"Fortune Teller" Reso Song National M2

[rockabilly69]

Here's another one of my original songs played live. Two mics, two channels, one take. I'm trying to write intimate songs for my performances where I play quieter venues. I recorded this song earlier but the tempo was way too fast to convey the emotion of the dream that inspired this song.



Fortune teller what you hiding
I need to know
Why do you lie about my future
what my cards show

won't you tell me what you see
what's coming, down on me

Fortune teller I can feel it
there's something wrong
Dark cloud hanging over my head
my time ain't long

won't you tell me what you see
what's coming, down on me

Fortune teller I can see it
the look in your eyes
Please don't try to deny it
I see through your lies

won't you tell me what you see
what's coming, down on me

Fortune teller what you hiding

[Pitar]

Love the entire vibe of this song, it's drifting style, melody and vocal arrangement are great. But, I just can't quite understand the lyrics. My old ears and your vocals just a bit too far back in the mix I guess. If I knew them going in I'd probably say the same thing about the recording itself. Great writing.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Pitar

Love the entire vibe of this song, it's drifting style, melody and vocal arrangement are great. But, I just can't quite understand the lyrics. My old ears and your vocals just a bit too far back in the mix I guess. If I knew them going in I'd probably say the same thing about the recording itself. Great writing.

Fortune teller what you hiding
I need to know
Why do you lie about my future
what my cards show

won't you tell me what you see
what's coming, down on me

Fortune teller I can feel it
there's something wrong
Dark cloud hanging over my head
my time ain't long

won't you tell me what you see
what's coming, down on me

Fortune teller I can see it
the look in your eyes
Please don't try to deny it
I see through your lies

won't you tell me what you see
what's coming, down on me

Fortune teller what you hiding

Great stuff!

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

Great stuff!

Thanks Doug!

[FrankHudson]

Very very good. Good lyrics, music fits the words, nice playing.

As I was listening, I at first thought the vocals were mixed low too, but now I don't. I think the vocal's slightly lower level in the mix gives the effect of some hesitation/ambivalence to the singer's delivery: a I wanna know my future(what he's saying) and I'm not sure I wanna know, cause what I think it is isn't good (the delivery).

Title-wise, a listener of my generation associates your song's title with the Allen Toussaint song that's been done notably by several artists. There's no legal barrier to you using that title as well, but that can cause unintended confusion and even disappointment of expectations. This is not a big thing, and I doubt the Toussaint song is well known to younger folks, just something to be aware of. I was going to suggest you could call it "Fortune" as I like ambiguous double-meaning titles in many cases, but your song really does focus on the idea that there's a knowledgeable "Teller" who's involved, so on balance I changed my first thought on that as well.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

As I was listening, I at first thought the vocals were mixed low too, but now I don't. I think the vocal's slightly lower level in the mix gives the effect of some hesitation/ambivalence to the singer's delivery: a I wanna know my future(what he's saying) and I'm not sure I wanna know, cause what I think it is isn't good (the delivery)..

Very thoughtful comments...

You are the first person to understand EXACTLY why the song is mixed this way. I was taking the stand of...I really don't want to know! I am specifically recording the vocal mic to bleed into the resonator guitar mic, and vice versa, along with finger-picking the melody within the open chord structure of the song, for it's trance like quality, as the song came from a dream that I had, and I want that quality! I figure the lyrics will reveal themselves. BTW, I had this reso built specifically to do this kind of music. It has a low action not really suitable for heavy slide playing, and a compensated saddle. Most people that play resonator guitars play them for slide guitar work (or earlier roots music). I play resonator because my dirty voice blends with the tone coming off of the speaker, which may make my voice a bit unintelligible at times, but I just love that tone. That low vocal is on more than a fair share of the classic records that have inspired me to play music. I can't count the amount of times as a student of that music, that I had to pick up the needle on the record, and put it back a few times until I figured out what was being sung by the vocalist. And when I figured out what he was singing it made it that much more fun for me. I like what J-Doug said to me in critiquing and going back and forth about the other song I posted "Lovesick Heart", when we agreed to disagree, he said "it's your art". "Lovesick Heart" also comes from that type of longing.


As for the title, I forgot about that Allen Toussaint song, which I really like. I don't mind having the same title, as my song is so much different. And speaking of Allen Toussaint, I used to watch that show TREME, and I loved when he guested (I loved how he directs the band here)... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCw0RGxcKGU

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

Very thoughtful comments...

You are the first person to understand EXACTLY why the song is mixed this way. I was taking the stand of...I really don't want to know! I am specifically recording the vocal mic to bleed into the resonator guitar mic, and vice versa, along with finger-picking the melody within the open chord structure of the song, for it's trance like quality, as the song came from a dream that I had, and I want that quality! I figure the lyrics will reveal themselves. BTW, I had this reso built specifically to do this kind of music. It has a low action not really suitable for heavy slide playing, and a compensated saddle. Most people that play resonator guitars play them for slide guitar work (or earlier roots music). I play resonator because my dirty voice blends with the tone coming off of the speaker, which may make my voice a bit unintelligible at times, but I just love that tone. That low vocal is on more than a fair share of the classic records that have inspired me to play music. I can't count the amount of times as a student of that music, that I had to pick up the needle on the record, and put it back a few times until I figured out what was being sung by the vocalist. And when I figured out what he was singing it made it that much more fun for me. I like what J-Doug said to me in critiquing and going back and forth about the other song I posted "Lovesick Heart", when we agreed to disagree, he said "it's your art". "Lovesick Heart" also comes from that type of longing.


As for the title, I forgot about that Allen Toussaint song, which I really like. I don't mind having the same title, as my song is so much different. And speaking of Allen Toussaint, I used to watch that show TREME, and I loved when he guested (I loved how he directs the band here)... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCw0RGxcKGU

Awesome response Daniel.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

Awesome response Daniel.

Well Doug, I know you get it, we're both blues man, your feet firmly planted in the 20's 30's 40's, mine are more in the late 60's 70's...

Here's my National Tricone buried in between a Martin D17 and a Gibson Les Paul...

Awesome track Daniel. Love that voice of yours. The more tracks I hear the more I'm getting what you're up to musically.

[flatbaroque]

Thought it was going to be the old Stones song.But an original.And a good one.Well done, I liked it.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by flatbaroque

Thought it was going to be the old Stones song.

Funny, Frank Hudson, in a few posts back, said that was going to happen, glad I didn't disappoint you.