(Book). Confessions of a Serial Songwriter is an amusing and poignant memoir about songwriter Shelly Peikens journey from young girl falling under the spell of magical songs to working professional songwriter writing hits of her own. Its about growing up; the creative process the highs and the lows; the conflicts that arise between motherhood and career success; the divas and schemers; but also the talented and remarkable people shes found along the way. Its filled with stories and step-by-step advice about the songwriting process; especially collaboration. And its about the challenge of staying relevant in a rapidly changing and youth-driven world. As Shelly so eloquently states in Confessions of a Serial Songwriter : "If I had to come up with one X factor that I could cite as a characteristic most hit songs have in common (and this excludes hit songs that are put forth by an already well-oiled machine...that is; a recording artist who has so much notoriety and momentum that just about anything he or she releases; as long as its pretty good; will have a decent shot at succeeding); I would say it would be: A universal sentiment in a unique frame ." Peiken has tapped the universal sentiment again and again; her songs have been recorded by such artists as Christina Aguilera; Natalie Cole; Selena Gomez; Celine Dion; the Pretenders; and others. In Confessions of a Serial Songwriter ; she pulls the curtain back on the music business from the perspective of a behind-the-scenes hit creator and shares invaluable insight into the craft of songwriting.
#3126681 in eBooks 2016-10-01 2016-10-01File Name: B01DRXHV3U
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Silent beautiful and touchingBy JBeirensSilent beautiful and touching. Loved this book. the designs of the characters the color palette are tops. Highly recommended1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Surreal. socially conscious fantasy that will hook you on wordless comicsBy PopMythology-comSmoke is a wordless. surreal fantasy that may remind some readers of Gregory Bentons previous book B+F. Its a very simple narrative. about two young boys. seemingly brothers. who have to work on a tobacco farm but suffer from something called green tobacco sickness. which then becomes their entry point into a surreal world. Enter a giant dog. Thats about as much as I can say without spoiling it.This is a wordless comic but it is not for children nor is it a book to be rushed through. You should devote as much time to it as you would any comic. even longer perhaps. staring at each panel/page as you would a painting: slowly. meditatively. letting the image burn into your mind. If you do this. you just might find yourself falling under its hypnotic spell. Just as if youve inhaled a bit too much smoke.See a more extensive review at http://www.popmythology.com/gregory-benton-smoke-review/0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A moving wordless tale for the careful observerBy Raven HeartIts pretty easy to find a comic or graphic novel with great artwork. but a comic or graphic novel with both a great STORY and art is a rare find. and a great achievement on the part of the author/artist. To do this wordlesslymdash;so that people all around the world. in every culture and at every age can read itmdash;is an even greater accomplishment.I picked up my copy at SPX 2015. and for me. Gregory Bentons Smoke was the comic conventions humble but brilliant jewel. Benton paints his story with a quiet magical realism that tells a story of the fate of two boys who work on a tobacco farm. The skeletal spirit-dog from Bentons earlier book. BL. appears in this story too. but Smoke does not read as a sequel. That said. each book does enrich the readers understanding of the spirit-dogs character and the role it might play in Bentons cosmos of the imagination. The story is original and refreshing. and yet so simple that it reads like the legend of a placemdash;or a family storymdash;but what moves me most about it is how Benton has woven the outer and inner life of the two boys into one beautiful narrative fabric. Its remarkable how well Benton has done this. leaving wide spaces between the panels for each reader to put the tale together in their own waymdash;and yet all who have noticed the cluesmdash;picked up the breadcrumbs he has dropped along the waymdash;will find Smokes conclusion so marvelous and yet unexpected. Smoke shows Bentons mastery of the elements of setup and payoff.As mentioned in an earlier review. the reader must study the images on each page of Smoke slowly and carefully. Dont be afraid to flip back to earlier pages to grasp the fullness of how the story unfolds. I love that this book was written for the thinking reader who looks closely and asks questionsmdash;its not a quick-fix escape comic. If you get to the ending and feel lost. go back and read it again. and study the illustrations carefully.Bentons artwork is immediate. sincere. and playfully imaginative. and yet still seriousmdash;not whimsical. His brushwork in Smoke is never overworked or over-refined. Its accessible in its fluidity and its emotionally warmth. with deep caring. never labored. The ending of Smoke nearly brought me to tears. Thank you. Gregory Benton. for this beautiful and touching story.
