E-blue: Commentary (by Paul Sehnen)

Of the seven original songs I have completed so far, "E-blue" may be my proudest musical accomplishment. The music of "E-blue" has, in my opinion, a groove, a smoothness, and even a sultry quality, beyond what I thought myself capable of producing. The arpeggiated and strummed chord sequences were inspired at least in part by an earlier instrumental piece I created back in the late 1990's, which in turn was inspired at least in part by the arpeggiated rhythm guitar work of Queensryche's "I Don't Believe in Love" from the Operation: mindcrime album. If the end result in "E-blue" sounds nothing like a heavy metal song, it is perhaps because the Queensryche influence was blended with a little bit of Sade and a little bit of Steely Dan. Then there is the guitar solo section of "E-blue," which was inspired by the acoustic backwoods swamp boogie of Days of the New's self-titled album. Put Days of the New, Queensryche, Sade, and Steely Dan into a blender, and you have the music of "E-blue."

While I am perfectly satisfied with the guitar music of "E-blue," I unfortunately cannot yet say the same for the lyrics or vocal delivery. At best, I have wondered if the lyrics are unequal to the music; at worst, I have wondered if the lyrics are in places corny. I have revised the lyrics once already, to remove references to the name of the woman who served as the inspiration for the song. Since the point of the song is to capture both the real passion -- and the absurdity -- of a romance conducted purely through e-mail, I have allowed the lyrics to stand as they are after the first revision, thinking that a bit of absurdity may be warranted given the subject matter. Regarding the vocal delivery, this remains a work in progress.