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Offline PANIC!  
#1 Posted : 21 November 2010 07:41:52(UTC)
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Let a Man Be Lost -- [INFO + TRACK DESCRIPTIONS]

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Background

Let a Man Be Lost is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter/musician, set to be released on November 22nd on Studio 60 Records worldwide. Recording sessions for the album took place at various recording locations including Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California and Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii. Recording sessions took place between March 2009 and September 2010. It is the first album produced completely by Hernandez alone. Conceived in the wake of multiple events that affected and distressed him during the previous year in a half, Let a Man Be Lost marks a musical departure for Ryan Ross Hernandez from his previous work, vocally, guitar playing and production-wise. Incorporating musical elements of soul and hip-hop on select songs. While the album contains lyrical themes concerning love, romance, loneliness, heartbreak and heartache. It also contains lyrical themes of personal demons, social and political beliefs, and backlash of fame.

Ryan Ross Hernandez will finally release the follow up to his triple-platinum Dark Secret Love with a concept album titled Let a Man Be Lost on November 22nd. Second single (first single for everyone outside of the United States and Canada), "The Halfhearted Lover" arrived on October 22nd for airplay and October 26th on all major digital outlets worldwide. "Each song is inspired by someone or some event," Hernandez told fans in a press release. "In the past year in a half, two years, I've experienced a lot of things that I've been dying to write about. My last two years have been pretty eventful. Everything was intense, there was no in between. It was intense joy or intense pain or intense curveballs, and I had tons of events, and people to write about. A lot of things I wanted to say in the moment that I didn't. A lot of things people wanted to tell me in the moment but didn't. After people hear this album, I think people will be scared to even be around me anymore because I don't bullshit around subjects and generalize them. I make them real. If I write about real life I have to base it off my own personal experiences because the public has so much information out there about my life that they can tell what's real and what isn't, lyrically, on the album."

According to Hernandez, Let a Man Be Lost was written, composed, and produced entirely by himself — "I'm a perfectionist, which means that if I wanted to make the perfect record I needed to control everything and make it sound perfect to me first, before I release it to the rest of the world" he said — and will once again be backed by the same band that contributed and toured on his previous two albums but with additional members for the new instruments included in the record. Preorders for Let a Man Be Lost began on October 22nd.

Hernandez has spent the past two years writing tracks for his follow-up to Dark Secret Love, which has sold nearly six million copies, was nominated for Best Album at the Birdies, and had a Best Single recipient come off it, thanks to the number one hit single, A Never-Ending Trip to Heartbreak. "Ever since I put out Dark Secret Love, I've been writing for this record and conceptualizing it," Hernandez said. "I like to take a lot of time between records to work on the next one. I did the same thing for Dark Secret Love. I took two years to three years in between, and for me, I write everything that I live. You have to give yourself a lot of time to live a lot."

In a Billboard interview where he spoke about the album, Hernandez called the musical aspect of the record a "no-holds-barred musical extravaganza," and commented that Let a Man Be Lost is an album that is meant to be heard with headphones so the listeners don't miss all the sound mixing surprises he included on most songs. In the same interview Ryan confirmed that the album will introduce new musical elements to his music, confirming a large horn section that includes saxophones, trumpets and trombones, a live string section of violins, violas, and cellos, even some full orchestra recording work from the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition "about two or three songs," evoke a presence of programming which was conducted by Hernandez himself and tribal drums. Over the course of the recording process Hernandez hired a vocal coach to help him control his vocals more which he admitted to have trouble accomplishing towards the end of his last tour and beginning the recording for Let a Man Be Lost.

For unknown reasons, his collaboration with Jakey Comatose and Ashley Perry that was recorded in late 2009, entitled "Philosophy on People and Other Living Hurts," was left off the final track listing. It has also been rumored that Hernandez recorded a duet with Raven Comatose sometime before her death, but no information of one has surfaced.




Released: November 22nd, 2010 (Worldwide)
Recorded: March 2009 - September 2010
Capitol Studios
(Hollywood, California)
The Village
(Los Angeles, California)
Avatar Studios
(New York City, New York)
Avex Recording Studio
(Honolulu, Hawaii)
Criteria Recording Studios
(Miami, Florida)
Abbey Road Studios
(London, England)
Genre: Rock, pop, blues-rock, soul, acoustic, alternative
Length: 91:54
Label: Studio 60 Records
Producer: Ryan Ross Hernandez (also executive)

Singles from Let a Man Be Lost
1. "Hollywood Hills Assassin"
Released: July 27th, 2010 (Promo Single)
2. "The Halfhearted Lover"
Released: October 22nd, 2010 (Airplay); October 26th, 2010 (Digital Download)
3. "The Devil Wears Designer Dresses" (featuring Miss Vanity)
Released: November 22nd, 2010
4. "The Other Side of Desire"
Released: April 26th, 2011 (Airplay); May 3rd (Digital Download)
5. "The Story of a Misunderstood Man"
Release: May 24th, 2011

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Ryan Ross Hernandez, except where noted.

1. "You Don't Know Who I Think I Am When I'm Not Myself" (with Axiom) 6:52
2. "I Am Much Too Alone in This World, Yet Not Alone Enough" 4:41
3. "Hold On, Hold On; I Don't Trust Myself" 4:52
4. "What We're Fighting For" 4:02
5. "The Story of a Misunderstood Man" 6:43
6. "Medication for the Blues" 4:05
7. "The Halfhearted Lover" 4:10
8. "Hollywood Hills Assassin" 5:14
9. "The Devil Wears Designer Dresses" (featuring Miss Vanity) 5:52
Writers: Ryan Ross Hernandez and Miss Vanity
10. "We Were Once a Fairytale" 8:16
11. "Slow Dancing in a Bed Full of Teardrops" 5:23
12. "Let's Blame Everyone But Ourselves" 5:17
13. "May Our Love Last for Tonight" 5:52
14. "The Other Side of Desire" 5:32
15. "That Girl's a Beautiful Mess" 5:38
16. "An Unknown Love Affair" 3:16
17. "Do Not Cross, Man in Repair" 6:09

Deluxe Edition bonus tracks

18. "I'm On Fire" (Bruce Springsteen acoustic cover) 4:23
19. "Wonderful Tonight" (Eric Clapton cover) 4:12
20. "The Other Side of Desire" (acoustic version) 5:01

iTunes deluxe edition

18. "Another Kind of California Green" (iTunes pre-order exclusive) 4:39
19. "Me and Mrs. Jones" (Billy Paul cover) 4:33
20. "The Halfhearted Lover" (Demo version) 4:19
21. "The Other Side of Desire" (acoustic version) 5:01




Film

Since the making of Dark Secret Love, Hernandez has been interested in making a short film based off one of his albums. At one point he confirmed a short film was to be made for Dark Secret Love but it never occurred. In early November 2010, Hernandez confirmed that a compilation of short films will be made for each song featured on the album. He went on to say that each short film will connect to each other but said that each don't follow a specific storyline, instead each have their own respective storylines. Each short film will range from about six to twelve minutes, and most will feature dialogue. Hernandez mentioned that none have been filmed yet, saying that he is still in the writing process, confirming that he is the writer for all 17 short films, and that he will most likely be starring in each with additional actors starring alongside him and said to "not be surprised," if he scouts some fellow musicians to act in them. He won't be filming any musical performances for it to have more of a film feel to it instead of a long form music video. The compilation of short films will be released sometime in 2011 either as a standalone Blu-ray and DVD or be included in a re-release package of Let a Man Be Lost. Hernandez confirmed that the short films will serve as the music videos released online and on TV for all future single releases off Let a Man Be Lost. Three short films will be released before year's end, as confirmed by Hernandez, but will be released together as one to serve as music videos for each of the singles released this year, Hollywood Hills Assassin, The Halfhearted Lover, and The Devil Wears Designer Dresses. Rumors have surfaced online that indicate alongside Hernandez, Miss Vanity could be starring in the first three short films to be released, although it hasn't been confirmed by either one of them. Pictures were released online on November 19, 2010, that indicate filming has started in New York City. In total the run time for the entire short film compilation will be around the same as the album's hour in a half length. Both Hernandez and Studio 60 are reportedly funding the project, although Hernandez is the only executive producer confirmed for the short films.

Edited by user 21 June 2011 07:06:29(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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Offline bdylan88  
#2 Posted : 21 November 2010 13:58:00(UTC)
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fantastic stuff here. I really enjoy the short! Multi-talented artist are great artists!
I own...

The Bards

Jack Frost (deceased)

Jimmy Merchant




The Bards are signed with HOT EYE RECORDS



Offline C4AJoh  
#3 Posted : 22 November 2010 03:03:08(UTC)
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Alicia: I love everything you do, your the most consistent artist in music right now.
Offline PANIC!  
#4 Posted : 23 November 2010 08:14:36(UTC)
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Musical Information

The almost seven-minute long opening song, sounds as two songs have been jointed together to translate from a dirty Nashville-inspired southern rock tune to a platinum, feel-good California rock/pop jam that takes the listeners back to a simpler time. The first sound we hear is the whoop-whoop-whoop of Hernandez' guitar, mimicking a sequencer oscillating forlornly, followed by a chilling howl off in the distance, like something from the audio track of The Blair Witch Project. Ryan is also heard singing wordlessly into his guitar pickup. In these first moments, he introduces the trippily symphonic, wildly inventive colorations studied deeper as the album continues. His vocals inhabit the shadowy space between with a mixture of brooding dislocation and primal emotion, laced with bursts of elation and defiance. Instead of using a click track, Hernandez adds an octave pedal with the reverb effect turned all the way up, on both the lead guitar and basslines, giving it a similar keyboard sound. Soon after the drums come in, as the only piece of instruments not overtaken by reverb. Although no reverb is added to Ryan's voice when mixed into the song it gives his voice a woozy groan at the end of each note, over a building on squeaking, modulated chords, tricky polyrhythms, and a steady-building pop melody.

The once-haunting rock number, takes a 180 degree turn into a slick 70s California rock/pop tune, with a chuckle into the recorder telling his backing band "Come on! I can't be that emotional on the opening song," says breaking character for a second, before diving into an acoustic guitar and a steady choir of handclaps that work nicely in the background behind his finger picking chords. Here Hernandez starts off slowly before moving into a style that yearns for adult-contemporary radio. Light but not lightweight, punchy but not over-the-top, the chorus just ambles along, with its breezy jumpy keyboards and multiple members horn section, coming from special guests Axiom. The bridge and breakdown, bring the acoustic guitars and horn section to the spotlight, over Hernandez' hip-hop-infused scat singing, and improvised 'woohs-woohs', bringing back the steady paced drumming of Steve Jordan and feel-good handclaps. The musicianship of the song isn't designed to have any definite finish, instead having it just fade itself away onto the next song.

Song Meaning by, Ryan Ross Hernandez

"The opening song of Let a Man Be Lost, is basically a seven minute tribute to that few seconds of feeling bliss one very rarely gets. It's like when you walk outside, and everything just feels perfect. When you wake up in the morning, I like to feel as if everyone has these five seconds of pure bliss, when you just forget about all your problems as a momentary fix. And in those five seconds, it's like the best feeling in the world. When you hear this song you're suppose to feel those five seconds of bliss for seven minutes. It's the perfect song to either start your day with or end it with listening to this song. For this one moment, when I wrote and record this song, my fears are gone and I felt weightless. But the lyrics take you back and you realize that this moment couldn't last forever because the troubles and stress are going to come back. And towards the end I tie in the carefree mentality to a relationship, but a very sexually based relationship. I wrote this song after having the best sex of my life, with an ex-girlfriend, so this is my first song that comes out of a sexual experience, but the song is probably cleanest one on the record."



PERSONNEL

Ryan Ross Hernandez – vocals, guitars, acoustic guitar, arrangements, producer
Pino Paterson – bass, backing vocals
Steve Jordan – drums, percussions
Bryan Lipps – trumpets
Mike Peck – keyboards, hammond organ, backing vocals
Tim Dunn – saxophones, backing vocals

(OOC: Feel free to give me some feedback on this.)

Edited by user 23 November 2010 08:17:04(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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Offline Laurelles1  
#5 Posted : 24 November 2010 01:57:13(UTC)
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OOC: Great, now I have to up my game -.-' Nah, in all seriousness, amazing work dude, well done.
Awards (stroking myself and thinking I'm superior):
@Chaos awards:
Best Band - Mind
Best Album - Shattered Fairytale by Mind
Technical Ecstasy - Jason Smith (x3)
Best Solo Male - Jason Smith
Birdies:
Best Producer - Jason Smith

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Offline infinite135  
#6 Posted : 24 November 2010 02:56:29(UTC)
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OOC: Fuckin' hell, this is amazing so far! I'm really going to have to improve the quality of my next track-by-track in order to be on the same level as this. Amazing job so far, mate!
Kid Anything- Indie/Britpop/Shoegaze; influenced by Sigur Ros, XXYYXX, Kanye West, Blur, Oasis

(Bringing together an eclectic group of influences, Ulysses' songs are sung with carefree abandon by Nick Junk)

Kurt Ulysses - Songwriter, Guitarist, Backup Vocalist
Nick Junk - Vocals, Mojo



Infinite- Alternative/Experimental Rock; influenced by Muse, Radiohead, and The Beatles

(Known best for their experimental music and their frontman's eccentric behavior, the band disbanded after Eric Quillington's death to pursue solo careers or, in Matt Robert's case, peace of mind. Infinite released four albums over the course of their career; Blue Nebula, Midnight Skies, Insomnia, and Dancing about Architecture.)

Eric Quillington (Deceased) - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Piano, Primary Lyricist
Matt Roberts - Bass
Greg Oldson - Drums, Backup Vocals, Secondary Lyricist
Amelia Florentine - Keyboards, Piano, Lyricist, Backup Vocals

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"When asked 'how do you write?' I invariably answer, 'one word at a time', and this answer is invariably dismissed. But that's all it is. It sounds too simple to be true, but consider the Great Wall of China, if you will: one stone at a time, man. That's all. One stone at a time. But I've read you can see that motherfucker from space without a telescope."

- Stephen King
User is suspended until 16/05/4760 03:38:29(UTC) stephaniewazhere  
#7 Posted : 24 November 2010 03:22:56(UTC)
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Pretty impressed so far with the album, can't go wrong with Ryan Ross Hernandez. You're always pushing the envelope as an artist.
What stands out from the track to me personally, is how it has so much going on, yet you manage to glue it all together. Primary example is when the rock flavored section transitions to the more cheery side. A good starter for the album in my opinion. Also love the fact the song fades and transitions to the next track of the album. It's like an endless song sort of thing. It builds up like a story. Excellent work!
- Linda Fea

OOC: Really good job man! You've been here on TRSG for a pretty long time and all your RP's are top quality.
Offline PANIC!  
#8 Posted : 25 November 2010 14:13:09(UTC)
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Musical Information

The second song on Let a Man Be Lost, takes a steep melancholic dark turn. The move seems instinctive, from the gut and the tortured opening cello groans let the listener know that. But the song doesn't take a step-back to the previous distorted rock intro, instead it goes on a whole different road, invoking the likes of a very extensive string section, that includes violins, violas, and cellos by way of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. There's a cold, metallic bleakness at play from the get-go, invoking cinematic flashes à la Arnie’s The Running Man, that empowers the woe-is-me slush. Leading the way though, is a deep consistent bassline picking and a keyboard that are only audible through a good pair of headphones, as they serve the purpose of following the vocals to their direct tempo. As Ashley sings the chorus with the gospel backing, the keys fade away completely to allow a booming piano section to come into place, but for the rest of the song they remain steady sounding in the background. The most surprising musical element of the song though, is the usage of African tribal drums that are brought in and out of the songs play various times, but when they do they take the place of the original drums and give it a marching-like, feet tapping, to the otherwise dark song. The song sets the tone to the exact point it is making, over all strident orchestra arrangements, pounding both down-tempo drums, heavy hitting tribal drums, and rapid-fire sung vocals by Hernandez with a mutant gospel crescendos chorus led by Ashley Perry'. At the end of it all, with both vocalists crooning in each of your ears, over the gospel choir, is so icy and desolate it should come with a pair of snowshoes. The vocals are layered baker's dozen different ways mixed with Hernandez's new found love for baroque instrumentation.

Song Meaning by, Ryan Ross Hernandez

"I Am Much Too Alone in This World, Yet Not Alone Enough, is the first of three or four other songs on this album that are very hip-hop influenced, and I don't mean vocally. I don't want anyone to expect for me to drop a Kanye or Eminem-like rap on this record. But the hip-hop influences are heavily displayed in the musical aspect of some songs and on this specific song I'd say lyrically it's also hip-hop inspired. This song was very half-baked, lying around for well over a year, and I wrote the lyrics, at a time where I didn't expect a lot of the things that happened to me over the course of a year in half to actually happen. I didn't expect any of it, and this song stuck around through all that, and in my mind was eventually going to be trashed but somehow, somehow it found its way to being not only finished but on the record with a monstrous Ashley Perry chorus added onto it. I Am Much Too Alone in This World, Yet Not Alone Enough, is a that dwells on the surreal. I've always had this vision of having a song that lyrically, vocally, and musically was a 'bigger-than-life' song and this song is that vision becoming a reality. This song to me, because I think it's a song that has various meanings once the listeners put themselves in this position. This song, to me, is about regretting at the choices one has made in regards to being so focused on one very selfish thing. About one missing opportunities in regards to love/family etc and now as one gets more mature you see that everything you've strive for, isn't 'everything' or at least isn't everything you need for you to be who you want to be."



PERSONNEL

Ryan Ross Hernandez – vocals, arrangements, producer
Ashley Perry – guest vocals
Pino Paterson – bass
Steve Jordan – drums
Charlie Wilson – keyboards
Ethan McLagan – piano

Additional Personnel

African Tribal Drums
Violins, Violas, Cellos provided by the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Ashley Perry – backing vocals
Hayley Pasternak – backing vocals
Jeannie Martinez – backing vocals
Kristen Moss – backing vocals
Annabelle Padgett – backing vocals
Maggie Slavonic – backing vocals
Taylor Cytonbaum – backing vocals
Sandy Vongdasy – backing vocals
Amber Crowe – backing vocals

(OOC: Thank you for the positive comments. Both Laurelles and infinite inspired me, after I read each of your own track-by-tracks, without those I'd probably wouldn't have been influenced to make these. Yeah Daniel thanks, I have been I think this past September marked two years that I've been in the forums and I'm always trying out new roleplaying styles for albums and such.)

Edited by user 25 November 2010 14:14:04(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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User is suspended until 16/05/4760 03:38:29(UTC) stephaniewazhere  
#9 Posted : 25 November 2010 18:51:16(UTC)
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OOC: Really great job with the second one as well. Keep it going!
Offline PANIC!  
#10 Posted : 27 November 2010 10:21:56(UTC)
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Musical Information

This song has a laid-back groove with floating synths and a smooth guitar tone that paradoxically sounds "cool", "sexy", and "warm" at the same time, making for a relaxed mid-tempo song. It's an unusual move for an album's third song, but that should clue the listener in that Let a Man Be Lost is going to be an album that flows as a roller coaster musical affair from start to finish. This one with its slower rhythm and an overall blues style. This is one of those songs where Hernandez excels without showing off at all - he's got a seductive near-falsetto at times, but instead of just using it in a love song about how he's going to love a woman, he's actually composed a tune that warns a potential lover of his tendency to cut and run when things get serious. It's the classic male "fear of commitment", summed up in a rather eloquent, seductive way that helps to soften the blow. He's basically warning a girl ahead of time that he has a hard time staying faithful, and doesn't want to hurt her. (Or you could just say he's making excuses ahead of time so that she can't act shocked when he cheats on her - depends on how cynical of a listener you are.) It's definitely a song that "simmers" more than it "boils", since the guitar action just barely starts to heat up as the song fades out and there's just a little bit of horns blurting here and there when a jazzier mood could have totally overtaken the song in different hands. It's the first song on the record where it's really just Ryan Ross Hernandez doing what Ryan Ross Hernandez knows best, feeling comfortable and easy with it's undercurrent of horns and Hernandez's sincere hushed vocals and quasi-falsetto. The crooned looped vocals of Hernandez's in the last fifteen seconds or of the song give out, and that's really where the horns pick up and leaves the listener to fade away with them. This is a song in the blues/soul tradition and Hernandez lets the subject of the song know he wants what is best for her, but it is not necessarily him, playing the role of lothario.

Song Meaning by, Ryan Ross Hernandez

"Hold On, Hold On, I Don't Trust Myself, is where the song gets more personal, more intimate and it only gets more personal and intimate from here. This specific number is about the pitfalls of romance that portrays me as the bad boy. It's the heart of Let a Man Be Lost, because it's about a man who wants to be in a relationship, who wants to give and feel love for his living, but he has no idea what he wants from the other person, what he can even give the other. I feel that when people ask me what Let a Man Be Lost is about, I should just play this song and say no more. In this particular situation in this song is about a guy who's afraid of getting too close, and at the same time he's afraid of letting this woman get too close to him. He has had something happen to him in his past that has changed him, and he doesn't want her to get hurt because of it. She doesn't know the real him yet because he hasn't "let her inside", but she is falling for who she thinks he is. And I love this song. I love how I took the most melodic, sexiest sounding song I've ever written and put these lyrics that completely oppose what you would think of the song if you had just heard that melody."



PERSONNEL

Ryan Ross Hernandez – vocals, guitars, producer
Steve Jordan – drums, percussion
Pino Paterson – bass
Willie Wilkins – bass
Bryan Lipps – trumpet
Bob Reynolds – saxophones

Edited by user 27 November 2010 15:42:46(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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Offline PANIC!  
#11 Posted : 28 November 2010 07:27:39(UTC)
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Musical Information

The album's only politically-charged song touchstones are Sting, along with latter-day Eric Clapton and the '70s blue-eyed soul of the Doobie Brothers and Boz Scaggs. ''What We're Fighting For'' is an exquisite ballad powered by a murmuring six-note guitar figure. Having a vaguely jazz-spiced sound that's reminiscent of Sting's early solo work, with its elaborately constructed sound. "What We're Fighting For," is a gut-wrenchingly poignant song that give voice to a generation of kids raised on Disney teen stars, MTV reality shows and CNN soundbites who've found themselves all grown up and fighting a war of "beliefs." Grappling with a edgy topic -- social and political views. Proving wrong whoever might have doubted Hernandez's writing ability out of lyrical themes concerning love, romance, heartbreak, and himself. But even with the song's sly echoes Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye evoke a previous era's war and protests. Hernandez's vocals croon a cool social observation, without ever taking them out of his comfort zone — with its delicate opening guitar figure and the chanted harmonies of its bridge — recall Sting. With the drum line, catchy guitar riffs and lyrical panache, "What We're Fighting For" delivers a few items of note to your think-tank.

Song Meaning by, Ryan Ross Hernandez

"What We're Fighting For, is the first political song I've ever written, but not a political song. I see a political song as something like, People Get Ready by Curtis Mayfield, and What We're Fighting For is not that. Not even close to that style. It's not a call to arms, it's more of a overall impartial view of what beliefs mean to people and the troubles it causes in the world. Everyone in the world has a right to believe in whatever they want to believe in. And songs like the one I mentioned before, and others from Marvin Gaye and such are great songs don't get me wrong, but I don't have those powerful vocals to interpret a song like that. This is the only song on the record where the music came about before the lyrics, and had this very, uptempo rhythm that balances the song’s skeptical words. This song is certainly one of those that is very guitar driven. Which I wanted to include at least a couple of songs that had that dynamic to it. People like to talk about my muse, and which people inspire me to write certain songs, but this one is a deep study on private and public matters that dealt with belief(s), about individuality and conformity, about pride and publicity, suggesting how necessary and also dangerous faith is."



PERSONNEL

Ryan Ross Hernandez – vocals, guitar, producer
Steve Jordan – drums
Pino Paterson – bass
Eli Harper – percussion
David Ryan Harris – guitar
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User is suspended until 16/05/4760 03:38:29(UTC) stephaniewazhere  
#12 Posted : 28 November 2010 12:11:18(UTC)
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OOC: OH SNAP LOL! You're getting it with these RP's. Really enjoying the track descriptions so far!
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#13 Posted : 29 November 2010 06:05:27(UTC)
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Musical Information

Next we have the first serene ballad heard on the album, from the first clean acoustic strum of chords, you already get the feel that this six and a half minutes long and flagrantly provocative song, it a deeply heart-wrenching affair, its protagonist anguished and violated. With that, it's only fitting that Hernandez starts off his best vocal performance of his career with a helpless sigh into the recorder. The continuous acoustic guitar is heard all through out the song, while a bluesy guitar swells underneath, making for a fuzzy blues-pop arrangement when you add the continuous changing pace drums beneath it, which is not unlike a sprawling, crescendoing powder keg from the likes of the Black Crowes or Counting Crows. As guitars crunch, Hernandez takes his time eviscerating a older lover who took a young woman's heart — and perhaps something else is nothing less than You're So Vain for the 21st century. On the vocal side of things, Ryan opens up his throat so wide that he almost yells at every falling point during the song. This is the first song that proves those vocal lessons paid off, taking the biggest risks vocally to get through the listeners heart. At any rate, Hernandez always returns to his defining vocal gesture -- the line that slides down like a contented sigh or up like a raised eyebrow, giving his beloved hits their air of easy intimacy, it's tempered by a plaintive, sweet melancholy that carries plenty of emotion and meaning. Hernandez intones in a soft, honeyed vocal over soaring, increasingly epic layers of instrumentation - while the lulling, lilting acoustic ballad carries a slow burning kiss off over gentle, crying guitar licks, just with the slightest piano keys playing underneath it all. Ryan's acoustic guitar playing on this song is evidence that even country has somewhat inspired him, showing it by the country twangs he messes around with. It awakes his pain, his ire, and his creativity with this heart-wrenching lament. Over gentle, crying guitar licks, Hernandez sings with the hurt disappointment of someone who feels as though their optimism and naiveté were taken advantage of. But what makes the song even more interesting is that, while Ryan is singing in first person, it's written from a female point of view. Taking the place of a former lover, and basically pointing out his every flaw in their relationship, only furthers the fact that his a lecherous experienced lothario, he could be intending for the listener to feel bad for the girl, but his singing slowly and mournfully, with a pedal steel echoing his melancholy, makes it tough to choose a side. Still it's the most effective lament anthem for wronged women everywhere. Hernandez has the experience and self-confidence to pen a firebreather like this, stretching it to an epic six and a half minutes, while keeping his vocals and musicianship behind him, just as intriguing, never once making it boring. This full-frontal Ryan Ross Hernandez assault is doubtlessly meant to silence those who doubted his writing and singing abilities.

Song Meaning by, Ryan Ross Hernandez

"The Story of a Misunderstood Man, is brutal. That's the best way I can describe it. It's a brutal acoustic, blues-pop ballad. I think when your a musician, or just a person who has a job that they have to travel a lot, when you break up with someone you can't always do it in person, you can't go over to the others place and do it. This song was written from the point of view of an ex-girlfriend who I jilted, and we sort of broke up without words, without saying anything. I feel that a a lot of times, when people's relationships end, they wish they had said everything either good or bad that they felt about the person. But you know, a lot of times those things stay unsaid. This was the toughest one to write, not only on the record, but probably in my career. When it's putting my own feelings on paper, I can do that, because I'm the one living them. But when I decided to sort of twist that, and write from the point of view of someone else, it was difficult because I had to take into account all my wrongdoings. In the end I'm glad I did it, because it's made me realize a lot of things about myself and has made me a better man too. This one is going to be a tough one to play live, I don't think it's a single and I don't think it's a song that I'll play at every tour date. It's a song that when I decide to play it, I really, really, really have to feel it."



PERSONNEL

Ryan Ross Hernandez – vocals, vocal harmony, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, producer
Steve Jordan – drums, percussion
Pino Paterson – bass
Robbie McIntosh – additional guitars

Additional Personnel

Nathan Lauer – piano
Taylor Cytonbaum – backing vocals, vocal harmony
Amber Crowe – backing vocals

(OOC: Thanks! Well I'm really putting a lot of work into these, more so than previous roleplays I've done.)

Edited by user 21 June 2011 07:07:12(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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User is suspended until 16/05/4760 03:38:29(UTC) stephaniewazhere  
#14 Posted : 29 November 2010 08:36:06(UTC)
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Daniel: Great song. My favorite so far of the album. I guess it just keep getting better and better. Good job!
Offline GirlSpice  
#15 Posted : 29 November 2010 08:38:19(UTC)
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Glamazon: That definitely sounds like one to pull on the heartstrings and it sounds like a hell of a lot of emotion went into it. This is looking to be the album of the year for me. Wild.

OOC: This has all been so well thought out and well written, definitely deserves more attention! Well done. :)
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Offline PANIC!  
#16 Posted : 29 November 2010 12:08:14(UTC)
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Medication for the Blues is a stripped down deeply metaphorical mellow soul ballad, with its gently ticking 3/4 beat and its watery, mournful guitar meanderings, and lyrical elementally look at concerns about self-destructive thought. In Ryan's world-view, the universality of the blues is laid bare, yet goes heavy on his soulful side on this tune. As a guitarist, Hernandez is more adept at the terse, lyrical, cleanly articulated solo than the breakneck improvising he flashes live. It's played true to it’s roots, not sacrificing any of the soulful magic his voice carries. Its spare melodies perfectly complementing Hernandez's angsty, impassioned vocals. The solo is tastefully done and doesn't go on for any longer than it needs to, and there's an incredible interweaving of guitar playing and vocals, neither of which detract from the other. If anything, this is his most minimalist song yet. Rooted in blues/soul for the most part, Hernandez's solo are always well constructed and seem to fit the song perfectly. This is the first time that Ryan's commented on the excesses and ambitions of being a celebrity, in a song at least, here he seems to be grappling with the weight of an excessive lifestyle - fly too high and you're almost guaranteed a tragic fall. The enemy that he refers to seems to be law of nature and himself, but at the same time, it's kind of a strange ally that serves to keep him grounded. Here he's humbly admitting that he'd better be careful because so many before him have lost it. The song carries words that some might consider pretentious, a too obvious lunge for meaning, but the song is sung as plain declaration, and it seems to me that identifying one's limitations is as important as identifying one's ambitions and good intentions: one's ability to maneuver reality is likely to be increased, and one is less likely to waste time and effort. Medication for the Blues, is a convincing blues jam until about three-fourths of the way in, when ghostly soulful background vocals kick the song up a notch, adding a little more passion to this song's coda before it fades out, as a thoughtful and well-performed slow-burner. And surprising, jazz-inflected chord changes bring freshness to genre exercises to end it all. Hernandez's in the throes of a serious reckoning.


Song Meaning by, Ryan Ross Hernandez

"Medication for the Blues, is one of the most important songs I've ever written it's a song about nothing and everything. I will play it every day of my life if I need to. It's honest to God one of the most important songs I've ever written in my life, and it has the fewest words and minimalist production work done to it. Being a musician is almost a side job to my full-time job of not screwing up as a celebrity. I can turn on-and-off being a musician when I go out, I can't turn off being a celebrity when I got out. And sometimes coming down is something to do, because staying up is really boring. If I go out to a party, most people who ask me to a party ask me there so I can be the famous guy at the party, not so I can meet famous people at the party. Umm, this is a song about... making sure you still love yourself... making sure you still have your head on, making sure you still say no the way your mother would say no. And I will need it every damn day of my life because it's easier to mess up than it is to stay here."



PERSONNEL

Ryan Ross Hernandez – vocals, guitars
Steve Jordan – drums
Pino Paterson – bass
Larry Hawkins – keyboard, organ

Additional Personnel

Jeannie Martinez – backing vocals, vocal harmony
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Offline PANIC!  
#17 Posted : 30 November 2010 08:11:00(UTC)
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Possessing a slight country tone, it's a perfect blend of Hernandez's past work into an excellent pop song, and the female harmony vocals behind him, make Ryan sound like some kind of powerhouse without ever trying to force his falsetto vocals. Hernandez churns out a rustic, Tom Petty two-note motif surrounded by a pleasant pop jangle to create one of the most single-ready songs on the record veering stylistically between glossy modern blues and, well, glossy modern pop; here his intent is to channel the sunny, clear (and resurgently fashionable) radio-friendly sounds of Fleetwood Mac or Tom Petty. Lyrically, Ryan is engrossed with his interpersonal struggles. Even he doesn't know where he's headed. On the lead single, the thirty-one-year-old confesses his halfhearted intents when it comes to love, and his inability of fully devoting his time to another person. Hernandez is still as quizzical and pensive as ever, but he has never been more immersed in the spotlight whilst doing so. Ryan proves on, The Halfhearted Lover, that he can still wield a guitar like a fifth limb, fashion catchy hooks or howl a quivering, feel-good falsetto just as good, or even better than he could a few years ago. The single sounds just as terrific when Hernandez drops the seriousness, pondering and sending up his reputation as a rake; portraying the dude who kisses with one eye open, scanning for his next conquest. Lyrical brooding aside, the music stirs everything from subtle country twangs to bluesy licks and simple pop melodies to accompany a chorus that is sure to be stuck in your head after first listen. The Halfhearted Lover, solidifies Hernandez as an artist who can appeal to a wide-audience.

Song Meaning by, Ryan Ross Hernandez

"The Halfhearted Lover, is I think the first song I wrote for the record. And it came out the most organic way possible. I woke up one morning with this melody stuck in my head, and the melody already had the lyrics in it. If you're songwriter you know that, if you have both the melody and lyrics come to you at the same time, it's something you really have to dive into and work on it for as long as it takes to complete it. And I think five days later, the song was completed, which is also the fastest song that everything was written and recorded in a week's time. But then later in the recording process we came back to it because I really wanted to hear a female's voice in the background, and pretty soon I found the voice I was looking for and she added some great moments to the song. This song is pretty much my, 'I wish I was born in the seventies ode, living in Laurel Canyon in LA', this is the song I would have written, if I had grown up listening to Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac. It's about the complexity of where a lot of people are in their life right now. Where they're trying to figure out how much room they have to give to another person. This song is sort of the self-study of not being sure and being of split-mind. Right now I'm thirty-one, and I wanna run! I'm running! It's one of the most honest songs, lyrical songs on the record. It describes my feelings on love, pretty much to the point. It's not putting how I feel into a certain language of a song. It's pretty much how I feel."



PERSONNEL

Ryan Ross Hernandez – vocals, vocal harmony, guitar, producer
Steve Jordan – drums
Pino Paterson – bass
Willy Wallace – acoustic guitars

Additional Personnel

Ophelia Cavallo – backing vocals, vocal harmony

Edited by user 15 May 2011 11:10:41(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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Offline C4AJoh  
#18 Posted : 30 November 2010 08:16:22(UTC)
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Jake Wilson: I just wanna be this guy so much, sadly I can't carry a tune or have the confidence. So it looks like I'll just have to admire this from afar. The descriptions to these songs have been mind blowing, I prefer the whole take your time to create a masterpiece than rush it just because there's a sudden buzz around you. Your like a god to all us theatre geeks.
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#19 Posted : 02 December 2010 08:59:28(UTC)
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By the time Hollywood Hills Assassin rolls around, Ryan Ross Hernandez and his backing company use harder drums, deep bass and an electric guitar to deliver a hard shot to his departed love. He is very confident in his ability to get what he wants from a woman then get out. That is until he encounters a woman with the same set of skills. Two heart-breakers battle for the others heart. It appears she wins in the end. Strong percussion and the electric guitar back the song alongside memorable lyrics, continuing the theme of love as a battlefield. Not only is the song a metaphor, but it is also Ryan's best one.The track starts off with bells slightly dissonant xylophones percolate uneasily against a moody melody, softy tapped drums and what sounds like Peruvian rainsticks; incorporates cooing soul infused "whoa-whoa-whoa"'s background vocals; and lyrically compares the secrecy and sneaking around of an assassin to that of a booty call or hook up. When the song switches gears about halfway through, goes all electric and spazzes out into a fuzzy, bluesy guitar solo, it becomes a perfect example of how Hernandez has developed into the jack-of-all-trades many critics predicted a couple of years ago. The song is very mellow -- an obsessive groove building louder toward clatter and buzz for five minutes, as Hernandez likens both parties in an apparent one-night stand to killers performing a night's mission. The song carries an air of mystery, with the constant back up vocals accompanying Hernandez's smooth, almost seductive voice. As a singer, he remains soulful and incredibly easy on the ears. His thickly layered self-harmonizing adding warmth and placidity. Hernandez's distinctive rasp at its finest. He melds poignant low and high harmonies as well as the wailing "woah-oh-oh"'s mixed into the background that serves as a dog whistle for pop aficionados. The song effectively builds momentum, as Hernandez slides through two verses before offering the catchy chorus, bringing in some guitar and singing. Although such lines in the chorus may bring to mind memories of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," any humor is wiped away when the killer electric guitar solo towards the bridge, which is very much the first time on this album, that we hear Ryan go filth limb on his guitar, as it shows Hernandez is dead serious about his music.

Song Meaning by, Ryan Ross Hernandez

"Hollywood Hills Assassin. The song everyone has heard for the last 4 plus months. Hollywood Hills Assassin, is a cinematic and almost film inside this five minute song. It's about a guy who is sort of a killer, but he gets taken out because he wasn't as sharp as the mark. But of course, again it's inside of the love and lovers battlefield just with this very bigger than life idea that turned the lyrical aspect to be very metaphorical. I'm not spit ballin' here though. I didn't write it after watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith. If you remove the assassin metaphors, this this song is about a fling or one-night stand. A man who just in it for the fun, but women so happen to fall in with him while he's just having fun messing around with them. But then this womanizer or player, meets a woman who he is actually having feelings for, but what she's doing to him is what he has been doing to all these other women before her. This man meets his match in that sense and she beats him in his own dirty game. I'll honestly be surprised if when women listen to this record they still find me somewhat appealing."



PERSONNEL

Ryan Ross Hernandez – vocals, guitar, producer
Steve Jordan – drums, percussion
Pino Paterson – bass

Edited by user 03 December 2010 12:17:37(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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#20 Posted : 03 December 2010 12:18:47(UTC)
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In what is possibly the most intriguing song of the record, The Devil Wears Designer Dresses, is the collaboration written and recorded this past summer between Ryan Ross Hernandez and pop icon Miss Vanity. From the first few seconds of the song, it can already be heard that Hernandez is diving into new territory in pretty much all aspects of the song. The Devil Wears Designer Dresses shows off his penchant for soul, a throwback soul production to be more specific, creating an air of lush exuberance. This number is a mid-tempo jam in which Ryan sings the praises of an apparently top-notch lady, revealing veiled recollections of his past high profile relationships on the first verse, while the second verse's lyrics give the listener a glimpse into his paranoia about the opposite sex. Hernandez isn't trying to show off his vocal ability or guitar playing, instead for the first he shows off his production skills on this one, giving it a layer of subtle vinyl static. Even when Ryan looks back, the results can be stunning. He perfects the sampling style he invented, manipulating the pitch and tempo of Sting's "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" until it crawls luxuriantly out of the speakers like wine poured in slow motion, in the laid-back vocal sample, turning the hit pop/rock song to a almost ballad sounding line. Musically, he makes the atmosphere a gorgeous slow burner that turns tragic in its third act, as Ryan's lyrics swap lust for heartache, in a vicious verse that's one of the most dazzlingly, celestial braggadocio writing from the songwriting side of Ryan Ross Hernandez. All this happens in just under two minutes and fifty seconds into the song, with Hernandez's vocals petering out midway through. It's marred by an aimless instrumental stretch, roughly ninety seconds in length, that involves some incongruent electric guitar flame-out, of course, by way of Ryan Ross Hernandez, turning his usual clean chords solos, into a heavily distorted combo of guitar lines, built on a simple drum beat, a piano interlude, and the sample track heard all the way in the background. To bedazzle the listener in common RRH fashion, with under a minute and fifty seconds left in the song, is when finally the magisterial guest verse from Miss Vanity, who comfortably hops on the sumptuous exquisite acid-jazz breakdown, delivering a rapid fire, cinematic size, ninety second verse all on her own, which is as charming as it is aurally-pleasing. These gestures to size are what we do in our dreams, where everything is distorted and gigantic. The organizing principle, for Ryan's soul-pop/alternative hip-hop production, seems to be, "When in doubt, go bigger." More voices. More layers. More grandeur. More, more, more. And the more on this song, certainly works as it was designed to.

Song Meaning by, Ryan Ross Hernandez

"And now we are at The Devil Wears Designer Dresses, which of course is the much-anticipated collaboration between Miss Vanity and myself. Right off the bat, before we even got into the studio, I knew that if I was going to actually collaborate on a song with Miss Vanity on one of my records, I wasn't going to let it sound as every male-female collaboration or duet ever done. I didn't want her to sing the chorus. I didn't want us to like exchange lines. Nothing like that. Just because of the fact that us working on this song wasn't manufactured. Her people didn't call my people and vice-versa, we did everything between us. With this song, I had most of the lyrics written before Vanity actually came in and we worked together on the song. I remember that I had all verses of mine written but it didn't have a chorus and I wasn't sure where in those was when she was going to jump on it. When she came into the studio, it took two days to complete everything and on the second day was when she wrote her verse, and as soon as I read off that very extensive verse she wrote I told her, 'Don't change a thing. Don't edit anything. Don't try to make the verse shorter. We're gonna make it work.' And soon behold we did. Although initially she was suppose to drop her verse right before the guitar solo, but when she recorded her verse, I had to save it for last. I had to save the best for last because I just fell in love with ninety second verse she sung. She sung it in a way I doubt many singers could do it, I mean for those ninety seconds she doesn't take a breather. As soon as she hopes the music, for those ninety seconds you don't hear her voice stop, it goes hard the whole time.

Lyrically, the song is about, well my verses are about, I can't really speak for Miss Vanity's she wrote it but I'd like to think that it follows on the subject I build the song off and she finishes it up. This laid-back number, is a vulnerable one. Even if I sung my vocals in a very laid-back 'cool' way, it is pretty much lamenting the fact of being loved and left. It's about a woman who gets caught up in her own selfishness and shallowness is making her turn on what she believes in and the people that believe in her. I guess you could say its a Hollywood or Los Angeles inspired tune, just because the woman it's written about I met in LA and I think it's something common that happens here. You know, people say that Hollywood changes people, but it doesn't if you don't let it change you but some people just come into this city and are already changed because of the idea of the city. And I'd say that Miss Vanity sort of plays the devil in the designer dress in this song."




PERSONNEL

Ryan Ross Hernandez – vocals, guitar, programing, producer
Miss Vanity – guest vocals
Steve Jordan – drums
Pino Paterson – bass
Eli Harper – percussion

Additional Personnel

Nathan Lauer – piano
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