Pro Top-line Writer.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Toplines are a speciality...Also writing killer hooks / Choruses with Melodic & lyrical polishing. Writing or re-writing hooks.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: If its songwriting expertise you need...check around and listen to the work. Beware music "Production" shine and look to see the true quality of the songwriting first... As a wise man once said...."You cannot polish a turd!"

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I will respect your work...and help it to shine, making your creation the best it can be...

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Prince. Van Morrison. The Beatles. The stones.

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Taking a famous pop band member and helping him carve out a new SOLO career! It was blood sweat and tears but great times... Although I wrote all the songs and arrangements I gave half the writing credit away. I was happy with the outcome overall...Generating some great material and touring Europe and Japan with a dynamite band.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Just finished an album where I wrote all the (16) toplines...It is a new collaboration with 2 great UK musicians who call themselves TELLERMINE. Mastered by Pete Maher (U2 / The Stones) it is sounding PHATT ;-))

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Just got here... so not yet!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I have been through years with both of these options...Honestly, I always move with the times...Digital is it. I prefer the flexibility and much-increased speed of workflow. We are in the 21st Century after all ;-))

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love making music...what else is there? Making the right changes can make a huge difference to a songs commercial viability...and I am delighted when a client is happy with my input and the final outcome works.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Q: Why did you need to change it? A: To make it work as a viable song.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That anyone with gear can write songs by using technology alone... Songwriting is an ART FORM.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is the purpose of this recording? How soon do you need it? How long have you been working in music?

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: A solar-powered rig for my MacBook, my Gibson adj 45 acoustic guitar and a satellite internet connection...Plus lots of hard drives ;-))

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I have been an independent music maker for all of my adult life..I was signed to EMI London in the '80s and since then ...I have never had A REAL JOB ;-) Music is my life.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Spontaneous...Open and aware of the realities. Lost the ego a long time ago. The song is king.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Quincey Jones;-) He is the daddy.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Its all about the song. So I build around the core concept. Always supporting the vocal lyrical & melodic content.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Pop music in most genres...I do like pop-rock and indie-pop... its got to be fresh!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Intuition. I instinctively know where a song "wants to go"...and I simply assist in getting to the correct destination.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A lifetime of experience in writing and editing...I have worked in many top London studios (Abbey Road/ Air/ Strong Rooms/Olympic/ etc As the producer and as a session singer. I know how to structure and arrange songs.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I always like to fully discuss the required outcomes, before I analyse the arrangement and make any edits. I am a song-writing gun for hire...There is no ego on my end...I do what is best for the client and their song.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have always had studio gear...for over 25 years now. It changes and evolves; right now on logic X and the usual suspects for plugins...I use a huge variety of soft synths and can sing/multitrack vocals like a god;-) Good mics and a vocal booth are essential! However in the end...It is The EAR, not The Gear!