True to my word, here's August's single, "Honest". Hands down, this is my favorite track I've produced with my own vocals. If you're unfamiliar with the term "scratch" vocal, let's take a rapid trip down music production lingo street. The "scratch" vocal is a placeholder. It's raw, relaxed, and organic, it's meant to be replaced by a polished version of the vocal. Its utility is to be a temporary guide for the other musicians to navigate the structure of the track. So while it's meant to be replaced, sometimes it's the one. You might even come to the realization that it was the best after you recorded the more polished vocal. Danley Murner taught me to always record the practice runs while the musician or vocalist is warming up because there's gold in them thar hills! Brilliant advice.
The vocals of "Honest" were my scratch vocals. I was just inside the moment, trying ideas, finding little melodies, then adding some words, then it hit, "I'm just being honest, about me and you". When you think about it, that phrase doesn't really imply bad or good. It feels like one of those phrases that need context to define itself. Or does it? The more I tried and tried to write verses, I felt like I was taking something away, rather than adding. I began to love that there wasn't a context. No lyrical verses. It was just..well…it. It felt like something, but I couldn't put my finger on it and I liked that.
The idea of honesty feels kind of like that. It's mysterious. At times honesty means something negative, like a confession that harms, and at times it can mean something so beautiful, like when you self-assess and find a path to a better version of yourself. And as the cliches go surrounding honesty and policies, we find ourselves respecting that being honest will likely lead to positive outcomes in the end. It's interesting to think about. Anyhoo…
I hope you enjoy this track. If it's not hitting the mark for you, that's cool. Tell me why, either way, I'm interested in what you have to say.
Love,
Midnight Marty