Song Review:
My Confession
Overall Impression:
My Confession is a marvelously catchy tune that displays tremendous musicality and fascinating melodic movement, you simply can't help but tap your foot to this one. Nolan Bruce Allen has unequivocally captured the heart and soul of the Western Swing genre along with all its intricate and unique sensibilities.
Strongest Point(s):
This is a truly sublime recording, the quality of the production is excellent! All parts boast a great amount of clarity and each instrument sits very well in the overall mix, the synergy between all these elements is strikingly good.
The performance is of an exceptionally high standard, all the players are really bringing their A-game here, and I particularly like that despite this being a studio recording, this has a great live feel to it, which always helps engage the listener that bit more, you really do feel as if the band is playing both for you, and directly in front of you.
The many melodic ideas and motifs throughout are both musically fascinating and brilliantly conceived, they really help define that quintessential Western Swing sound whilst also adding interesting and amusing quirks here and there, a sign of mature melody writing. The interplay between all instruments is a joy to listen to and you can really feel the synergy between them all, the way the vocals engage with the guitar, piano, strings, and sax parts in a call and response fashion is truly inspired and helps keep the listener interested throughout, there is always something new to be heard. The rhythmic movement and general flow of the piece keep things moving nicely and creates a great energetic feel, and whilst the general tempo doesn't change throughout the tune, there is enough rhythmic and tonal development against it that the tempo never feels boring.
Target Audience Appeal:
Providing everything that you would expect and more in a Western Swing song, this undoubtedly appeals to that fanbase perfectly, and it's definitely worth targeting the genres it helped influence also, such as country rock and Rockabilly as an example.
Artist target suggestions:
Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Dean Martin, Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Hank Thomspon, Hot Club Of Cowtown, Hank Penny, George Strait, Vince Gill, Red Foley, Sons of the West, Craig Duncan, Spade Cooley, Johnny Bond, Milton Brown
About the Reviewer:
Andre is a freelance session musician, composer, and sound engineer based in the U.K. Having studied music production and composition at a degree level, he has taken his passion for all things audio-related and strived to become a competent musician and performer. Being a self-confessed "Guitar Nerd" Andre has been continually studying the guitar, as well as teaching it, helping students both learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and how to become proficient in home recording.
Vocals: Strength
Lyrics: Strength
Instrumental Performance/Execution: Strength
Melody/Rhythm: Strength
Arrangement/Flow: Strength
Recording Quality/Overall Mix: Strength