ROCKINRON says:

GOOD MUSIC---- WOULD LOVE your songs for my radio show kbcu saturday night

Gina Middleton says:

Really great song - Lost Ground. Like the chords and melody especially. words truly reflect what I've been through spiritually lately.

David Ashley says:

Just wanted to say Hi Neighbor.... fellow Coloradian.

Hollie says:

Really good tracks Dustin! Nice work.

jeramy says:

hey dustin,
thanks so much for the support. i really appreciate it. take care!

Audi says:

Hey Dustin! Great songs! I knew you could sing when I heard you on your wedding day singing to my auntie, but these are really good. thanks for sharing!

Randy Stanton says:

Dustin!
I am so grateful to be able to hear your songs and give feedback. Anything I suggest to improve your songs is going to be like the “Pot calling the Kettle Black.” We are both on the same road doing the same stuff. Since you have listened to my songs extensively I know that you will discover where I have violated my own suggestions. Yes, I know! The next song is always going to be better!
I want to start by honestly letting you know that you are a very talented song writer! Your songs are VERY good songs. You have your own distinct writing style. However I think you could be much better that just writing VERY good songs. I think you have the ability to write GREAT songs. Me too. But I’m not there yet. But I know the way….
Your progressions are solid. You have good groove with the drums/acoustic.
I recommend that you take the two suggestions that I am going to give you and listen your ears off to everyone of your favorite worship songs (stuff that everyone loves, not just this indie stuff) and listen for what I am about to recommend. It’s all about phrasing.

#1) Each line of each verse needs to line up perfectly with the corresponding line. If a song is otherwise perfect you can break this rule maybe 1x in a song. You can also break this rule with pickup notes at the beginning of a phrase (if purposeful). This is consistently broken in most of your songs.
Example :
Phrase 1 Its so easy to live life – This has seven metered syllables
Phrase 2 Just how I want to - This has five – so far were doing great!
Phrase 3 Its so easy to ignore you – This has eight metered syllables. Oops! It must have seven.
Phrase 4 Except when I need you – This has six – Oops! It must have five.

Why “must”? Well in order to match the musical phrasing to make it “catchy” you either have to introduce a new melody (making it more confusing or less “catchy”) or you have to awkwardly jam syllables together. Rats!

Listen to every praise song on the radio and count on your fingers. Look at your charts and line up the melodies. Then here is the challenge – when you sit down to write your next praise song don’t let yourself write a line without matching. Please note that there are different phrase patterns ABAB ABBA AAAB. You can tell by the rhyming. The above phrase looks like ABBB if you look at the rhyme but musically is ABAB. Your next line is ABAB with the rymes: Unmanagable, In, Through, Lying. This should line up with your first rhyme scheme.

I will say this again. These are Very good lyrics. Excellent or Great lyrics however line these things up.

#2 The other thing that I see multiple throughout your phrasing is something that I have been listening to very closely on the Radio. Lyrics are sung the same way they are spoken! A great lyric sings with the same syllable emphasis and pausing as you would speak it (with a few notable exceptions). The Beatles “Baby you can drive my car” has the same meter as you would say it. The words “Drive” and “Car” are naturally emphasized in the melody. Now sing it emphasizing “CAN” or “MY.” Goes from great to not great real fast. “How great is our God” pauses after the word Great – just like you would say it. How about: “YOU know the DEPTHS of my HEART and you LOVE me the SAME” Each of the important words in the phrase are emphasized with the meter of the music. Brilliant! Listen for this with all of the good songs. Very few exceptions!
Now take your lyrics and write out all of your emphasized lyrics and within a word.
Examples: pro-MISED instead of PRO-mised MAG-nificence instead of mag-NIF-icence. SIG-nificance instead of sig-NIF-icance. “pro-MISED” “em-PLORE” “Faithful-NESS” The next song you write – try to craft the lyric naturally into the melody – and if it emphasizes the wrong syllable in the word – don’t keep it.

I hope this is taken in a positive manner! I would like to see us both writing to the level that our church’s publishing company would start looking at our songs!

Thanks Brother! I would love your response to this!
Your comments on my songwriting are making me better!
Randy Stanton

Randy Stanton says:

Hey Dustin. Just to let you know I am starting to listen carefully to your songs for feedback. I want to become familiar to your songs before I comment. I really appreciate your comments and the time you spent listening to my song writing.

Erik Barcelo says:

My name is Erik Barcelo and I would like to introduce you to my New Radio Station called Above and Beyond Radio.
When I was in the world my radio station was called Aboveandbeyondradio.com
I had about 2000 artist within the first 5 months.
I gave my life to the Lord and now I have started Above and Beyond Radio.
In the next few months We will Broadcast Music live over the Internet and also thru Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii.
We have many goals that the Lord will guide us in and we are asking if you would like to join us.
Please visit Aboveandbeyondradio.com
To join us!
Hope to see you soon.
God Bless

CP...well CU now! says:

I just found your old CD and was listening to it. I decided to see if you had done anything else over the years, which lead me here. You are very funny..."look at that blog over there, poor thing. What a crack up! Bless you, Dustin!

Kyle Cantrell says:

Hey Dustin, thanks much for your encouragement! God bless, and Welcome to IH!

Keith@indieheaven says:

Hi Dustin!
Welcome to Indieheaven!
Nice job on your songs, keep up the excellent faith-work!
Keith Mohr
President
Indieheaven

Jeramy says:

Thanks for your encouragement. I hope all is well. Take care...