Red, White and Blue Songwriter’s Shocking Feedback On Demo.

Nashville Trax Producer, Bill Watson

I was nervous about this one, after all I practically tore the original rough apart and rebuilt the song. A simple copy of it with better playing and vocals would have sufficed, ensuring the songwriting team who wrote it would be good with it.

But I’m not in this business for “play it safe,” “content” or “pretty decent job.” The aim is always higher… far higher.

Rob and his co-writers are elated with the prior two songs they had produced here, but rather than imparting a “no problem, we got this” sentiment, it only increased the pressure to outdo the previous two projects. Patriotic songs can be exceptionally difficult, because to work, they must evoke passion, stir the soul if you will, without resorting to male-female relationship emotive techniques. The arrangement has to do it.

I knew we had something special going on during tracking but decided to hedge my bets by working on the morning of May 26th, 2014 long enough to mix Red White and Blue. Crazy I guess, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Mixing a patriotic “troops coming home” tune on Memorial Day? Making this song exceed all expectations was no longer a vague hope or abstract concept, mentally backed into a corner, there simply was no other option.

When the mix went out and I didn’t hear back from Rob right away I started wondering if he hated it but didn’t want to say anything? A couple more days passed and all I receive is Rob cryptically saying he’d listened “but had to run it by his co-writers and others,” I’m really freakin’.

More time drags on. “Man, I thought we nailed that song to the wall so hard we busted right through to a place where eagles soar and Churchill is shouting, ‘We shall fight on the beaches. We will fight in the streets, We shall not fail!’ as the allies begin the D-Day assault. F-15s are tipping their wings to acknowledge our efforts as fireworks light up the sky.

“What went wrong?” I pondered.

Finally the word came in today:

Hey Bill,

I needed to get every one’s input, Jimmy love’s it, as so do I , and all that I played it for, Jenee is really incredibly talented and truly gifted, You All put you heart into this song and did a great job, BILL U ARE A GREAT PRODUCER, HAT’S OFF TO YOUR WHOLE TEAM !!! So thanks! GREAT JOB !! GOD BLESS AMERICA !! Rob C. and everyone in Winston Harold