Cold Vocal Comping – Scratchy, Shaky Good Sounds

I had a cold. But it was time to start laying down vocal tracks.

Cold

It’s one thing to start singing cold, without a warm-up. But it’s another thing to sing when I have a cold. This one had hung on for a couple of weeks. And I had delayed my recording sessions because I was not feeling my best.

Eventually, I got “sick” of waiting. All the instrumental tracks were ready on the first song: banjos, fiddle, mandolins, oud, and more. It’s a cover song that I’ve sung many times previously, so I decided to give it a try.

Shaky Good

I hastily comped the first three vocals: lead and two backing. Each of these recordings I made by singing straight through the entire song. My intention was for these to be “scratch” tracks that would not reach the released version of the song.

However, once I was finished, my shaky delivery of the vocal lines carried “Wayfaring Stranger” in an interesting way. This is not my usual style. I tend to be a perfectionist and this scratchiness felt imperfect to me. But my next try to record the lead line did not deliver the song well. Maybe it was a sign?

I decided to test out the shaky vocals with some of the people who I trust to give me feedback. One VIP and two friends who listened to the song said I should keep the “cold” singing. So, I decided to give it a try.

Cold and Shaky

Maybe I’ve just gotten used to the sound of these comps sung while I had a cold. But they seem to deliver this particular folk song.

I hope you agree. You get to decide if they work for this song or not. Thanks for listening. And big thanks to Rose and John for your expert ears.

More news about my upcoming folk song album coming your way right here. Thanks for following along!