King Of The Hill

http://f.cl.ly/items/3Q3K1r2d3d0F2U0m2S1e/KingOfTheHill-Mixed.mp3

The Story:

It was around 2009 and I just wasn't inspired to create any music.  In fact I think almost a year had passed since I worked on anything.  I had just turned 32 and think during that time I was slowing down a bit and getting real bored with the same old thing.  You know...same old social events, same old pickup lines, same old vibe in the clubs and same old BS from the men that I met.  So I just wasn't in a point in my life where I was inspired to create music.  Well my boy Quis was in my ear telling me that I should work on something and that he wanted me to listen to some of the tracks that he made.  So I picked up my pen and wrote how I was feeling.  Over the hill?  Nah...I'm King of the Hill!!!!

King Of The Hill

(Music by Marquis Simmons; Lyrics by Nadia Trammell)

Chorus 2X:

I'm Over the games

Over the clubs 

Over the thrills

An Over Achiever

Over Reacher

I'm Up and Over that Hill

I'm Up and Over that Hill

Over that Hill

(Repeat)

You can call me if you want

This women will not cause a fuss

It makes me laugh, it brings me back 

to the past when all was fun

Got the ride, got the crib, and the bills

Played the game checked a mate

And many have been replaced

Black and White no need to fight

My wisdom is grey

Now they listen to what I say

Chorus:

Bridge:

Stress from a test

Dress to impress

Lack of a car

Can't get into that bar

21 ain't so far

Days are long gone

2…3…4…100 times ain't no charm

Rap (Marquis Simmons):

Chorus:

Counterfeit Culture

Counterfeit Culture

http://f.cl.ly/items/263i312P323K2U1V430T/01%20ConterfeitCulture.mp3

The Story:

Eddie Valoy, a good friend of mine was looking for vocalist to record music that he created, which he would be using to showcase his songwriting and producing skills.  I was more than happy to work with him because he always had such great music and lyrics.  This is one of many songs written by Eddie that I was honored to be able to add my vocals to.

Counterfeit Culture (Lyrics and Music by Eddie Valoy)

I'm not scared, I'm not scared of you
I'm not scared, I'm not scared of you

First come, first serve

Then we came left over

spoiled meat, spoiled drink

Got sick what did you think

Counter parted vultures

Selling one size Fits all

Fits Who, tell the truth

You know I'm not that small

Counter concepts built to oppress

We the rest are bound to stress

Bound for less, Bound for death from all this mess

Chorus:

I'm not scared, I'm not scared of you

(I know the truth behind your white lies)

I'm not scared, I'm not scared of you

(I'd rather die alone than be a clone)

I'm not scared, I'm not scared of you

(I know how your machine works)

I'm not scared, I'm not scared of you

And Now I'm going to tell the whole world

Mainstream Main scheme

To kill our self esteem

Don't conform to norm

If your different embrace it

If your a another or all abover

Just remember it's one Love

And not Love One

Counter concepts built to oppress

We the rest are bound to stress

Bound for less, Bound for death from all this mess

Chorus\Bridge:

It's Counterfeit cause we don't fit…

(I'll tell the world…)

It's Counterfeit cause we don't fit...

(I'll tell the world…)

I'll tell the world

It's not about right, It's not about wrong

It's just not real

Chorus:

Summer Samba (So Nice)

Summer Samba (So Nice) Chris Grasso, piano; Zack Pride, bass; Lenny Robinson, drums and Nadia Trammell, Vocals

http://f.cl.ly/items/1H340z3z3Y1a3M0O2Y3h/Summer%20Samba%20%28So%20Nice%29.mp3

The Story:

This is a live performance I did at Blues Alley July 2011, which is part of the Jazz Vocal Workshop taught by Chris Grasso.  This a great workshop if you want to gain some experience performing with jazz musicians.  This was the second time I participated in the workshop.  Prior to entering the workshop for the second time I started working with the vocal coach Anne Hurley-Cole.  I think the vocal lessons made a tremendous difference in my vocal delivery and confidence compared to my first jazz performance.  This song really reached out to me and I am considering creating my own musical and vocal interpretation of Summer Samba.



Summer Samba (So Nice)
Someone to hold me tight
That would be very nice
Someone to love me right
That would be very nice
Someone to understand
Each little dream in me
Someone to take my hand
And be a team with me

So nice, life would be so nice
If one day I'd find
Someone who would take my hand
And samba through life with me

Someone to cling to me
Stay with me right or wrong
Someone to sing to me
Some little samba song
Someone to take my heart
And give his heart to me
Someone who's ready to
Give love a start with me

Oh yeah, that would be so nice
Should it be you and me, I could see it would be nice

Dead End

http://f.cl.ly/items/420Y3h3S1W2q3C1s361G/05%20Dead%20End.mp3

The Story:

This was recorded around 2001.  First off I know the drum track is very weak.  Drum tracks have always been difficult for me, but in my defense on this song keep in mind I had only just started creating music tracks that year.  My drum beats eventually get better with practice and then I discovered how to use the heck out of the quanatize function to come up with some sick beats like on the song "Drink".

What I was excited about in this song is how I discovered the art of sampling your own voice and adding it to your keyboard and playing a sampled voice as a note on the keyboard.  It is easy to do that stuff now on a computer, but back in 2001 it took a little more time an effort to get that effect.  I also started experimenting with effects on my voice.  Again lots of time and effort on the old school Roland multi-track recorder.  So when you hear the sampled high pitched chipmunk type of voice being sprinkled throughout this song know that I was one happy camper when I finished recording this song.  With that in mind hopefully you can look past the elementary weak drum beat and the fact that I never recorded the 2nd verse of the song...but it has a cute instrumental bridge :-)

Dead End

(Music and Lyrics by Nadia Trammell )

Looking down this long road

I see no where, no place to go

You look at me asking what to do

Cuz you don't know our next move

Chorus:

I don't know which way to go

And you don't know where I've been

I See no type of direction

Just a sign pointing to a dead end

Silly Games

http://f.cl.ly/items/3u0k0H331l3e03353d0V/SillyGames.mp3

The Story:

This was recorded back in 1999 with my college band RareBlends. We recorded the song in a garage and it was before anyone had any fancy equipment, so the quality isn't that great.  But the tune is still great and has a chill old school type of swag to it.

Silly Games

(Music by RareBlends and Lyrics by Nadia Trammell )

No more…Of your lying
I'm tired of all this crying

You don't..Need a women

Who will give you so much loving

Chorus:

I don't need…Silly games to play

You can leave, walk out now

And I will be ok

I don't need…Those silly games you play

So you can leave 

Walk out now, And I will be ok

No more…Late night calls

When you had me that was your chance to talk

You don't…Need to worry

You made your move, there is no need to be sorry

Chorus:

Bridge:

I don't need you

You don't deserve me

All you ever do 

Is hurt me

So you can leave

Walk out now

Don't you ever 

Come around

Chorus:

No more…Messing up

My heart you will miss so much

You don't …Have a clue

Of what your about to loose

Chorus:

Drink

http://f.cl.ly/items/1i060u3H1M0y1q2e1z3E/04%20Drink.mp3

The Story:

I made this song back in 2003.  I had just finished making a hot track and I was really anxious to put some vocals to it.  So I was looking through my notebook and ran across a poem one of my Xs had scribbled down in my book.  I hit the record button and a couple hours later "Drink" was added to my playlist.

The Video Story:
In my Adam Sandler voice..."They're All Gonna Laugh at You"!!!!  Yeah yeah, here is a good laugh for you all.  But at least you know I don't take myself so seriously :-)  Basically this is what happens when you get bored and discover all the cool things Windows Movie Maker can do with some basic video footage.  I recorded it in my "Play Room" AKA the "Orange Room".  For some odd reason I was really drawn to the color orange.  Later I discovered from my mom that my baby room was decorated and furnished with orange colors (70s baby)!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmQAoa7q-Gw

Drink

(Music/Melody by Nadia Trammell and Lyrics by X Boyfriend)

I spent to much time
looking in places for spaces inside myself

looking in mirrors for substance 

leaving my heart on the shelf

Now I see time spent running is wasted

The wine never tasted

With lips to scared to part

Now drink my heart

Drink my heart and tell me

Now drink my heart

Drink my heart and tell me

The Flavor….

This Boy is Crazy

http://f.cl.ly/items/151D0d1v1W43032X1G1G/This%20Boy%20is%20CrazyV2.mp3

This Boy is Crazy (Clean Version)

The Story:

I have been listening to this song by Drake (the song is actually a Raphael Saadiq track) on repeat the entire week.  So I just felt like recording my own version.

Secrets

http://f.cl.ly/items/1Q111M3s3C1U422e382p/04%20Secrets.mp3

The Story:

This was a song I recorded back in my college years (1999).  It was so crazy how this song came about.  Lets see...there was Rob, the guitar player from the band I was in, The guy I was dating at the time and me chilling at the crib.  It was a typical college Saturday night filled with fun, food, folks and fuel(drinks). My boyfriend had recently purchased some new recording equipment and Rob just happened to have his trusty king of the P notes guitar.  So after several hours of drinking the record button was pressed and the best Freestyle song ever was created!!!    The song was recorded in 2 takes.  Second time through was only for ad-libbing on guitar and vocals.  Rob played the strings off that guitar that night...I don't think my words made much sense at certain parts(don't drink and sing), but it still sounded Great!!!

Secrets

(Music/Guitar by Rob Deguzman; Lyrics by Nadia Trammell)

I read a book yesterday

And it told me all of the secrets

It told me secrets of….Oh

Wandering mysteries walking in my mind

Dah da da dah … Bah bah dah da…

Secrets in my mind

Secrets in my soul

Secrets in my heart…In my heart

It told me secrets... Secrets

Aahhh…Da da da Dah

I find myself wondering

Wondering where to go

Wondering what to see

I'm wondering what to be…What will I be?

Well…Oh Yeah

It told me Secrets...Secrets

Secrets in my mind

Secrets in my soul

Secrets in my heart….

Spaces

http://f.cl.ly/items/133l0x1x3Z2K3j1S0M47/02%20Space.mp3

The Story:

This was a song I recorded a couple of years ago(2009) with a friend.  He was doing a project that featured different vocalist on his tracks.  This song was kind of a free style for me because I had no lyrics or ideas for it.  I just told him to play the track and I let the music show me where to go with the song.   

Spaces

(Music, Lyrics by Daron Jones; Lyrics by Nadia Trammell)

Boy:
Your'e like my sunny day. My every way

My spaceship away. My happy place. 

You make me wanna say, yeah yeah yeah yeah

You make me wanna say, yeah

Your'e like my sunny day. My every way

My spaceship away. My happy place.

Take me away. 

I wanna say, Hey yeah yeah yeah

Girl:

You take me to another hemisphere

You take me where I have no fear

Out of space… out of mind… out of time…

You take me to the rings of saturn…Oh how I like it

Feel the heat from mars

Burn me scorn me.  Ow...

Out of space… out of mind… out of time…

Out of Time

No Time…..

Never Meant 2 B

http://f.cl.ly/items/2i3g212h461s0L11210C/03%20Never%20Meant%202%20B.mp3

The Story:

This was one of the first songs I attempted to pick out a couple of notes and chords on the guitar.  I'm no Hendrix but I don't think I'm hurting anyone's ears!  This is around the time I started getting into the multi-track vocals to layer and add depth to all the vocal harmonies.  I like using vocal harmonies on the chorus because I think it just makes a song sound fuller.  I actually got my little sister to do all the 2nd and 3rd harmony parts on the chorus.  So shout out to B. Marie for holding it down on the alto vocals!!!

(The Trammell Sistahs)

Never Meant 2 Be

(Music and Lyrics by Nadia Trammell...Backup vocals Brandy Trammell)

What is wrong with me

Is it something I can't see

Do I try to hard to achieve

For love that will never be

Is something wrong with me

Chorus:

I can no more hold you than the waves in the sea

Lyrics I would sing you forget their melody

Kisses I would give you that will never be

I try so hard to love you 

Never meant to be...

Never meant to be…

I try so hard to love you

Yearning for love that's forever true

What am I to do

When my heart never skips a beat for you

I can't continue to play this fool

Chorus:

Bridge:

Never meant to be

I wish it could have been you

We were never meant to be

Chorus:

Miss Right

http://f.cl.ly/items/3X3E2f043H270c3z2A3w/02%20Miss%20Right.mp3

The Story:

This was a song I recorded back in 1999 with my college band RareBlends.  This is a true garage band recording...so the quality isn't that great, but the song is still one of my favorites.  This was always a fun song to rock out to at a live show.    

Miss Right

(Music by RareBlends and Lyrics by Nadia Trammell)

Chorus:

You said I'm Miss Right but you treat me so so wrong

You said I'm Miss Right but you treat me wrong

Why you treat me so wrong when you know I'm so so right

You said I'm Miss Right but you treat me wrong

I represent perfection from my head down to my toes

And when it comes to you I'm guessing that my devotions shows

I give my time I give my love

Even when you don't deserve

I sacrifice all myself and in return I hurt

You know I'm the one for you

You know I'm the one for you

You know I am Miss Right

But you treat me so wrong and you don't want to be right…Right!

Chorus:

You always running around. Never found time to settle down

But to me you always run. Cause you know I'm the only one

I treat you right, I take you to new heights. 

So for me you always come.

But you still seem to continue to always do me wrong

You know I'm the one for you

You know I'm the one for you

You know I am Miss Right

But you treat me so wrong and you don't want to be right…Right!

Bridge\Vamp:

Chorus: