Custom Drum Tracks: Make the Right Choice

Custom Drum Tracks: Make the Right Choice
When you get custom drum tracks online, you need to choose the most musically suitable online studio drummer!

This article is designed to help you make a good choice when seeking an online session drummer to record custom drum tracks for your music.

There are several characteristics or qualities that you should look for in an online studio drummer.

Let me first point out a technical skill that most recording situations call for in a studio drummer, online or otherwise: the ability to play with a click track.

When a custom drum track is played accurately with the click, it makes any possible editing much easier.

For example, if you have three takes of a song and each take is nailed to the click, you can use the first verse from the second take, the choruses from the first take, and the bridge from the third, or any combination of sections you wish.

But the editing together of different takes to make the perfect custom drum track would be very difficult and at times impossible if not done with a click.

So for most situations the ability to accurately play to a click is a good starting point, but that skill alone is not sufficient. Some online studio drummers might play accurately to a click but may lack groove, feel, energy, and dynamics.

Avoid the multitudes of online session drummers who play accurately to the click but sound robotic while doing so. You do not want your custom drum tracks to be lacking musically, even if they are done technically well.

This leads me to speak of more musical concerns regarding your online custom drum tracks now that we have covered the technical prerequisite of being able to nail a click track.

Musicality is what makes a custom drum track great. What constitutes musical playing? Well, to some extent that varies between songs and, of course, styles of music.

One important factor is need for the online session drummer to play with the proper “touch” for the custom drum track. For example, if your song is in the style of Antonio Carlos Jobim, it is not enough for the online studio drummer to simply play a bossa nova pattern to the click. The playing would need to have a “lightness” reminiscent of the way a Brazillian drumset player would play. By the same token, if your song is in the style of Nirvana then the drummer must be able to bash those drums -- yet still be able to create dynamic and textural contrast.

Energy is also very important. You do not want your custom drum tracks to sound like the online session drummer was just “going through the motions” or “phoning it in”. The right energy and vibe has to be there from the start of the drum track and must build as the song progresses, moving in the natural direction of the music.

The online studio drummer you choose must be able to “lead” the dynamics, energy, and vibe throughout the song.

Another important musical factor for your custom drum tracks is that the drummer must play a part that makes sense with what the other instruments and the vocals are doing. The drum part does not necessarily need to “mimic” the bass part, but must be in the same flow -- not going against the grain.

The drum part also needs to be out of the way of other things going on, especially vocals.

An online session drummer with a good sense of musicality will know when to give vocals space and when to reinforce certain vocal rhythms. Do not accept custom drum tracks that are too busily played and stepping all over the vocal parts! Of course, if busy playing is musically appropriate then the drummer should go for it.

Bottom line, the drummer must play in a way that serves the music.

Lastly, when you get custom drum tracks online you want to make sure to hire a drummer who can come up with ideas but still be totally open to instruction. This is because for some songs you may not have a specific part in mind, so you want be able to trust the session drummer to come up with something good on his own. However, you may have a very specific part in mind and if so the drummer must be able to give you exactly that part for your custom drum tracks.

Keep in mind that if you want a very specific part to be played, you may want to send the online session drummer a chart -- which of course the drummer must be able to read, so if you have charts make sure you hire a reading drummer!

Hopefully this article will help you choose an online session drummer who will provide you with custom drum tracks that are grooving, dynamic, and energetic.

As always, good luck with your music.

Drum Pattern Software Samples Are Not the Way To Go: Get Custom Drum Tracks Online

Drum Pattern Software Samples Are Not the Way To Go…Get Custom Drum Tracks Online

This article is for the benefit of you, the songwriter/composer. Undoubtedly you need professional sounding drum tracks for your music. But how to get great sounding drums without breaking the bank?

Many folks see the solution to the problem in drum pattern software samples, such as the BFD premium drum module.

People feel this is the solution because, admittedly, the drum samples involved in the software tend to sound very good. Generally, the drums are well-tuned and recorded well. But there are drawbacks.

The biggest two drawbacks to using drum sample software are:

1)“Canned”, uninspired results -- drum tracks that sound disconnected from your music.
2) Large amounts of time being wasted putting together “custom” tracks slice-by-slice with individual-hit drum samples.

Most of these drum sample software packages give you pre-made loops you can use. Most also give you the option to construct your own beats using separate, single-hit drum samples.

Lets talk about the loops for a minute.

You may be able to occasionally find a pre-made pattern in the package that basically fits your song.

But even if a pre-made drum pattern works partly, there are inevitably parts of your song that could use a little bit of variety.. Certain parts may benefit from a change in the bass drum pattern, for example, or maybe looser hi-hats or some extra snare hits. At any rate the chances of a drum pattern software / sample package containing a loop that has exactly what you need for that situation are very slim.

Confronted with this situation you are likely the think something like “I need my drum tracks to sound more organic than that”, or perhaps “this loop or that loop won’t cut it because I need the drum part to highlight the vocal rhythms on the third pre-chorus”.

Of course these are legitimate concerns as you want your music to sound alive, not contrived.

And at this point you may decide that you need to construct the drum parts yourself, hit-by-hit, slice-by-slice, using single-hit drum samples. Admittedly, you’ll probably get a better result this way as you at least have control over specific cymbal crashes, adding bass drum notes, fills, etc.

There is a big problem to this approach however: It takes up huge amounts of your precious time.

If you have been through this before, I don’t need to tell you: putting together “custom” drum tracks using single-hit drum samples will take up so much of your time that you are likely to compromise your artistic needs in the end anyway. You will put in so many hours, and the tracks will sound better than just using factory loops, but you will probably give up realizing that they will never really, truly sound and feel like custom drum tracks that were played by a real person for your song.

You would look at how much time you have put in to them, and settle for your cobbled-together tracks because you couldn’t bear to do such tedious busy work anymore. You wouldn’t even end up with the result you wanted . It would only be closer to that goal than the factory loops -- closer, but no cigar!

They say say time is money, which everybody knows is true. It seems like you'd save money painfully cobbling a drum part together slice-by-slice from a drum pattern /sample software package, but in reality its just not worth the time you'd waste, and the frustration you would feel.

As you look at it that way, its obvious that approach would really end up costing you.

A much better idea is to take advantage of a recent development, the appearance of online session drummers.

You can now get real, custom drum tracks from session drummers over the Internet and save a whole lot of money over conventional recording methods. Conventional recording methods tend to involve having to pay several people (renting the studio, carting the drums there, paying the producer, the engineer(s), drummer, etc.). All that can really add up.

With an online studio drummer you only pay one person, which obviously saves you a bundle.

Be sure to shop around -- all online drum track providers are not equal. Of course you should base your decision on which session drummer would musically fit your project best, but you must also compare the actual sound quality provided. Compare the sound quality of tracks on the websites, and compare the gear being used by each online studio drummer.

You will see that some sites are providing noticeably better sound quality than others, so choose carefully. [For more tips on choosing an online drum track provider, see my article titled “Online Drum Tracks – Tips For Success”]

Remember, drum pattern software sample packages would make your music sound very stale. Pre-made loops won’t sound like they were for your song, and piecing a drum part together from sample slices will drive you mad with wasted time yet still sound uninspired and “canned”.

Don’t go with drum pattern software, samples are “canned” goods! Go for fresh, custom drum tracks online.

Online Drum Tracks - Tips for Success

Online Drum Tracks - Tips For Success
Getting custom drum tracks for your music from an online session drummer is a great idea for several reasons, but there are things you need to know to make good decisions.

Congratulations for recognizing an opportunity : you are looking into getting custom drum tracks from an online rock drum track provider. Using today’s technology to get something you need (while saving money and time) makes a lot of sense.

For those who already are hip to the advantages of getting your custom drum tracks online, I am going to help you better understand how to make good choices in terms of which provider to go with.

But first bear with me while I review the ways in which getting your drum tracks online can save you loads of time and money.

There is always the traditional way of doing things, which involves having to pay a lot of people and basically goes like this:

First, you rent a studio to record in. Rates can depend on a lot of things, including the area the studio is in. Studios located in more expensive areas are of course likely to charge more because of high rent. For a well-equipped studio, rates average around $150 per hour.

Secondly, using the traditional method, you have to hire one or more sound engineers. Sometimes the same person will set up the mics and run Pro Tools, Logic or whatever recording platform is in use. But often there will be two engineers, which of course raises your expense.

So far, you've got potentially three people you have to pay so far: the owner of the studio and possibly two engineers. Add the session drummer to the mix and that makes minimum three and possibly four people you have to pay for your custom drum tracks. If your budget has no limits, that’s fine, but if you seek to save money (without compromising quality, of course) there is a better alternative: getting your custom drum tracks over the internet from an online session drummer.

What a cool time we’re living in, getting to see technology expanding so rapidly and all the exciting changes that come with it. The ability to get do recording sessions over the internet is one of those things that seems highly unusual now but within one year or two will be quite common. But as of now this is a relatively new development and is in its beginning stages.

Not to digress, let me get to the point: What a huge advantage for those needing custom drum tracks for their music! Instead of having to pay someone for a room in a studio, pay and engineer or engineers, and pay a session drummer you can now pay ONE person, the online session drummer. This will save you loads of money, and you won’t have to leave your home.

You just send the files of your songs to whoever is doing your drum sessions online, they record the custom drum tracks, then they send you the individual drum tracks after you have approved them and paid. That’s a lot easier than coordinating the schedules of multiple people with yours, and it means huge potential savings in terms of travel budget for a recording.

And if you are in Europe or Canada, you can save even more money using an American to do your drum tracks online, as the dollar is very weak right now and the exchange rate will work very much in your favor.

Okay, now that everyone is up to speed on the advantages of getting your drum tracks from an online session drummer, lets get to the point of this article:
You need to understand your options in choosing an online drum track provider, so lets discuss what to look for in order to make good decisions.

Or perhaps I should say what to LISTEN for, because the first priority is GREAT SOUND.

Regardless of how perfectly an online session drummer plays on a track, if the recording quality is not of a professional, master quality level then its no good (unless your music artistically benefits from a lo-fi drum sound).

So lets establish this right away, that you want to compare websites and find which online studio drummers are providing clients with a truly professional product in terms of sound quality. And as you compare websites, you will surely notice that there are different levels of sound quality represented!

There are two main reasons for the wide discrepancy in sound quality between some of these sites: the varying levels of recording gear used and the and the varying levels of expertise in terms of sound engineering.

The bottom line is this: your ears will be able to tell the difference between an online studio drummer with little sound engineering experience using mediocre recording gear and someone with sound engineering expertise using the highest level, state-of-the-art recording gear. Logically speaking, the online session drummer you choose must either be a professional sound engineer himself or be working with one.

Most drummers, even if they know some stuff, are not professional sound engineers. On some of the Internet drum session websites you can really hear that fact.

It would seem that the bulk of these sites are run by drummers who play well, but are not using pro-quality microphones to record with. It sounds as if they don’t know much about placement of those mics either. Nor does it sound like they have a good room to record in.

Many online drum track providers have no analog equipment, and many have only eight or fewer inputs available to them.
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Basically you can hear that there are many weak links in the recording chain on some of these online drum track websites.

And then there are a few sites that represent sound quality that is somewhat more acceptable…but still definitely “demo quality” as opposed to “master quality”.

As it turns out, there are precious few online drum track websites out there that are offering truly professional, “major label quality” sound quality! As far as sites that offer tracks for under $150 per track, I literally only found four that I considered to be in this category.

These sites are obviously run by online session drummers who either are professional sound engineers themselves or are using one, and are using the highest quality recording gear, with no weak links in the recording chain.

The rest of the sites offering this high sound quality level are run by guys you may have heard of such as J.R. Robinson, whom charge fees that are out reach for many based on their names.

So your first order of business will be to “weed out” the lemons, which frankly are most of them.

Warning: don’t be tricked into listening with your eyes, because some of the worst-sounding sites I found actually looked very professional and had a great presentation. But lots of flash content and visual presentation in general should have nothing to do with which online studio drummer you use.

In terms of rates, you can be suspicious of the sound quality of anyone charging less than $100 per song. Go ahead and do your own research, I’m just saying you get what you pay for. I actually found a very slick-looking site offering tracks for only $35 per song…WOW, that is cheap, and it truly sounded that way, like drums in a garage (and not in a good way).

My strong advice to anyone would be to spend what is necessary to get master quality custom drum tracks. It is still more affordable than ever before to do so because of online sessions. And if that means getting your budget together takes a few more months, it will be well worth it in the end.

Now that you fully understand how important it is to get major-label quality drum tracks (with no weak links in the recording chain), your next order of business will be to compare the level of communication that would be involved with any site you may choose.

I noticed that some sites had forms to fill out, several asking about artistic considerations such as when in the song the drums should enter, what sort of vibe is desired, or if the approach should be similar to that of a specific song or drummer.

This is a great place to start, but while some sites ended it there, other sites offer real-time communication through Skype or similar programs, which allow the session drummer and client to speak to each other during the recording session.

Obviously this type of setup involves a great level of communication and increases the likelihood of the your getting what you need musically from your online drum tracks.

This can easily save you money as well, as all of the sites I looked at charge extra fees for additional takes, often referred to as "mods" (modifications), or "re-dos". This is totally fair, but having to do an excessive number of takes per song can be avoided with the better communication offered by some of the sites.

Your last order of business in choosing what online session drummer to go with is the fun part: deciding which drummer would serve your music best!

Remember, if you like the playing but the sound quality is not at a master quality level, then its not good enough for your music.

Once you have narrowed your decision down to the websites offering the highest level sound quality, you just need to listen for which drummer sounds like the one to handle your songs the most musically.

Of course you want to listen for things like groove/feel, energy level (some guys sound like they are just “going through the motions”), dynamics, musicality of parts, support of vocals, etc.

So lets summarize: when choosing an online drum track provider, find one that will give you tracks of major-label sound, uses an online session drummer whose playing you really dig, and is going to be able to communicate effectively with you, hopefully in real time. I hope this article has been of some help to you, and that you feel ready to make some good decisions. Enjoy your creativity!

Session Drummer Shay Godwin

Shay Godwin is a versatile professional session drummer who has accompanied many very creative independent and major label artists. He brings both power and subtlety to any music he is involved in.

Some of the artists Shay has performed and/or recorded with include Charlotte Martin (RCA), Butterfly Boucher (Interscope/Geffen), Paul Freeman (Arista), Rama Duke (Hollywood), and James Blunt (Atlantic).

All of the brush samples on the BFD premium drum module 1st edition expansion kit were performed by Shay.

In 2004 Shay was honored to contribute drum tracks to "Eight O'Clock at the Shop", an independent release by singer Caren Manuel on which many great musicians played including Al McKay (guitar - Earth, Wind, & Fire) and Tim Carmon (keyboards - Eric Clapton, Babyface, Marcus Miller).

On Sarah MacLachlan's 2004 Afterglow Tour, Shay played with the opening artist Butterfly Boucher, with whom he also performed on AOL Sessions Live.

Shay has toured the world several times with legendary Persian singer Siavash Ghomayshi.

Shay's drumming has been heard in the the film "The Breakup" (WB) and on television shows "Las Vegas"(NBC), "One Tree Hill"(WB), "Summerland"(WB), "Twilight Zone"(Sci-Fi) and others.

Television appearances include the Late Late Show (CBS), The Sharon Osbourne Show, MTV's Advance Warning, "Las Vegas"(NBC), "Miss Match"(NBC), and "Charmed"(WB).

Shay proudly endorses Vater Percussion, Aquarian Drumheads, Axis pedals/hardware and Turkish Cymbals.

Master Quality Custom Drum Tracks From A Versatile Session Drummer

Dear friend,

Your music is very important to you. So of course you need *KILLER* drum tracks with the highest sound quality.

In the past you probably have had to pay for the rental of a studio, pay for sound engineers on staff there, AND pay for the studio drummer.

But that is a lot of money flying out of your pocket!

Maybe you've tried using drum sample software such as BFD to obtain high sound quality while saving money…

But you end up spending hour after frustrating hour putting sample slices together, *trying* to make them sound like a custom drum track – but you KNOW its not the same as a custom drum track played by a session drummer for your song.

Or, maybe you've tried getting your drum tracks online, straight from a drummer who does it all himself with no sound engineer

... But you know that's a mistake, because even though you may save a pile of money compared to renting a studio and paying multiple people, but you're probably going to end up getting tracks that sound like they're made by some kid in his parent's garage, not the pro drum tracks you need.

The unfortunate truth is that while they may be great players, many online session drummers are learning sound engineering on the job...

...And these well-meaning guys are also using a lot of mid-level recording gear, and cheaper mics and cables, with limited inputs (many have fewer than 12 inputs available, some have 8 or less!!), all resulting in many weak links in the recording chain...



...and here is the secret they don't want you to know:



Sound engineering is a serious skill that takes experience!!

Novice sound engineering and lame mics will get you “demo level” results, not the professional, major label quality sound you need and deserve.

And don't listen to that devil on your shoulder saying "Its okay, we can EQ the tracks and run them through plug-ins until they sound right"…

Because every one knows...You can't polish a turd!


But I've got good news for you...


YOU HAVE ANOTHER CHOICE!


Just imagine how STOKED you would be if you could get master quality custom drum tracks for your music, completely ***RISK-FREE!!***
...but without bleeding away your precious time slaving to put tracks together with a drum sample software package such as BFD...
...or spending top dollar to rent studio time...
...or getting poor sound quality drum tracks from a drummer (who is a novice sound engineer) because you want to save money -- ending up unsatisfied with the results!



Hi, I'm Shay Godwin and I am a Los Angeles-based studio drummer.

I have recorded and performed with many independent and label artists (RCA, Interscope, Arista, Hollywood, and others) covering a multitude of styles.

I believe my calling in life is to provide musical support for artists of all flavors and styles, and nothing gives me greater satisfaction than playing exactly what a song needs.

As a professional who has recorded in expensive rooms (e.g. Capital Studio A) and has contributed to drum sample software (I did all of the brush samples on the BFD XFL premium drum module), I have a unique insight into the previously mentioned problems you can have trying to get master quality, custom drum tracks.

I decided I wanted to come up with a solution to these problems.

So I began talking with a great sound engineer friend of mine, Thai Long Ly of TL2 Productions.

And we decided to team up to give you all the benefits of hiring a drummer AND a pro sound engineer, but in the same affordable price range of hiring a drummer alone!

Here's how it works: you send me your songs in whatever format you wish. Appropriate selections are made from a variety of great sounding, well-tuned drums to fit the style of the song.

Then, state-of-the-art analog/ digital gear and high-end microphones capture solidly grooving, musical, spirited drum tracks performed with both power and subtlety.

...and you get THREE TAKES of each song you send! Thats right, THREE TAKES! Each take will have subtle to drastic differences. That leaves you a lot of room for editing as you wish. As one client put it, "Your process is great. The three takes is a perfect way to make sure it works."

Now, you may wish to communicate a general direction you want on a track; I'm all ears. OR...

Maybe you will leave things to my judgment; you'll be happy with the results. OR...

Perhaps you have a programmed drum pattern you would like duplicated; I'll nail it. OR...

Some may wish to send me charts; I'll be able to read anything you send me.

However you choose to do things, you will get results you will not be able to get elsewhere...especially at an extremely LOW price...

...and at NO RISK to you whatsoever because if you don't want the tracks, you just don't buy 'em...there is NO obligation.

How can I offer such a guarantee? Because I have that much confidence in my product, plain and simple. You are going to love your custom drum tracks, and let me remind you that you will have three takes to work with and edit as you wish!

Other providers with comparable prices will definitely not be using the same HIGH END RECORDING GEAR used here!

We're talking full-on professional studio stuff here, from a Neve 8816 board, to Neumann mics, to Tara Labs cables (these are audiophile-quality cables, which makes a big difference in signal integrity) to Daking compressors. Check the gear link and see for yourself!

BUT DON'T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, USE YOUR EARS!
GO AHEAD, COMPARE OUR AUDIO SAMPLES TO SOME OF THOSE OTHER SITES--THE DIFFERENCE IN SOUND QUALITY OBVIOUS!

And while I am proud to be able to provide completely clean tracks that sound great without EQ, if you desire we can EQ the tracks for you.

AT EDRUMSESSIONS YOU GET:
1)major label quality sound
2)custom drum tracks that are passionately played for YOUR
song
3)to save huge amounts of time over putting together drum
tracks from drum sample software such as BFD (that end up
sounding sterile anyway)
4)big savings over paying to rent a studio, paying for
engineers, drummer, etc.
5)a satisfying, interactive artistic experience in which you
can communicate your needs to me through email or in real time (via phone or using Skype, free download)
6)to stay in your PJs while I track killer drums for you!

Under conventional circumstances, to get master quality drum tracks you would have to shell out a minimum of $400 per track...

...but I AM PROUD TO BRING YOU THIS HIGH LEVEL OF QUALITY AT THE INCREDIBLE PRICE OF JUST $200 PER TRACK if you act right now!
(A 50% per track *REFUNDABLE* deposit will be required - standard procedure).

You won't find drum tracks with a comparable level of playing and sound quality at this price anywhere else.

So if you are truly committed to getting the highest quality online drum tracks for your music and saving big money risk-free then email me right now at ShayDrums@hotmail.com !







Are you still thinking about it??


Don't think for too long, rates this low can't last.

NOW is your moment to get the perfect drum tracks you have been needing!


You can't lose.

And for those in Canada and Europe, remember that the WEAKNESS OF THE AMERICAN DOLLAR makes edrumsessions an even more perfect choice for getting online drum tracks!

CONTACT ME NOW AT ShayDrums@hotmail.com!!!

REMEMBER, getting your drum tracks here will save you lots of money over going into a studio (while reaping all the benefits of that situation) and lots of time over using drum samples (with much more musicality), and you know you haven't hired someone who is learning sound engineering on your dime!

THIS IS UNDOUBTEDLY YOUR BEST BET FOR GETTING DRUM TRACKS ONLINE, so take advantage!

IF you are serious about getting the highest quality custom drum tracks and saving then get the ball rolling by emailing me now.
I look forward to working with you and giving you the master-quality, custom drum tracks your music deserves.

Links

Shay Godwin
shaygodwin.com
myspace page


Thai Long Ly
myspace page



Sponsored by

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Monsterous bass player Derek Frank's online session website
basstracksonline.com

Listen To Sample Tracks

(PLEASE NOTE: These first few samples are completely "dry", as in absolutely no plug-ins applied, nor processing or EQ such as compression)




Sample Track #1

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Sample Track #2

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Sample Track #3

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Sample Track #4

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Sample Track #5

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Sample Track #6

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Foolish - Caren Manuel, independent artist (recorded at edrumsessions.com)

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Inside of Me - Caren Manuel

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I Fall Down - Caren Manuel

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Haunted - Charlotte Martin (from RCA release "On Your Shore")

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Every Time It Rains - Charlotte Martin

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Chasing a Shadow - Charlotte Martin

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Hot Legs - JB & The Rebellion (from Home Records release)

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Well, Well - Freeman (heard in the Warner Bros. movie "The Breakup")

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You and I - Freeman (from the recordings that recently got him signed to Arista by Clive Davis)

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Against the Ropes - Freeman

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Another White Dash (live) - Butterfly Boucher, Interscope artist (from AOL Sessions Live)

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I Can't Make Me (live) -Butterfly Boucher

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Life Is Short (live) - Butterfly Boucher