American Idol Songwriters

I have two thoughts on the American Idol finale shows. First, I was glad to hear Clive Davis give the much deserved credit to the songwriters behind each American Idol. Second, although I thought the single "This is My Now" is an excellent song, I thought it put some serious bias towards Jordin Sparks. I could never see Blake singing that song.

So, next season, I think two songs should be chosen. One for each finalist. This will give each artist the chance to show in their final song what their future album will sound like, and the fans a less-biased opinion of who should win.

Still at a loss, but....

I found the most amazing site. Oddly enough, I found out about it from my good friend's marketing class syllabus, which was doing a case study on the company. The site is www.hitsongscience.com. There are other sites out there that predict what you will like based on your tastes, but this takes it a step further. Using similar technology, the company takes a song you submit and analyzes it for each of it's musical components against the chart hits over the past 30 years. It then gives you a score based on the likelihood that your song can be a hit. Now, obviously it doesn't take into account everything, such as lyrics or the amount of money spent to promote a song. However, the analysis of the math aspect alone of the song's musical structures makes it intriguing. Hope you enjoy it......I am going to submit a song soon and see what it scores!

At a loss......

After searching the billboard charts this afternoon, I can't find any song that strikes my interest, and thus songwriters to brag about. So, I have decided to take an early weekend and pick up on Monday. Enjoy the weekend........It is homecoming in Madison!

Some Hearts.....I can't believe it

So I was just looking randomly on the billboard country charts for my next song, and couldn't believe what I found. Diane Warren, probably the most prolific songwriter of the 90's, wrote the title track "Some Hearts" on American Idol winner Carrie Underwood's debut album. She also wrote 3 other tracks on the album.

And here I thought she was just going to sit back and collect royalties on all of her past #1 hits. Check out her ridiculous catalog at www.dianewarren.com.

Chemicals React

I have a confession.....I am an Aly and AJ fan. Particularly their new song "Chemicals React", which made it's way onto the Top 50 on the this weeks billboard charts. Writing credits include seasoned songwriter Antonia Armato (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonia_Armato) famous for her song "I Still Believe." She has written for a number of artists that span multiple genres, from her current work with Aly and AJ to Kansas. Also on board with the co-write was producer/songwriter Tim James, who had a few cuts on this album.

Just a few posts so far, but so many talented writers that most people never hear of......the life of a tunesmith in the shadows.

I'm Bringing "Sexyback".....

Well, actually Justin Timberlake is bringing it back. And he didn't do it alone. He was helped by two of the hottest producers in the Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop market right now - Tim Mosley, AKA Timbaland, and Nate Hills. Both of these guys also worked with Nelly Furtado on her latest album.

Right Where You Want Me

The child actor turned pop star Jesse McCartney is rising on the Billboard Hot 100 with his new single "Right Where You Want Me". He has three talented writer's to thank:

1. Adam Watts (www.adamwatts.com) - A talented artist in his own right, Adam has his own album soon to be released and a number of other cuts on Jesse's album.

2. Andy Dodd - Along with Adam, Andy is a big presence in the Christian market. Also - recently Adam and Andy have been featured in a number of TAXI print ad's for their placements they got with Jesse.

3. Dory Lobel (www.dorylobel.com) - This guy looks to be a force to be reckoned with in the pop music scene. Check out his bio and you will see what I mean.

What Hurts the Most.......

Rascal Flatts doesn’t turn out hit after hit without some power-writers behind their songs. The recent single “What Hurt’s The Most” is no exception. The credits are split on this one between Steve Robson and Jeffrey Steele (http://www.jeffreysteele.com), two of today’s premier writers. Click on their links to find out more about these talented guys.

I am spending the weekend in Chicago……write some good songs and I will talk to you Monday!

Lips of an Angel

Alright, the first rock song post. When I first listened to Hinder's "Lips of an Angel", I wasn't too impressed. But the more I heard, the more I liked. And I was convinced there had to be a pro tunesmith behind this.

Sure enough, there is. His name is Brian Howes. He has been around for quite some time, and is currently working with Chris Daughtry from American Idol on his debut. Brian is part of EMI, and a full bio is available at http://www.emimusicpub.com/worldwide/artist_profile/brian-howes_profile.html.

Tomorrow........I am taking on the pop-country market!

Put Your Record's On

So I am in love with the new single by Corinne Bailey Rae, " Put Your Records On". It has this sweet, soulful sound to it, and then the killer pop hook in the chorus. Looking deeper, I found that Corinne had some help on this track.

One of the writer's is Steve Chrisanthou, who also produced the track. From what I can find he
is a guitarist/programmer/producer from Leeds, England, and currently has other singles out for Charlotte Church and Simon Webbe.

Steve and the writer on this track, John Beck, are also affiliated with Mushroom Music Publishing (http://www.mushroommusic.com.au/catalogues/cat.asp?id=77), a london based publishing company. If you take a look at a list of their songwriters in the catalogue, it is quite impressive.

As always, alot more behind the song then just the artist.....