Tag: Country Music

Udio is a great songwriting partner

L.T. HanlonLeave a comment
I’m impressed by how Udio helped me create “8-Second Secrets.”

I recently dug into Udio, an AI songwriting assistant garnering attention in the music tech community.

Udio is part of a new wave of tools designed to provide music and lyrics based on simple input. It’s praised for its ability to quickly generate music that captures the essence of a user’s initial ideas.

While Udio can craft lyrics and melodies, inputting my lyrics provides better results. This connection to the song’s emotional core and Udio’s strong music composition capabilities enhance my creative process.

Recently, I applied this approach to a new country track, “8-Second Secrets.” The results were astonishingly quick; within minutes, Udio provided a promising musical sketch based on my lyrics.

The result, while still in its nascent stages, is impressive. It’s rough around the edges, but the speed and ease with which Udio turned my written words into a palpable musical piece were nothing short of astonishing.

For musicians, whether seasoned or novice, integrating AI tools like Udio can ignite a spark of creativity and open up a world of possibilities. It’s about finding the perfect harmony between human creativity and technological assistance, and for me, Udio strikes that balance beautifully.

Mack Linger’s drinking career has a music problem

L.T. HanlonLeave a comment
Mack Linger talks on an old-style analog phone.

Country star Mack Linger, more accustomed to the spotlight of the Grand Ole Opry than the shade of a rehab center, nursed his ego and shoulder — both bruised when a security guard thwarted his escape attempt from a Palm Springs rehab clinic the previous night.

Clinic director Nathaniel Beaumont confiscated Mack’s cellphone and revoked his online, TV, and radio privileges.

Mack was already plotting his next departure when a nurse escorted him to one of the patient conference rooms. She nodded toward a landline phone, then closed the door behind her.

He picked up the handset, pressed a blinking button, and recoiled as the voice of Christopher “Topher” Coobee, his label’s PR man who navigated the murky waters of public relations with the finesse of a shark, blared across the miles.

“Mack, get ready,” Topher said. “Caitlyn Mahoon is doing a piece on you.”

“Tell her to find another loser. I’m not some sob story for her to exploit.”

“It’s all about the drama, Mack,” Topher said. “You know how this works. Your recovery, or lack thereof, is just fodder for the masses.”

“And what about my actual recovery?” Mack shot back, his words edged with cynicism.

“Recovery, relapse, it’s all the same headline. You’re here to make a scene, not a change.”

With a resigned scoff, Mack agreed. “Fine. Is this that old bag who looks like a cross between Barbara Stanwyck and an albino prune?”

“Whoa, there. Just keep it smooth, buddy. Lather on that old Oklahoma charm,” his flack said.

“I’ll be the perfect gentleman,” Mack said.

Text and photo copyright © 2023 L.T. Hanlon. All content in this post is fiction.

Mack Linger enters rehab after Reno incident

L.T. HanlonLeave a comment
Mack Linger relaxes by the pool at a Palm Springs rehab clinic.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Country music sensation Mack Linger, famed for his chart-topping “Lonesome Roads, Unwritten Codes,” has checked into a Palm Springs rehabilitation clinic, music industry sources said.

The move follows an incident last week in Reno, where the 31-year-old singer made headlines for an outrageous outburst during his concert at the Sunk Creek Casino.

Eyewitnesses said that Linger stripped naked — except for his cowboy hat — and urinated on a table of bachelorette party revelers heckling his performance of “Railroad Tracks and Love Sacks.”

Video of the incident, which has since gone viral, sparked a mix of concern and disbelief among fans and critics.

Linger, known for his soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics, has often spoken of his struggles with the pressures of fame and a family history of substance abuse.

On Friday, he shared on X (formerly Twitter) a selfie taken poolside at an undisclosed clinic and commented, “Greetings from the Matthew Perry 12-step program!”

Text and photo copyright © 2023 L.T. Hanlon. All content in this post is fiction.

High school revelation: Lyrics are poetry

L.T. Hanlon1 Comment

During a discussion about poetry way back in a high school English class, some kid lamented that few poets other than Rod McKuen — I told you this was way back — made a living writing the stuff.

Our teacher, however, disagreed, and pointed out that plenty of folks, including McKuen, make a comfortable living writing poetry as song lyrics. What then followed was a fascinating discussion of song lyrics through the years.

What also followed was my first taste of the bad American tendency to enjoy disparaging successful people. More than a few of my classmates had already formed opinions that McKuen was a hack, a purveyor of kitsch, and a populist phony. I lacked the courage to ask them how McKuen was any different from the Beatles.

Over the years, I’ve often recalled that day at Jefferson High School when encountering a particularly good song lyric. Like just a few days ago when Apple Music played on past my KDP Rodeo Days playlist and treated me to “I Don’t Feel That Way Anymore” by Danni Leigh.

I love these lyrics. . .

Well, I’d love to take my clothes off
and throw them on your floor.
And I would,
but I don’t feel that way anymore.

How about you? Have you discovered any lyrics lately that you like?

I love the turn of phrases in “I Don’t Feel That Way Anymore.”