[getbent]

Recording live is always a revelation.

I listened to the song 2 times.... so, I may have missed some things... First, it sounds like the folks in the church were into it, so, that is the goal and you hit that one.

The difficult thing about playing in combos is that you come together, learn some tunes, it sounds pretty good, you play for a public (or church) and you feel good about it. But, you can sense some problems. So, you record it and listen for what is right and and what needs to be cleaned up.

In this one, it is too loose... the tune is going too many directions and the directions are not being driven by the melody or the lead voice. The lead voice has some pitch struggles... but more importantly she appears to be a little lost as to the melody in some points and I think that causes some of the pitch problems. Rule 1: Everyone should know the song and that starts with the melody and time.

I don't know how many times your band has played this song, but it clearly has some really cool stops and starts that a couple of folks are trying to play, but the others 'smear' through it....

It would be good to rehearse that tune and break down the places where you have stops, starts, walkdowns, walkups and holds. The production value of the song would really pop and instantly your listeners would say 'that sounds great'.

In this song the piano player is kind of playing the role of drummer. That can be a good thing, but here, the drummer (was there a bass player?) and the bass player or the piano player's left hand should be establishing and creating the rhythm.

The guitar playing: My favorite guitar players who just own this style are Curtis Mayfield, Pops Staples and Teenie Hodges. I'd sure like to hear that guitar on the front pickup, some double and triple stops and some soulful bends that demonstrate that you are listening to and feeling the singer while expanding the rhythm of the song.

If there are to be repeated phrases, they should be repeated in a cadence not unlike what the choral singers do. The guitar part here should serve two purposes: 1) support the song rhythmically 2) be added flavor and richness to the melody and harmony 'fleshing' out the juicy emotional bits.

I enjoyed the song and would have loved being at the service where you played. I think you have a solid start on what could be some really really memorable music.