This week, I’ve found out how SingSnap brings people together
Next week, I will be in the midst of a move. The packers are coming to gather up our belongings on Tuesday, and by Friday, all our stuff will be on its way to Texas. Consequently, it’s unlikely that I’ll be writing nearly as much next week. But this week, I have enjoyed some creative pursuits, including much time spent on SingSnap.com. On Tuesday this week, I was unusually prolific on SingSnap and a man from Norway ran across my recording of Don McLean’s “Vincent”. I had done it in a lower key and it turned out pretty nice. He left me a comment and then listened to a few of my other recordings, on which he also left comments.
I was curious about my new Norwegian follower, so I went to his SingSnap page. Turns out he has a very nice voice himself and even writes songs. He didn’t have many recordings up; in fact, over the past week, he’s more than doubled what was on his page the first time I visited. But I noticed that he had an “open duet” available, Don Williams’ and Emmylou Harris’ cover of the Townes Van Zandt song, “If I Needed You”. I actually had only heard Lyle Lovett’s take on that song.
Emmylou Harris and Don Williams sing “If I Needed You”.
Lyle Lovett’s version of “If I Needed You”.
And I will admit that I pretty much guessed how Emmylou Harris would sing her part in the duet. I didn’t listen to her version of the song before I recorded my part. Consequently, my version is probably more like Lyle’s done in Emmylou’s key.
Anyway, I joined “brumm101” on that song and it turned out nicely. I posted it on Facebook and much to my surprise, several friends listened and enjoyed it. In fact, a former English professor of mine, now retired from many years of teaching at Longwood University listened to our recording and wanted to know how we did it. I explained how on SingSnap, you can sing your part, post it, and others can join you if you give them that option.
Another online friend, who lives in Texas and sings, vows that there WILL be karaoke when we finally meet. I “met” him and his wife on Epinions.com roughly eight or nine years ago. I actually met his wife in person at an Epinions Meet & Greet in Washington, DC. I understand he’s quite the singer and, in fact, used to write excellent music reviews on Epinions. We’ve kept in touch over the years, despite my many moves. He offered his take on my duet with the Norwegian, too. And so did another “friend” I’ve never met in person, but who is a musician and mutual friends with a chef I used to work with years ago. He offered some suggestions and checked out some other stuff I did. It was a nice bonding moment.
Yesterday, SingSnap had a duet challenge asking members to sing duets with people from other countries. Since I am American and brumm101 is Norwegian, it worked out well for us. We sang Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe”. I think I might have found a new friend!
“brumm101” and I sing an old hit by Sonny and Cher.
Making and sharing music is exciting to me, even if I’m only doing it on an online karaoke site. If I manage to make new friends and find good duet partners in the process, that’s a good thing.
I hope everyone has a good weekend. I’ll try to post next week before my computer gets packed up for the move. If I don’t manage to, I’ll be back when I’m no longer in transit to Texas.
Get ’em while they’re hot! Robert Randolph & The Family Band’s new album, Lickety Split, hits the shelves today!
Today, Robert Randolph & The Family Band have a new album out, called Lickety Split. I remember the very first time I heard Robert Randolph & The Family Band’s music. It was June 20, 2004, my 32nd birthday. My husband, Bill, had surprised me with tickets to see Eric Clapton at Washington DC’s MCI Center. We had nosebleed seats. But then, the opening band came out and freakin’ blew our doors off.
I had never heard of Robert Randolph & The Family Band before that night, but they quickly indoctrinated me. I liked their part of the show much better than Clapton’s. When I think of that night, I think of Robert Randolph’s virtuoso pedal steel guitar playing, not Eric Clapton’s much more sedate performance. I remember how Randolph’s bandmates played round robin with their instruments, taking over for each other. These guys are saturated with musical talent and just enthralled me with their performance. I went home and ordered the two CDs they had out at the time, Live At The Wetlands and Unclassified.
Years later, when I joined Facebook, I “liked” Robert Randolph & The Family Band’s page. I get regular updates about the band and– I’m ashamed to say it– that’s how I found out that they have a new album coming out today. Lickety Split has just hit the shelves and I downloaded my copy first thing this morning. I thought I’d dedicate today’s post to my thoughts on the new album as I listen to it for the very first time. So here goes… or should I say, “Hear goes?”.
First impressions of Lickety Split…
Cover of Robert Randolph & The Family Band’s latest album, Lickety Split.
This album kicks off with the high energy track, “Amped Up”. With a discordant crash of Robert Randolph’s pedal steel, the song cranks up. My first thought is that it reminds me a lot of a mix of 2006’s “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That” from the album, Colorblind. The hook is similar and so is the tempo. This song is about getting up and getting going, which makes it a great song for first thing in the morning… maybe after your first cup of coffee? I think it’s obvious Robert Randolph meant for this to be a morning song. At the end, he says “Now have a good day!”
The energy continues with “Born Again”, a song that instantly makes me think it was inspired by Robert Randolph’s spiritual background. The lyrics are vague enough that they could be romantic, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this is about God. I love it. It has backing vocals that are reminiscent of a church choir in a holy roller church. The rhythm is infectious, while the melody is joyful… and joyfully played. The lyrics borrow a bit from well known spirituals. You’ll hear a little “Amazing Grace” in there, but in a way you’ve never heard it before. This song gets my blood pumping.
I’m somewhat less impressed by “New Orleans”, which is a slower song sung by Lanesha Randolph. It’s kind of a pretty ballad about New Orleans, but the melody and lyrics are somewhat pedestrian compared to the energy of the first two songs. It’s not a bad song at all, but it doesn’t move me like “Amped Up” and “Born Again” do. On the other hand, maybe listeners want a short breather after those first two numbers. Lanesha Randolph has a lovely voice… it kind of reminds me of Jennifer Hudson’s. The end of this song is kind of cool, whimsical and creative.
The next song is “Take the Party”. It features Trombone Shorty and is yet another high energy track. I dare you to sit still during this song, which has an infectious tempo. As I listen to this song this morning, I’m bobbing my head, tapping my toes, and really digging the trombone. “Take the party wherever you go”… It’s not a bad way to live.
You’ll continue the festivities with the next song, “Brand New Wayo”, which features Carlos Santana. What a cool song! It has sort of a retro disco/funk feel to it. On this song, Robert Randolph shows off his awesome bandleading skills as he lets his bandmates shine, then joins in himself. “Brand New Wayo” makes me wish I were more into exercise. I might have to take up zumba now, because this song makes me want to MOVE. It sort of channels “Pick Up The Pieces” by Average White Band.
The energy doesn’t decrease with “Lickety Split”, though instead of disco and funk, I hear rockabilly. Even the lyrics suggest rockabilly, as Randolph sings about family life. As I listen to this, I’m dumbfounded by the breadth of Randolph’s repertoire. This is a man who loves music and is influenced by everything. The lyrics are uplifting and positive; they promote love, which is a great message for the first thing in the morning.
Carlos Santana also guests on the next song, “Blacky Joe”. The tempo comes down a few notches and we get to hear some fine percussion, bass guitar, pedal steel, and Santana’s unmistakable guitar. I’m not sure who inspired this song, but the lyrics suggest a devoted friend of the band who’s no longer around and is missed. At the end, Carlos Santana contributes some wicked guitar.
Next comes a fun cover of “Love Rollercoaster”, a song that was made famous by the Ohio Players in 1975. I like how Robert Randolph & The Family Band played this, though it really doesn’t sound that different than the original. It’s in the same key and basically has the same funky mood, just dressed up a bit with pedal steel.
“All American” has more of a straightforward rock sound, with a savage beat and stabbing guitar riffs. At the bridge, the beat turns into a thumping heartbeat. The lyrics are kind of simple, extolling the virtues of an American girl. I like the melody better than the words.
The next song is “Get Ready”, again very funky, high energy, and letting Randolph show everybody how much of a genius he is with the pedal steel guitar. The band chants “Get Ready” repeatedly, while Randolph jams, making his instrument squeal and shriek, then bubble over with music.
“Welcome Home” is another ballad, slowing down the tempo just a bit with a pretty melody and nice piano accents. Randolph welcomes back the troops with this surreal anti war song. I appreciate Randolph’s sentiments. He remembers those who made the ultimate sacrifice and those who made it back alive, but are no longer mentally or physically whole. As the wife of a service member, I like that Randolph’s attitude is one of gratitude, rather than shaming. This song is very profound in its own way, from the challenging melody to the lyrics.
The last song is a cover of “Good Lovin’”, which was a song made popular by The Young Rascals. This is done in the same key as the original, but Randolph has spiced it up with some modern embellishments. He had a lot of fun with this and it ends the album on a good note.
My Thoughts
This was my very first listen to Lickety Split, so today’s post is based entirely on my first impressions of this brand new album. I think it’s damn good. There are a few songs that are really awesome, while a few others aren’t as impressive to me, but are still quite solid. For instance, I wish Robert Randolph & The Family Band had done a little more with their tale on “Love Rollercoaster”. On the other hand, what they did do is definitely not bad at all. I will have to listen to this a few more times, but at this point I think it’s a keeper and well worth the $10 I paid for it.
I’ve been having a great time with SingSnap’s latest cool feature… infinite duets!
If you’ve read Pop Rock Nation since I started writing here in January, you may know that I am a karaoke enthusiast. These days, I do a lot of my karaoke online at SingSnap.com. Though it’s not quite the same as singing live for an appreciative crowd in a bar, online karaoke has its own advantages over live performances. Online karaoke gives you a lot of freedoms you don’t have in a bar. In fact, I was reminded of this on my recent trip to San Antonio, Texas, when my husband Bill and I happened to be in a bar that was hosting a karaoke show.
It was about 10:00pm when the show started. A couple of women started playing music and invited an older gentleman to come up and sing. He got up, did a decent job, got some half-hearted applause, and then sat down. Then another older man got up and sang and wasn’t as good. He sat down and then the two karaoke jocks did a duet of George Benson’s 1981 hit song, “Turn Your Love Around”. The KJs were decent singers and harmonized with each other nicely. But then they said to the bar patrons, “We promise the show will get better. It’s not going to be like this all night.” I was pretty turned off by that comment. Karaoke isn’t necessarily about singers sounding good, though it’s great when someone who can sing does. Bill and I left quickly because I got the sense that these two karaoke jocks weren’t very nice.
When we got back from Texas, I found out that SingSnap.com had added a new feature to their online karaoke service– “infinite duets”. In the past, you could record a song and then harmonize once to it, or offer it as an “open duet” so other singers could join you. I have done a few duets on SingSnap and have enjoyed the experience, bonding with perfect strangers from anywhere in the world. The infinite duet feature takes that capability a step further. It allows you to record as many harmony tracks as you want. Since you can also change the key of a song if you want (or need) to, online karaoke almost gives you a basic sense of what it feels like to be a music producer.
This week, I’ve had a good time experimenting with infinite duets. I’d sing the melody. Then I’d record a harmony line. Then I’d record another one and perhaps another until I had all the harmonies I wanted. The end results have been very interesting. I have a few examples posted which I will share here.
Here’s my harmonized version of “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain”. I changed the key so it’s higher, then recorded three parts so the final product is in three part harmony.
I got a little carried away with “Love Me Tender”, which I gave five parts to. That one was my first effort and I got a little carried away with it, but I was just experimenting.
I posted these two recordings on my personal music blog and a reader asked me to sing “The Rose”, a song made popular by Bette Midler in 1980. I was never a big fan of that song. I probably got sick of it because it was on the radio too much when I was growing up. Also, while I love Bette Midler as an actress, I was never the biggest fan of her singing, even as I recognize her immense talent for music. But after recording “The Rose” yesterday, I have a new appreciation for it. I only harmonized parts of the song and was doing so during a rainstorm, so I was a bit challenged. It’s hard to get the recordings just right because of Internet speeds and such. Still, I think this turned out pretty decently.
One thing to remember with these infinite duets is that if the recording already has backing singers, you can’t erase them. It’s best to pick songs that don’t have backing singers or they’re subtle. I also think the infinite duets work best when you use short, simple songs. The longer and more complicated the song, the harder it is to get it right.
Just for kicks, here’s a duet I did of “Leather and Lace” with some guy on SingSnap. I was very impressed with him because he actually sounds a bit like Don Henley.
Anyway, I think this new infinite duets feature is a lot of fun and allows singers a great chance to be creative and make the songs their own. I’m going to play with it as much as possible until it’s time to pack everything up and start the road trip to Texas.
