Grade the Dealer
 

How do you feel about Stevie's new song, the Dealer.


Give it A B C DF or tell her its TIME TO RETIRE

:laugh: I'd give it a B. Great song.

C ~ It's not a bad song, but it's not particularly a favorite of mine (at this point).

My fear in this album is that I'm finally going to get what I want (Stevie putting out the demos) but not at all getting what I want (the fantasy versions I've built up in my mind for years).

This new version of The Dealer seems to use my favorite a capella demo as a base but... I will just keep listening to that old demo instead.

I am truly afraid of what they will have done to IYWML because my favorite version is the simple piano demo.

B+

I really, really like it. And I never particularly cared for the demos.

I vote B & 3/4
only because we have nothing to compare it to
and i like it.
but i don't want it to be the best track on the whole album :p

I think this is an excellent summation. Last night my friend wondered why it was the single and I was thinking that since he hadn't heard the rest of the album, how is he to say whether The Dealer is a good single or bad one. It's all relative to what her choices were. Then, I found myself thinking, "but I hope it's not the best on the album."

So, that's how I feel. I liked the demo. Like the song. But hope this is just a taste and that there's stuff on there that I'll like even better.

Michele

Secret love and for what it is worth we're not the best songs IYD.

I gave it a B+ as well..I was never a big demo listener even though I have heard everything at least once so I don't have a lot of built up expectations of how most of these songs should sound.I really like the whole vibe of this song.It captures it's time perfectly without sounding like it is desperately trying to.. in other words it still sounds fresh and works as a brand new song today with a classic sound.

I gave it a D for several reasons. The song has great bones, but is nearly taken down by fairly simple mistakes. The most egregious of those is the mixing of the song being all out of whack- Stevie's focal is pushed way too far to the front & is cranked up WAY too high. This not only highlights the weaknesses in Stevie's voice, but it also just totally subsumes the instrumentals behind her voice. And for this to be a rather classic sounding Stevie track, it totally ignores & minimizes the classic double harmonies with herself, and the harmonies with the girls. That's a big key element which was just skimmed over. I actually dig the classic style of the song, but the production is just so bland. That being said, at least it's not the pop-fluff style of Secret Love.

For the sake of comparison, let's examine You Can't Fix This. That recent track was also hailed by many of us as a return to form for Stevie. It embodied the classic, simplistic, guitar-driven sound that brought Stevie to fame. I wouldn't say her vocal was any better on You Can't Fix This, but it was treated more properly- it was nestled down into the mix a bit more, there was some echo/reverb added for atmosphere, and she did some gorgeous little double harmony parts. All of those things combined helped iron out any weaknesses inherent to Stevie's modern voice. You Can't Fix This is the target the Dealer should have been aiming for, and it missed several key points.

Yeah You Can't Fix This had good backing music, however, the song was a train-of-thought wreck. This is actually a good song.

Music = A
Lyrics = A
Vocal = B

I actually mostly agree with Louie's post, but I think I'd go with a B. I enjoy the song and it has sufficiently gotten under my skin.

I actually enjoy the vocal, harsh though it may sound at times, because it really brings out the lyrics, which I find very moving, and never really noticed much in her soft-sung demos. For me, it works. But at the same time, it's frustrating to think they could've touched it up a bit so I could play it to my friends without worrying they'll all just say she "sounds bad/weird". I think there's a balance they could've struck moreso than they have.

B+ overall....

Exactly my view and that's what I voted. A decent song but I'm not fussed with the slightly sloppy and forced vocal. However, I like the lyrics and how they have been so clever in keeping the 2014 version so similar to the 1981 version. Overall a good effort but I want something to WOW me. I'm waiting for another Planets of the Universe but for 2014. I've got high expectations for this album and I'm sure she and Dave won't disappoint. :)