If It Feels Right, Keep It
March 2006

Hi

It's been a month or two since I last posted anything in News & Views - sadly it's not because I've been busy perfecting my writing style or storing a load of funny stories or witticisms for you to read, the truth is I have been busy working on the new Mustangs album.

Making an album is an enormous project - from the writing of the songs to the final moments of mastering, every miniscule decision is pondered over time and time again to the point that exhaustion and tedium set in and you never want to hear another note in your life. Of course, that feeling lasts about 5 minutes and then the relief, joy and feeling of accomplishment kick in.

But in all honesty, it is quite a chore. Imagine listening to the same piece of music hundreds of times, trying to find the right balance of instruments on a mix for a record you know that, once mastered and pressed, you can never change..! It gets very intense and you can question your decision over and over again.

But, as The Mustangs' producer I do have one rule that I try and stick to - if it feels right, keep it! More than anything, music - and especially blues and rock music - is about a feeling, a mood and a vibe (... man!). If you can capture these things in a song then be damned with any minor errors in the performance and keep it! Many classic albums are littered with mistakes that the artists kept because the performance and energy of The Band was captured, even if technical perfection wasn't. Just listen to The Stones or The Beatles through headphones and you will see what I mean!

And it's that energy and personality of The Mustangs that I think we have captured on Split Decision. We recorded live and put on very few overdubs, and it's a much better record for it. Unquestionably I feel it is our best yet, and certainly our best sounding. That's not to say I don't love some songs on our other records, but this one has a certain feel to it and, taken as a whole, there is something of a musical journey within those clear plastic CD cases!

Anyway, this 'enormous project' is at an end and we are all delighted with the result - we hope you will be too. The album comes out on March 27th and we hope you enjoy what you hear.

As for me, far from taking any time off, the gig season is fast approaching and I still have the new solo album to crack on with. Who need a rest anyway, this is rock'n'roll...! ... of a sort.

Until next month...

Adam