How to Write an Exceptional Music Album That Stands Out

How to Write an Exceptional Music Album That Stands Out

People love great music. When they find it, they play it on repeat, tell all of their friends, and share it far and wide. 

For you, the artist, making the music, the goal is to write and create the best music you can, put it out into the world, and see where it goes. 

But how do you know you are on the right track? What are the processes and tools artists use during the making of their record to ensure a good outcome?

I’ve been making records for over 20 years now, starting with my own and then countless others including producing 5. While being a producer is not my goal, I love the process of making a record—from inception to full production. 

The steps along the way are where the magic is made. Here are my tips to help you make an exceptional album that stands out, wins awards and furthers your reach. 

1. Put yourself on a writing schedule. 

Creating a writing schedule is a powerful way to keep to your goals. It also allows you to create a process for your writing and creativity. 

The only way to close the gap between talent and skill is a large volume of work. The only way to really get good—is to write a lot of songs. Often, a sound is revealed with writing. But writing can also be informed by the sound and direction you are setting your sights on.

Put yourself on a schedule. You’ll need to be disciplined to become a good writer. We know at the end of the day that no production will make up for a song that is not strong.

Songs are the number one key to your success. As Grammy-winning producer Linda Perry says, “As a producer, we pray artists have songs that are good enough when they come to record.”

No amount of great production in the world can make up for an average song.

Try this:  

• Write one song a week, or one song a month (if you are a slower writer or have less time.
• Schedule it in your calendar. Make it non-negotiable.
  • Estimate 4+ hours a week to write a song.
• Write the shell of the song at a minimum: Verse, Pre, Chorus.
• Tweak. Songs are not written, they are rewritten.
• Demo.
• Go on to the next. You’ll discover so much about your sound + direction as you write consistently.
• Write songs about topics that deeply matter to you.
• Try changing up tempos and keys as you write so there is some variety. One of the easy ways to change up tempos is to grab a tempo from a song that sounds in the vein and vibe of the one you want to write. 

At my label ccvm.co we spend a year writing with an artist for their albums. We use our A&R process to carve the sound + direction and hone the themes and song concepts to align the songs to the artist. Then we bring in our team of pro songwriters to write following the song concepts and direction in the A&R Profile. This gives the artist the chance to dive deeper into what they are writing about, and then use the pro level skills of pro writers to write songs on a higher level. Click here to learn more about our artist label services here: ccvm.co 

You can go through this process with our Signature Songwriting Circle where we walk you through the A&R process of finding your sound and direction and writing songs for your next project. Click here to learn more. 

You can also set up private A&R Sessions and go through the process in a series of private sessions. Click here to learn more. 

2. Dig and excavate first. 

Spend some time pondering – why this album now? What do I really have to say? What is going on with me on the inside? 

Great artists like Hozier talk about how they like to lock themselves in a room and not come out until they have a record. It’s really a metaphor for how to tune out the outside world in order to tune in to your inner world to write from.

Songs that mean something to you are more impactful. It is common to not want to dig into the uncomfortable stuff but that’s where the great songs are.

People are looking for real music. They aren’t looking for fluff. Real means real —from real life. The more you write about real life, crafted well, the more you will impact your listener.

Bob Dylan says songwriters are writing about 4-5 themes over and over again throughout their careers. Don’t worry about writing 20 sad songs. If that’s what you’re feeling, write it! You won’t always feel sad, but when you do, it’s an opportunity to write the saddest songs you can think of. You may write several to find one jewel. That’s the goal.

When you write songs that are more authentic from your own life the tendency might be to write more ballads. But songs from your life with deep emotion can either be fast tempo-pumped-up rebellious stuff, mid-tempo statements, or slow heartbreaking ballads. It is not subject to tempo. Contrast can be a great tool to deliver a heavy lyric with a lighter soundscape. 

3. Expand and elevate your sound and direction. 

Listen to a lot of music but narrow down your direction. It’s good to have a wide listening palette. It’s a sign of a strong musical ear. But when you are ready to refine your sound and direction for your next project you’ll want to narrow the field to identify your signature and what you sound best at.

Artists don’t like to be boxed in, but you do need a home base. A home genre first. That home-base genre can be a blend of things as long as it is clearly shaped so the listener can identify what they are looking for.

Try this:  

• Start by making some lists.
• What did you listen to growing up?
• What artists were you absolutely obsessed with? (or really loved?)
• What are you listening to now?
• Who are the artists, or songs that represent a sound that is slightly off the beaten path? This can become accents or wild cards — small layers of sound or elements that bring innovation.

4. Write 2-3x what you need. 

As a rule, we write 2-3x what we need in order to “pick the cherries.”

For example:

• For a single: Write 3 songs to select the top song.
• For a 7-song EP: Write 14 – 21 songs to select the top seven to eight songs.
• For a 10-song album: write 20-30 songs to select the top ten- twelve+ songs.

Don’t hold every song too precious. Allow it to be what it is. Keep writing. Some songs are the doorway to the great ones that seemingly come out of nowhere. 

The goal is to write 2-3x what you need and then once you have a collection of material, go back and listen to them all. You’ll notice certain songs pop out in comparison to the others. While all songs are your song babies, you want to learn to recognize which ones stand out so you can pick the cherries. 

This is a process that big artists like Adele, John Mayer and Coldplay use. Because writing songs is big business. Your songs are the core of whether your album will be a success or not. 

Try this: 

• Write the sketch of the song: Verse 1, Pre, Chorus, Bridge.
• Maybe you get to the second verse – or you can come back to it later.
• Demo it with a good vocal.
• Write the next song.
• Continue on a schedule. 

To learn more about making an exceptional album get my 52-Week Artist Development Plan to write and record an album in one year inside my Step Up to the Spotlight Artist Development Program. Click here to learn more.

Every music release is an opportunity to expand and elevate your sound and direction. 

My best piece of advice to stand out with your writing is to study songwriting because it is a high-level skill and you’ll need it. Then, write music for the people, not the industry. Different from writing with a high level of skill — don’t get caught up in the cycle of writing music you think the industry wants —which is career suicide. The best songs are songs you write for yourself. Because you have something to say. Find it and say it. A good technique is to write the song for you and then go back and edit anything too personal out. But editing before you’ve gotten to the core of what you are trying to say will dilute your song. 

5. Target your album to help deliver the next phase in your career. 

Think about where you want your album to lead to. Besides the growth you want to experience in your fanbase and socials, what is the next place you want to go with your music? 

For example:

• If you want to grow as an artist and play bigger stages, make the record that would be played on those bigger stages.
• If you want to build a niche audience, gear your song choice and production for the stages you would play on for that niche audience.
• If you want to build a career as a songwriter, then gear your album towards showing your best songwriting craft and ability. Note: This is something you want for any goal – always only show your best songs. Do not make the mistake of showing variety to build a career as a songwriter. You want to lead with your strengths and show a style, genre even as a songwriter writing in multiple genres. Making an album whether as a songwriter or an artist, you need to present as an artist with a style.
• If you want to get into sync, write songs that are good for sync. *Note: don’t write generic “universal” songs, write from your heart always first. Even sync agents will tell you that!

Knowing what you want out of your album helps to steer in the right direction with your writing, your sound, and production direction.