TAXI

Style

Clearly your intent for this composition was to try to capture the contemporary power ballad style indicated in listing S230114BL. In some ways I’d say that you accomplished that. You’ve got all of the familiar tropes and sounds that one has come to expect from the genre. I don’t know that you did much to expand upon or add to what those general expectations are, but there’s no doubt that this is what you were going for based on the instrumentation, arrangement and the dramatic sound that your singer utilizes.

Melody

In this contemporary pop ballad, the melody falls a bit short due to its lack of a catchy, repetitive structure. It does not offer a memorable enough hook, deviating from the history of popular music where these aspects are crucial. Hooks are immensely important in pop music, but this song lacks a strong one. It isn’t bad, but it doesn’t have the “show-stopping and emotionally charged aspects indicated in the listing you referenced. Particularly when compared to example songs "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston, "Never Enough" by Kelly Clarkson, "Someone Like You" by Adele or "I'll Never Love Again" by Lady Gaga. One of the keys to successful writing of songs that are intended to be sung with range (in my opinion) is to keep the melodies simple and rely on the singer to give them the power and emotion that they require. I discovered this when in discussion with a colleague about my pet peeves with contemporary vocalists writing melodies just to show off for themselves and other singers. I call it the “look at me” brand of writing. The problem with that is that the general audience can’t relate to them. The reason is because they don’t follow what those greater than them have long known; keep the melody simple and then sing the hell out of it. Case in point: Aretha,(Respect) Stevie (Superstition), Whitney (see above), Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson and pretty much any other legend you can think of, didn’t over sing. That’s why even though they’re more gifted than almost everyone, the non-singer can still hum/sing along with their greatest hits.

Structure

This has a reasonably solid structure. It follows the traditions of the genre with its ABABAB foundation. I think where this could be strengthened is giving the chorus/hook a bit more of a lift. That could be accomplished by expanding on the chord structure. It never really reaches the apex moment that the references do and so that’s an area I believe you could improve upon.

Lyrics and Title

In Adult Contemporary Ballads, the title and lyrics often work together to express deep emotions or personal experiences. If the title implies a certain emotional narrative, but the lyrics lack depth or do not align with it, it can lead to an ineffective song. This inconsistency can be particularly jarring in a genre such as this one , which is historically rooted in emotive expression, personal storytelling or being either inspirational or aspirational. Thematic and emotional coherence between the title and the lyrics is critical for creating a meaningful song. For example, a song titled after a profound emotional experience but featuring vague or clichéd lyrics might fail to connect with listeners. In this particular case there isn’t a detailed enough narrative for the audience to invest or become engaged in and so that’s why I believe this misses the mark. I recommend that you take a look at your internal notes on what you intended the song to mean and say. Ofttimes, the song that you want to write is alive in those details that you left in your head but did not translate to the page.

Production

Is the track generally in keeping with the listing, noting that I originally included a percussion track as in the references, but I did not proceed with this - I believe that it wasn't really required for my song and it seemed pointless to include it just to imitate the references. However, it should not be a problem to add this to the mix, if considered essential. My answer to this question and subsequent statement is this; It’s a mistake to go into a pitch with the mindset that you’ll have the opportunity to ‘go back and fix something.’ Put your best foot forward at all times because there will likely not be a second chance or do over. Another aspect of this is; if you’re doing the bare minimum required what’s going to make your song stand out from the crowd? In this particular case, your singer is pitchy and doesn’t clean jerk her melismas. That means that she isn’t selling the material to its fullest, so now what? This is one of the most competitive fields of work to try to break into because the payoff if you win is huge. That means that you’ve got to do everything you can to gain attention to your work. A lot of times that can be as simple as polished production and a pristine vocal performance. That would help here, but I think the fundamental issues with this song are compositional and not production. Just as a great production can bring notice so too can a simple arrangement if the song is written in such a way as to not need any embellishments. In its current form this song doesn’t accomplish either of those goals.

Overall Comments

I think I’ve been relatively transparent about my thoughts throughout, and in a much more detailed fashion that I can express here in summary form. I believe that the keys to improving this material are; strengthening the melodies by expanding your chord structure. It will give the song more places to go. I would utilize a vocalist who has better control of her instrument so that any tunng you may have to do will be minimal. Finally, I’d recommend producing the song to the extent that you need to. If you have a melody that a 3 year old can hum along to, then you might not need much to sell it. I’d pay attention to the marketplace and produce your work accordingly. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box a little either.

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