the meaning and a feeling of some other meaning. It feels as if it is someone preparing for great sorrow on top of the whole ideal, so taking it to the next step would be a nice boost.

[Review Request Club]

Score: 8

"It gets a little samey"

submission: I Know You Know...

date: December 20, 2009

It's a good track that has a well devised beat and rhythm, that tends to combine well with the rest of the track. I think that as things progress, this system can get quite old. There is good variation in the melodies that you bring in, but it could do with something that comes in and sets the stage, taking us from the repetitive strain to something like a bass solo.

I think that it's a good track in its own right, it loops well and it does tend to fade into the background, if you turn the volume down to cope with that razor of a melody, but I just think it could do with something else, like another instrument, for example.

[Review Request Club]

Score: 5

"Invest in a microphone!"

submission: Live 9 - The Awakening

date: December 18, 2009

Well, if it's a complete ad-lib, this is a wonderful piece. I'm intrigued by the using only of the black notes, as I'd have never considered something like this before. Possibly one of the reasons that I gave up playing the keyboard some time ago, in all honesty.

I think that the piece is certainly worth re-recording, with a proper setup. You cna get a good quality mic off the internet that you can wire up to a computer. Download Audacity and that will give you so much freedom to work with it. Once this is sorted, you can really take this piece elsewhere - try smoothing out the duff notes that you hit in places and it will suddenly start to sound better.

I look forward to version 2 of this track, as you've got some good skills here with the piano.

[Review Request Club]

Score: 7

"Needcs work, but not too bad"

submission: first time blues

date: December 14, 2009

Something tells me that you need to take away that hum from the backing of the track. It's really noticeable at the start and finish of the track, so please have a go at ironing that out.

The blues aren't bad here - you could use some vocals, certainly and possibly a little 'Paul Schaffer' piano in the middle, just to carry you through. It's a promising start, but not the finished article yet. These things take time and will come to you, no doubt.

[Review Request Club]

Score: 8

"Mellow"

submission: a solo tolittle wing

date: December 14, 2009

I like this piece, as it's a nice mellow start to a solo, but it gets a little fast and rocky in the end, so watch out, as it seems like you're crossing too many genres there. You start off sounding like Clapton (a little), but end up wanting to sound like Hendrix. These two styles are very different, so perhaps settle for a happy medium and make your own sound?

I think that it's a great piece until we hit the up-shift at about 50s, where it just seems to go all Marty McFly from Back to the Future, when he added the Heavy Metal riffs to Johnny B Goode. Great at the start, but then he took it too far. Good drums, a good sense of timing, but don't think that because it sounds good, you should try for better, more ambitious riffs. Sometimes, simple is best.

[Review Request Club]