I'm wondering how much Jeffrey Steele's success is a matter of developing co-writers' songs from mediocrity of lyric, or melody, or construction, or production, to higher quality.

Probably, many of the songs credited as his successes began in the heads of co-writers, and Jeffrey knew what to do with them.

Co-writing can be an excellent modus operandi if the co-writers are open-minded, and one or both truly know what is 'wrong' and what is 'right' in the many aspects of a song. I've seen people attempt to co-write who have no reason for the things they offer, merely rhyming without adding anything to the storyline, or failing to, losing the rhythm of a lyric, repeating ideas already expressed in previous lines, contradicting a concept, sometimes THE concept of the song with a line that is the opposite of what the storyline is leading to; many mistakes.

And then, rather than see why those are mistakes, they often defend those choices with an in-depth explanation that might work fine if listeners heard all that along with the song. But they don't. It all has to be in the song, clear, concise, 100 words or less (so-to-speak) with no explanatory foot-notes.

Co-writing can help you learn how to write your solo work, how to see things from other points of view, which enables you to assume the character of the singer, becoming the drifter, the lonely one, the joyful one, the angry one, the philosopher, anything a human can be and sing about.

There are great songs that were the product of one mind, great songs co-written by two, three, and more people. Getting involved in co-writes can be a great learning experience, or a pain in the (body part of choice here). It's what you bring to it, and what you take away from it that matters. Even an unsuccessful co-write can enrich your skills and open your mind to new things that may help you succeed, in commercial terms, and in your solo-writing. Don't be afraid to try it. It's not like you're committed forever, or changed forever, or married to it. It's just more experience you can benefit from.

There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? www.garyeandrews.com