He laughed. “Ok? Ok is an understatement. I still have some work to do tonight. I have musicians due to come in any minute then some mixing and mastering to do, but wait until you hear this in its raw state. It’s pristine. Unbelievable.”
He stared at her. “I dunno what you’ve been doing wasting your time as an exec or a producer. You were meant to be an artist, girl. Stop doubting your performance ability. You’ve got it in spades. Let’s take a listen, shall we? Be prepared to be blown away.”
She nodded and sat back. The playback was surreal for Kit. Intellectually she knew that was her voice singing on the track, yet there was a profound change in the authenticity, rawness and power of her expression. It was unlike any recording or performance she had heard of herself before. It was on an entirely different level and she wondered if channeling all her emotions into her art had broken her through to the other side of full, boundless, authentic, creative expression.
Their session complete, A-Dub stared at her unable to wipe the smile off of his face as she was getting ready to leave. “Damn, Kit. That’s a hot track. Please tell me there’s more comin’ from that place—wherever you went.”
She laughed. “Actually I have a lot more. They just rolled out of me. I’m going through some big shifts in my life right now and Lew encouraged me to use it. It’s gushing out of me.”
He folded his arms across his chest and surveyed her. He smiled. “You got another one in ya tonight? I know I may be asking a lot. I’m just thinking I’ve got a little time to kill until my assistant and the musicians show up to complete the song.”
She grinned. “You gotta play keys on this one for me please. In my vision for the song, I’m seeing that it needs a good gospel sounding, soulful backing vocal too.”
“Let me make that deciding factor,” he interjected and chuckled.
She giggled. “Yep, sorry. Producer hat being removed right now. Let’s leave it raw, ok? I’m kinda tired, but I wanna lay this down for fun. Give “All of Me” to Lew when you finish with it. I don’t know if we’ll get this other one finished tonight.”
He nodded. “Ok. Teach it to me or gimme your scribbles. And let me see how I can help you out. If you run out of steam we can always pick up later in the week when you return or whenever.”
She offered a conspiring smile. “Or I may end up getting a second wind. Let’s see. C’mon.” She motioned him into the studio.
They sat back shortly after, listening to the playback. He nodded. “Your vocals are insane, Kit. Why did you ever question your performance ability? I can’t believe you’ve been hiding this under a rock. Shit, you can have a decent career with these kinds of songs and your looks. You’re the whole package—a pop star waiting to be unleashed.”
She grinned. “Really? You think so?”
He chuckled. “Oh, I know so. Ok, let’s keep this one raw. I’m gonna give it to Lew anyway, just ‘cuz I gave my word. Do you wanna hear my last run of “All of Me,” before I send it?
She nodded. “Yes, please. I’d like to hear it in its best state before you send it off. Will you get it all done tonight?”
He glanced at his wristwatch. “It’s eight right now? It may be a late night. Want me to call you?”
She leaned back in the chair. “I’ll hang out until I get tired. I love this studio and it’s kind of fun to be in here for another reason this time. If I get too tired, I’ll go snooze in the house and you can call me when you’re finished.”
He nodded. “Deal.”
A-Dub’s assistant and his sound engineer showed up with two huge carafes filled with black coffee trailed by rock musicians and classically trained musicians toting their instruments. Kit sat on the sofa in the control room watching the process in amazement.
It was a different perspective for her. She was always the one sitting behind the boards and it was fun to take a back seat and see how he was shaping her song and making it richer by the moment.
At one point, she headed into the lounge and dozed off one of the sofas. After a time, she felt someone nudging her. She slowly opened her eyes to see A-Dub hovering over her grinning.
He chuckled. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty. We have a final mix. Wanna hear it?”
She grinned and sat up sleepy eyed. “Of course I do.”
He held out his hand to her, helping her off the sofa and leading her back to the control room, over to one of the chairs behind the sound boards. She noticed that only his assistant remained and was cleaning up. All the musicians were gone and his sound engineer was headed out to take a walk around the backyard and get some fresh air.
She glanced over at him. “What time is it?”
He chuckled. “Half past two. You dozed off around midnight. You’re certainly a sound sleeper.”
She snickered. “Guess so. Ok, lay it on me.”
He smiled and rubbed his hands together. Prepare for your mind to be blown.”
As the song started, she wasn’t fazed, she didn’t notice anything much different than what they started with, however beyond those first few notes, everything had changed. The song was rife with rich textures and layers she could have never imagined on her own. Her mouth dropped open, stunned and speechless. He had turned her quick song into a complete masterpiece. When the song ended, she took a moment before turning to him.
She shook her head in disbelief and met his eyes. “Now I
