The latest arrival in my inbox is from Garry Bean, whose music you can check out right here:
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Make sure to follow the related links on YouTube to check out some of his other material, or just go straight here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmz_49vB8SQ&list=UUfyIZhxxN7AuD9o02P5xzGQ to get the full measure of this artist.
My first impression was instantly positive. It takes a bit to hold my attention with a raw acoustic piece. It must be good through and through. The voice needs to project, the sole instrument needs to provide the right kind of support, the melody and lyrics need to captivate. And, I must say, by and large, Garry Bean ticked all those boxes.
In this day and age of manufactured bubble-gum pop, it’s always a huge relief for me to encounter something organic and honest. And this is just one of the reasons why you’ll be glad you listened to this stuff – and by all means lend your support to this talented artist in any way you can.
Now… I wouldn’t be a producer if I wasn’t a little bit of a nitpicker. It’s a professional affliction which always interferes with my ability to just sit back, listen and enjoy. There’s always the little voice somewhere in the back of my head suggesting changes, improvements, positive critiques.
And it’s with this in mind that I need to point out a few things which could still be better – and help Garry reach a far greater audience, which he most certainly deserves. But first – take these points onboard:
- Having listened through a handful of his songs, I get a feeling of “sameness”. You may argue that this is really “consistency” and consistency is good. True. The songs are very consistent, but they’re also same-ish. Having given a few tracks a listen, one after the other, I was very hard put to hum any one of them just minutes afterwards. Normally, I retain much better than that. So my first critique is of a general nature: ensure that there’s a variety in your songs. This primarily means the way you arrange things, but also the way you project your voice and the way you structure your melodies. I’ll elaborate on all these points further below.
We’re looking at three or four elements here: the voice, the guitar arrangement, the song itself including melodies and chord progressions, and the overall arrangement and “production”. As things stand right now, I don’t get the feeling that “optimal” amount of time was spent on either. In other words, what we’re hearing is the raw talent. The guy comes in, sits down, plays and sings. This is what you’re gonna get. No elaborate technical preparation – just the art.
This is both endearing and limiting, however. If your ambitions are to reach and affect a larger audience, this is simply put not quite enough. A little bit of polish and attention to detail is called for. So, allow me to point out a few of these things in the paragraphs that follow.
- Guitar. The playing lacks a little bit of definition. Personally, I like to hear a subtle beat even in guitar parts which are gentle and soothing. The guitar mix, also, could use just a touch more brightness. Also consider tracking the guitar. Not on all the songs, but on some of them. Perhaps split the versions into left-right channels, playing as tightly as you can. The resulting natural chorusing effect can add a lot of depth to the performance. And coming back to the “beat”, simply gently lean on the 2nd and 4th beats as you play. This will give it a subtly more R&B-ish touch. While you may argue that your kind of folky soft rock doesn’t have much to do with R&B, you may be surprised how those tracks will come alive if the guitar does what I suggest.
- Vocal. This is by far the biggest asset in all these songs. Lovely voice – with just enough gravel in it and delivered without any fake affectation or pretense. With a voice like that you can sing the phone book. But, this said, be careful that you don’t fall into the safe zones too much. There are also some mannerisms you’ll want to look at. Nothing major, but it’s there. For example, the way you attack certain notes, particularly in the beginning of phrases – there’s a recurring, though slight, gliss there. It’s like you’re tuning yourself within the split second that it takes to reach the note. Opening notes need to be bang-on pitch without any glissing-into them. It just works much better that way. In the old days singers used to get away with that, but today our ears are conditioned a bit differently. Next, consider modulation. If you scrape through any of your songs (fast forward with occasional plays), you’ll discover that the character of the voice simply doesn’t change. And this persists throughout all the songs. In order to remedy this, use simple techniques such as changing the way you open your mouth on certain sounds (especially vowels), the amount of nasal frequencies you use, how much throat, and so on. Allow the voice and the lyrics (the story) to metamorphose and climax, then recede and climax again.
- Songwriting. I liked practically all the songs I heard. But I didn’t “love” them. Why? Because I wanted to hear some kind of a hook I can hang my hat on. This is the one thing that all of these songs definitely lack. Strong choruses and hooks. Upon second or third listen, sure, you can hear they’re there. But for most listeners that’s something they’ll never discover because they’ll move on to something else. That’s why we need “hooks” in songs. “Hooks” can be choruses, but not only. They can be little parts – sometimes tiny – which only occur once or twice in a song, but which “force” the listener to go back and want to hear it again. Note that this has nothing to do with making the songs more “pop”. It’s just an awareness of your audience. Just like a speech someone gives – if there are no changes or variability in the delivery, people tune out, no matter how great the speech otherwise is. Moments of humor, tension – anything – that’s where you re-engage the listeners. But apart from the hooks, the choruses too need looking at. Ideally, the chorus is also the hook. So beautiful, you want to listen again. But since this is quite subjective, simply keep in mind that a chorus needs to stand out and shift the song into the next gear. Simple, strong notes on top of power chords usually work the best. And, yes, I do realize that this kind of introspective music is not supposed to be any kind of power pop. And yet… if you listen to the best folk ballads or even this kind of soft alternative rock ballads – that’s what you’ll always find there.
- Production. Production doesn’t have to be bells and whistles. It’s just the process through which you deliver a “product” to the final listener. And as such, it’s all about understanding your audience and giving them the very best you’re capable of. So, work and revise your songs until they rule. Work out your guitar parts to make them so interesting that they’re a pleasure to listen to even without anything else. And then record them immaculately and make sure there’s dynamics there – rises and falls – as appropriate. Then sing and re-sing your vocal parts until you get the best performance of your life… in each song. You don’t have to be a singing diva to stun the listener. In fact, it’s better that you don’t even try! But you need to build your vocal dynamics in the same way an orator builds his speech. And then let people listen to it without you telling them what it is. Watch their reactions. Are they drifting away? Starting to talk over the song, losing interest? Never take it personally if they do. Simply get back to the studio and fix the parts which didn’t work quite as well. And then know when to stop – and release it.
The potential I’ve seen in Garry Bean is tremendous. He’s down to a few thousand of the best singer-songwriters on the planet, I have no doubt. But the job now is to reach the TOP of what is POSSIBLE. And all that requires is a little patience and a bit of work.
And as for the listeners – or anyone wishing to listen to this after reading this brief review – I recommend it highly and you’d be crazy not to give it a thorough and in-depth listen. You’ll be hearing a potential star in his early days. Support him and with your help, he’ll have the chance to rise to the very top of his game!