Vocals - Day 2

My nerves were much less active today than my first vocal day, but still, I started the day with excitement and just a few jitters.

I've been trying to keep these mornings open and relaxed. Lots of time for a slow warm-up, a good breakfast, and lots of breathing and stretching. I also try to get in some good quality time with the puppies - it makes me laugh, which is a great warm-up, and it reminds me that love and simplicity are essential in life and music.

The goal today was to record the vocals for 3 songs. All three of today's selections have a similar vibe, which meant I wouldn't have to completely change gears between each song.

We started with the Cathedral's classic, "Movin' Up To Gloryland". I love this song, and I've been singing it to myself for months now. When I was trying to focus the sound and feel of this project, this was the first song that clicked for me. When I started to sing it to myself, it fell into a natural groove that just screamed, "Mix it all with jazz!". I know this will be a risky choice in some ways - It's a very traditional quartet song, and for some audience members, that means it should only ever be sung by a quartet. But I love it, and I believe the test of a great song is it can bend without breaking.

This part of the recording actually went by pretty quickly. We did 3 full takes, and then came back and fixed up a few little things. We then did a 4th take, just trying some crazier stuff for fun - different phrasings, playing with grace notes, etc. Aaron cut a rough vocal on the spot, and it sounded great.

We moved on to a new Joel Lindsey and Wayne Haun song called, "Faith Will Take You Farther". This is a very fun song, but to be honest, it was one of the hardest songs for me to lock into. I think I was treating it too seriously, and just not having enough fun with it. In the end, I found inspiration in the character actresses of the 1930's musicals, and it all fell into place. My rehearsal process will remain private, but let's just say I had a visit from Lina Lamont...

We took several passes at this one. I think what we got is really good, but we may go back and revisit a few lines on another day.

Finally, we ended with "Do You Wanna Be My Neighbour in Gloryland" - our unofficial Song of the Week! We have the single take from Monday, but we still did 3 full takes and a few single lines. It's such a fun song to sing! I think this one turned out really well, and I can't wait for people to hear it.

We now have 7 songs done, 3 to go. The next vocal day is Tuesday, and that will be the 3 biggest songs vocally. After that, it's BGVs and mixing. While all that's happening, I need to take care of photos and graphics. Then, it's mastering, manufacturing, and finally, carting 1000 CDs into my living room! It all seems so simple when I put it that way...