Let me catch you up on a few things because a few things have been going on.
New, improved TCEB website coming
We're running behind in launching the new and easier Casual English Bible® website. It’s not because anybody’s lazy. It’s because this is a complicated website and the developer is a bit of a perfectionist. I don’t have any gripe with that.
He's Canadian. Did you know it's impolite to say "Huh" to a Canadian? Yep, I got that from a Canadian horse's mouth. But in retrospect, I'm wondering if that's relevant only to web developers, and something they'd rather not hear.
"Huh? You did what to my website?"
But the new site should be here within a few weeks I certainly hope. It’s scheduled to move onto the staging site this week, which means we'll check it over and take it for a drive around the city walls.
Charlie the dog
We got a new dog a few weeks ago. It took us many months to get past grieving over Maizey, our black Lab mix who died of lymphoma. Man, I can’t even write about this without dripping from the eyes and nose both.
Someday I’ll let you hear the song I wrote about dealing with that. I wrote it in God’s voice as though he was talking to me. It's called, “I Know Your Angry.”
I still am. [Change gears, Steve. That path has briars and bears and a hole in the ground.]
We let the grandkids name the two-year-old pup. Grandsons wanted to call him Charlie. Granddaughters wanted to call him Chance.
Charlie Chance it is. I confess I call him Charlie. That was my grandpap’s name.
Charlie a lab pit mix, more pit than lab by the look of his boxy head. But he’s the lovey-doviest dog I ever met. He weighs more than 50 pounds and sits on my lap when I relax to watch TV in the evening. During the day, he rests a paw or his chin on my foot.
Sound of Music
How about a little update about the Casual English Bible’s first album, “SONGS, Music of Psalms,” released November 14?
Let me open my little iPhone app and check the numbers right now. So far, the album has been streamed 95,947 times on Spotify. That doesn’t count other services like Apple or Amazon. “Wings of the Dawn” has been streamed 65,408 times, so it’s carrying the lion’s share of the load. Here’s the link to ordering the CD of the album.
A few days ago, Spotify told me it was recommending seven of our songs for a promotional campaign called Discovery Mode. When they find songs they think will generate activity with the algorithm, they sometimes invite them to take part in this. It’s new.
You don’t pay them directly. Instead, you take a cut in royalty. In exchange, they push your songs on listeners they think might enjoy them. When you hit the end of your playlist, Spotify throws some other songs in your direction. Well, songs in the Discovery Mode will be among those songs.
Since royalties are almost nonexistent, because people with money tend to exploit, abuse, and cheat people who don’t have money, this was a no-brainer. Not that I'm judging, unfairly.
I chose not to let Spotify use all seven songs. Instead, I gave them four songs that were cut from the same cloth; they are all from the album "SONGS, Music of Psalms."
I had a hard time not letting them use the song about my first dog, Buddy, “I Never Wanted a Dog,” [the music video] but it was not inspired by Psalms. In Bible times, Philistines ate dogs. Archeologists say they know that because of knife carving marks on dog bones from among ancient city ruins.
Music critics, thumbs up and down
Let me let you see what playlist curators are saying about our most recent release from the Psalms series, “When God Rides the Wind.” Here’s the link to the YouTube video.
When I release a song, I sometimes let playlist curators, the people who create playlists, listen to the song ahead of time and consider it for placement on their Spotify playlist. You have to have thick skin to do that because these people write back to you. That’s part of the agreement. They have to listen and they have to say something about what they’ve heard.
Bad news always gets the lead, so I’ll put the rejects in bold. Those are curators who refused to include the song on their playlist.
There are a lot of curators who don’t want to use music that has been helped by artificial intelligence, or in my case performed by AI. However, they generally don’t want to say that out loud. Instead, they talk in coded phrases such as “The music seems overprocessed, “or “too grainy sounding,” or “no sign of human flaws.” To which I'd say, "Doesn't the graininess count?"
It doesn't upset me. I know that people resist change. Scribes didn’t want to give up their scrolls for books. Book publishers keep telling us there will always be printed books. And when I was a kid, my Uncle Henry told me it was okay to swallow chewing tobacco juice.
Whether I agree with the curators, at least they’re being honest. That’s a rare treat today.
These are all the curators who weighed in on the song "When God Rides the Wind." There were 22 of them. We had 7 turn down the song.
- [Translation: Spiritual and contemplative. It has a respectful and serene tone that invites reflection. It works very well for moments of quiet introspection and attentive listening.] Espiritual y contemplativa. Tiene un tono respetuoso y sereno que invita a la reflexión. Funciona muy bien para momentos de recogimiento y escucha atenta. BALADAS EN INGLÉS DEL AYER Y HOY, Evelyn
- Great peaceful vocals and great message too. Just added and I'd love to hear more from this artist! Soft Christian Music, Top
- I prefer a little more "anthem" sound adding to this playlist but this is a really solid song, adding! Worship & Warfare 2025, Ricky
- Hey, thank you for submitting your track! The track has some beautiful guitar melodies which go well with the catchy vocal melody as well as the deep and touching lyrics. However, genre-wise it doesn’t quite fit with the direction of my playlist. Therefore, I've decided to pass for this time. Wishing you much success with your release! Best, Zyrius
- Hi Stephen, I love how the song has an personal feel as i could feel it coming from the heart. I thought the vocal effects and layering in the chorus really made the lead vocal stand out. This will fit well on the playlist. Christian Pop Music 2025, Christian
- Congrats on the new song release! I thought the opening was a great but sadly I dont have a worship playlist, though I love the message! Grant
- What I liked was the crisp acoustic guitar and the overall song development. What I disliked was the mix was too clean. Needed more raw authentic touch to be added to this playlist. Will
- Thanks for your submission but this isn't the vibe nor genre I'm looking for. The song isn't bad. It just isn't right for my playlists. Thanks for understanding and good luck. Phil
- Beautiful songwriting, I like your approach here but I do miss a bit more pure sound to it all, the song feels too produced and not the more human/emotional sound we do want to hear. Sorry! Jonathan
- I love what you are doing my friend! I think you are skilled but for me the overall vibe is too low tempo for me but Keep going and Please feel free to send me other songs, much love. TB, taylorbryantisjustdust
- Hello! The mixing is really clean and balanced, with every element sitting nicely. Unfortunately, the track moves at a faster pace than we normally feature. Still, your engineering skills are evident, and the song sounds great. Keep producing with this quality, blessings on your journey. 7
- Hi Stephen M. Miller, thanks for sharing When God Rides the Wind with us. Even if we enjoyed the nice acoustic guitar vibe along the authentic songwriting here, merely according to our personal taste vocals sounded too processed for us. Thanks for sharing your music with us. Playlist
- Has a soothing quality to it. Love it. Adding this track to my playlist Healing Songs now. Thanks and hope to hear more from you soon. Healing Songs, Kev
- Thank you for your submission! Your track is excellent, and I believe it would be a great fit for my playlist. Well done! TOP CHRISTIAN HITS 2025, Eric
- Hello, thanks again for letting me hear your music, I appreciate the trust. The song’s emotion is beautiful, it just moves in a different vibe than the uplifting space I’m in, so I’ll skip this one for now. Josh
- The singing and the lyrics sound amazing to me, I will share this for sure. Thanks for submitting, good luck! Gospel 2025, Trendico
- The voice of you is so good and interesting and you sing very professionally and in a first-class way. The beat is really great and wonderful and it got a very good structure, style and wonderful vibe. The flow is so good and smooth and the production is also so good and interesting. The mixing and mastering are so good and fantastic and the vibe of the song is generally perfect. Deep thanks for sharing this masterpiece with me and I look forward to hearing from you in the future. Best wishes Starlit Melody, Aron
- Hello! This track carries a warm, inviting feel with smooth melodies and a steady flow that stays engaging from start to finish. Its clarity and charm make it a strong addition to the playlist. POP FAVORITES, Melodify
- Thank you for your submission! Your track is excellent, and I believe it would be a great fit for my playlist. Well done! TOP CHRISTIAN SONGS 2025, Global
- Hello Stephen thanks for sharing this track I enjoyed listening and Added it to Fresh Acoustic indie folk & Pop. Enjoy Fresh Acoustic Indie Folk & Pop, CazMusic
- One immediate issue I have with this song is that it has a very grainy background sound. It is pretty obvious in my headphones, and I am listening to lossless audio. That brings the production quality down a bit for me. However, the fact that you made the Psalm sound like a modern track is amazing. It isn't a good match for my playlist because my list is for hymns and instrumentals. I hope you find the place for this song! Julia [Note: I submitted an mp3 file, not a lossless wav file. But she may have listened to a wav from elsewhere. See if you can hear grain in the wav file of the YouTube video.]
- "Hey there! I enjoyed the song's lyrics and melody – a great addition to my playlist. Keep pursuing your passion!” Lickwid Indi Folk, Lickwid
