Artist Name: Robert Dean Title: Looks Like Snow Genre: folk singer/songwriter Rating:
Equipment
Computer/DAW – Apple MacBook Air with GarageBand V10.4 and PG Music Band-in-a-Box (for software instruments); Microphone – Blue Yeti USB Mic, Instruments – Martin D-18 (guitar fills); Plugins – iZotope Elements (vocal processing), Waves Vocal Rider, iZotope Ozone 11 (mastering); Monitors – PreSonus Eris 3.5; Headphones – Sharper Image Earphones & old Sony Headphones.
Music
“Looks Like Snow” was written by Robert Dean and recorded on December 11, 2023, in his home studio in Poughkeepsie, NY. “Looks Like Snow” lies squarely in the folk singer/songwriter tradition, albeit with the help of a few tools that weren’t available to songwriters or folk singers in the past. The song is evocative of a particular place and time while being timeless.
Review By Dave Martin
I have a weakness for singer/songwriters, especially those who have a distinctive voice and worldview, and a way of describing that world that invites you in to see it the way that they do. Robert Dean succeeds at that in “Looks Like Snow.”
“Looks Like Snow” was recorded in GarageBand with instruments from PG Music Band-in-a-Box. While Dean played acoustic fills (on a Martin D-18), the bass, drums and nylon string guitar tracks came from Band-in-a-Box. The simplicity of the track provides a bed for Dean’s lyrics without distracting from the feeling of the song.
There’s a bit of a scene change in the bridge section with the drums dropping out to keep the music from being repetitive, and their re-intro for the last verse provides a slight lift that feels like a release. I see “Looks Like Snow” as more of an emotional feeling about a particular time than an actual story that involves conflict and resolution. As someone who is a fan of songwriters like John Prine, Guy Clark, Fred Koller and Peter Cooper, this song isn’t far afield from a lot of my listening.
Robert Dean has a distinct, nontraditional voice, but I don’t see that as a major hindrance in the folk music world. After all, Bob Dylan also had a nontraditional voice, but his voice didn’t interfere with his storytelling abilities. I believe the same could be said of Robert Dean.
Dave’s Suggestions
I think a lot about the artist’s vision when I hear a song; even when I, as a producer, would possibly have gone in a different direction, I judge the success of a recording on whether it is an accurate reflection of what an artist would want. Having listened to a number of Robert Dean’s songs on SoundCloud (soundcloud.com/user-157357144), I would venture to say that what I’m hearing is exactly what Dean intended this composition to sound like.
I’m becoming more impressed at the capabilities of Band-in-a-Box. This is the second Band-in-a-Box recording I’ve listened to for Readers Tracks, and both tunes worked well in their respective genres. The only thing that really caught my ear when listening to “Looks Like Snow” was the very beginning of the song. I would have suggested that the intro be even more sparse than it is. Consider waiting to bring in the bass track until the drums enter—or at least have the bass track play whole notes in the first verse to give the track room to grow.
It’s not that the bass track is bad—I believe it’s playing the same part as in the second verse. However, without the drum track, the bass sounds a bit busy, which can be distracting. Leaving the bass track out of the first verse would give the song a bit more space to develop.
Summary
“Looks Like Snow” is a lovely song that evokes a northern winter night; Robert Dean deserves praise for creating such an interesting song. I’ve listened to a number of his compositions and will be listening to more. Good job!
Dave Martin is a producer, engineer and bassist. Dave owned Nashville’s Java Jive Studio for close to 25 years. Dave has recorded, produced and/or played with symphony orchestras, rock and roll icons and country music legends ranging from the Old Crow Medicine Show, The Dead Pickers Society, Porter Wagoner, Robben Ford, Billy Cobham, The Box Tops, Carl Verheyen, Richie Faulkner (Judas Priest), Adrian Belew, Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Eric Johnson, Robbie Fulks, Steve Vai, The Coasters and others. Dave is also a member of the Western Swing Hall of Fame.