On December 5, I submitted my 14th song to NSAI for online evaluation. I've written more songs than that, it's just the 14th I’ve submitted for evaluation since I started down the country road, since my first trip to Nashville in December 2011.
I just got the feedback and I’m pretty stoked. It couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m in the process of making some kind of scary changes in my life that’ll enable me to spend more time in Nashville. With change comes uncertainty and fear, and a little reassurance is just what I needed.
The song is called Find Me A Highway and I wrote it with my friend Emily Hurson here in Toronto. I think we got together twice and ended up with three songs and one hangover. Not bad stats. We started this one in June and got the verse and chorus melody lines, first verse lyrics, and bits and pieces of ideas for the rest of it. We shelved it while I was away for the summer, so I tied up the loose ends in October and ran them by Emily. She liked the lyrics but reminded me of some rhythmic and melodic elements I’d forgotten about. Go team!
This is what the NSAI evaluation had to say:
Congratulations, the evaluator who reviewed your song believes you are showing significant progress in your writing and you are one to watch!
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NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL SONG EVALUATION
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FORM/STRUCTURE: You have V/C/V/C/B/Ctag. That’s the right structure.
TITLE/HOOK: It’s a good hook. You use it in a memorable way and you have a good set up.
LYRIC: This is pretty cool. The phrasing is very interesting and different. This is something that has been written before, but you have put a different spin on it. It’s clear and to the point and you have good rhymes schemes
OVERALL THEME/IDEA: It’s a good theme. This can work for the country market.
MELODY/METER (IF APPLICABLE): This is cool and contemporary. I’m not sure because I mostly hear fiddle and though I find the phrasing interesting, it feels a bit off meter in some spots. Not sure, so go over it and make sure it all feels natural. The bridge works great.
CLOSING COMMENTS: This is really cool. I am going to mark the one to watch box, because I don’t think this a hit, but it shows your sensibilities and your talent. Keep up the good work.
And here's the demo submitted:
