Sexy Beast said

Hey Owen,

I really think your voice has improved compared to your older covers!

You played all instruments yourself right? Good job!

Yes I did!

Although honestly I need to get away from that. It's fun when the focus is on my own development, but in the context of making the best music I can, I need to start incorporating more helping hands.

One of my overarching goals for 2015 I'm developing in my mind is to make it more of a lead singer year - being the musical leader but having a band of my wonderful musical friends supporting me.

I really think your voice has improved compared to your older covers!

You played all instruments yourself right? Good job!

From solely a singer's standpoint, your voice is really improving in consistency, quality, and placement. Your voice has gained a lot of precision while keeping its own qualities (a "nonchalent" quality as we say in French).

The instrumental is fantastic.

As for the singing, have a listen to the James Ingram and Peabo Bryson ballads I sent you. We are gonna work more in that direction. These songs you are listening too have too many straight flat lines for melodies with no real dynamic or textural qualities. You are still "affecting" your tone and vowels too much, it isn't NATURAL. Last lesson you were starting to get it and your REAL voice was starting to come out. Recently your range has been opening up in the lessons and I have been carefully trying to get you to carry that over into the songs by getting out of your own way as much as possible (kind of a tricky thing to do) but you will get it.

If you trust me to push you in a different stylistic direction for now you will develop the naturalness in your tone that you need.

You are what ,19? Be proud of what you've done bro! move on and start a new piece of work! I couldn't do any of this when I was your age.

Some key points he made were the piano sound is shit (he meant the electric piano sound) and my singing isn't as "angelic" as Christine until later on (the softer part in the bridge through the ending). He wanted me to try singing a lot of the beginning softer and more like that bridge section which is a rare suggestion from him (he usually wants me to use my real full voice more) so I know it's not a personal bias

Here's the original for reference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFZMgf6M5KM

With that being said, all the more honest critique welcome. I've developed a pretty thick skin as a result of watching other people (Robert Lunte for example) become offended by critique that's hard to accept and watching them NOT IMPROVE as a result. I don't want to be like that and I also understand art is not as subjective as a lot of people think.

I'm also at a bit of crossroads as whether to just call it done and move or try to improve/rework the beginning. I have another cover in the works that is a more obscure song and will be almost an exact copy so that might go over better.

I haven't finished a full band cover in years so I'm very excited to share this with y'all!!!

Please feel welcome to leave any critique on ANYTHING about it. If you can comment on specific strengths and weaknesses that would be super helpful.