New Song - Sing It Out (new version)

This month's new song is actually a new version of one of my most popular tunes called Sing It Out. My good friend Ben Wakeman co-wrote the lyrics, and we recorded this one with Chris Kearney for our band Screen Door's album Greener back in 2003. Well, recently I found this listing from an A&R exec looking for a song:

ADULT CONTEMPORARY SONGS needed for a female British artist a la SUSAN BOYLE. The A&R exec at the Label tells us they're looking for songs with "strong lyrical sentiments of hope, honesty, new beginnings, etc." Lyrics can also be "reflective or nostalgic" and can even go so far as to suggest themes such as "unrequited love" but should also convey a "glimmer of hope." This comes straight from the source, so keep it in mind when submitting. Nothing depressing, cliche or gimmicky! Give this artist's incredible voice something MAGICAL and MEMORABLE to sing, at the level of "I Dreamed a Dream." Remember, she can cover any existing song. Let's give her something new and exciting she CAN'T RESIST! Vocal and instrumental demo presentation must be top-notch!

I decided to submit Sing It Out, but I wanted to present it a little differently than we did back in 2003. So I recorded this new version, and while it was not selected, I got some very nice feedback:

A very pretty song with an emotionally-gripping lyrical sentiment. Very nicely-crafted and professionally-presented in terms of vocal performance and instrumental performances/overall sonic quality. While possessing some traits that address the listing's stylistic requirements, the song also has some Jazz-leaning chordal/melodic elements and arrangement touches which take it slightly off-target for the listing.

Overall comments:
Hi Tom,
Thank you for the chance to hear and review "Sing It Out," I enjoyed listening and it's certainly a high quality work that is, in my opinion, slightly off-the-mark in the ways indicated in my Style comments above. This "Major Label High" bar listing required a great deal of scrutiny on all fronts, but please keep up the good work; you're clearly talented!

I was quite pleased with the critique, and decided to share the new version of this song and the story behind it with you. I hope you enjoy it, and let me know what YOU think!