Artist Name: Kristin Glasgow Title: We’ll Never Stop Believin’ Genre: Rock Rating:
Equipment
DAW – Steinberg Cubase 11 and Wavelab 11; Interface – Echo Layla 24; Mics – RØDE NT2 and AKG C414 ULS; Preamp – PreSonus MP-20; Vocal Compressor – dbx 266XL; Guitar Amp – VOX ToneLab; Bass Input – SansAmp Bass DI; Drums – Roland V-Drums; Plugins – Waves CLA and SSL, Arturia, Toontrack Superior Drummer 3; Headphones – Audio-Technica ATH-M50x; Monitors – Event PS-8.
Music
“We’ll Never Stop Believin’” is an 80s-influenced rock song written by Kristin Glasgow and Rich Vogellehner that was recorded, mixed and mastered by Rich Vogellehner at Sound Center Studios. All of the vocals are by Kristin Glasgow, with Vogellehner playing keyboards. The other musicians on the project were Paul Kramer on guitars, Marty Huizar on bass, and Jeff Ceresnie on drums. The V-Drums were used for live play and then transferred into
Superior Drummer 3. This song comes from the CD Danger’s Callin’.
Review By Dave Martin
The 1980s were an interesting time for commercial rock music. Vocal ability and polyphonic synthesizers like the Oberheim OB-8 and the Sequential Circuits
Prophet-5 had, at least for a moment, replaced the Hammond B-3 and screaming lead singers as the driving force in the genre. Powerful drum tracks and fantastic guitar solos remained an essential part of a successful 80s rock song. Kristin Glasgow’s “We’ll Never Stop Believin’” meets all those criteria.
Glasgow’s vocals are powerful, and they suit the song’s upbeat lyrics. She delivered an excellent vocal track with control and emotion. I’m guessing that the synth track was from the fine Arturia collection, and it has the authentic vibe of the time.
The guitar solo is well crafted, and I really like the tone used by guitarist Paul Kramer both for the solo and the rhythm parts. The guitar sound is powerful yet clean enough to discern exactly what he’s playing.
The drums are interesting. They were performed live on Roland V-Drums and then transferred via MIDI into Superior Drummer 3. There’s a feel that comes from live drumming that’s difficult to capture with programming. Nicely, the drums on this track have a live feel that fits with the vibe of the song.
The bass track is absolutely appropriate to the song—supportive, but with a few interesting licks to remind the listener that there is a musician holding and playing a real instrument.
While “We’ll Never Stop Believin’” is reminiscent of a number of 80s tunes, it works well as a tribute to the music of the era. Writers Kristin Glasgow and Rich Vogellehner did well at letting the influence show while maintaining the originality of their own ideas.
Dave’s Suggestions
My suggestions for improving this track are minimal and would add just a few extra touches. Perhaps I would either high-pass or turn down the toms as they seem to be a bit overbearing in relation to the rest of the track, and/or I might go for a little less vocal compression to help the sound be a bit more natural in the mix. That said, I think that this is a good-sounding project.
Summary
“We’ll Never Stop Believin’” is an 80s-influenced rock song that celebrates the 80s without losing track of who the artist on this record is—Kristin Glasgow. This song can also be found on Kristin’s Danger’s Callin’ project that you can check out at: broadjam.com/albums/glasgow/dangers-callin.
It’s a fun record!
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.