Ask local jazz enthusiasts about vocalist Michael Summers, and they may refer to him as the “Michael Bublé of the 405.” This, however, is news to Summers. “You know what? I’m not offended,” Summers said. “He’s a great singer, for sure. I’ll take it!” While pleased with the comparison, he’s quick to note that he’s […]
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Let’s get heavy
Black Skies Photo: Mutter It’s difficult to affix a name to a genre. As soon as one is figured out, two more subgenres spring out from under it. For example, “heavy metal” is an all-encompassing term for music that is harder and darker than your typical three-minute pop ditties. But beyond that are its ever-increasing […]
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Magnificent 7
Photo: Nathan Poppe Right in the thick of a deep run into the NBA playoffs, Oklahoma City came together earlier this year in not only a frenzy of fandom, but a dawning realization that this indeed is a major-league city and, by extension, state. Somewhere between the OKC Thunder sweeping the Dallas Mavericks and taking […]
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Copperheads — Apocalyptic Behavior
Turns out they were just gently working out the kinks on their hellacious debut LP, Apocalyptic Behavior, on Okie Dope Records. This is just as strong as anything like-minded contemporaries Ty Segall or Thee Oh Sees are pumping out, only truer to the wellspring of ’70s punk that inspired the garage revival in the first […]
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Full ‘Circles’
Americana artist Greg Reichel describes his music as “very real and soulful.” And while many singer-songwriters typically use such terms to describe their sound, Reichel believes he goes out of his way to prove it. “I try to write with as much soul as I can, instead of just throwing a song together,” he said. […]
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‘Free’ at last
Rap has long held domain over comedy skits between songs until country crooner Jerrod Niemann laid claim to them with his breakout 2010 album, Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury. “We were just laughing, having a blast and couldn’t stop between takes,” said the self-described half-Oklahoman who grew up in Liberal, Kan. “We’d get these […]
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The Man with the Iron Fists — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The compilation is packed with hip-hop heavyweights like Kanye West, Pusha T, Talib Kweli and Wiz Khalifa. Also making appearances are the remainder of the Wu-Tang Clan, R&B singers Corinne Bailey Rae and Mable John, and indie rock band The Black Keys. First things first: You can’t really go wrong with Wu-Tang, whether it’s a […]
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Wanda Jackson — Unfinished Business
Here she builds on the success of last year’s The Party Ain’t Over, her collaboration with Jack White, but unlike that effort, this album is raw, spare and constructed to showcase the Oklahoma-born-and-bred Jackson’s prodigious gifts. Ample credit goes to Justin Townes Earle, who produced this 10-song collection of blues, country, gospel and soul covers. […]
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‘Grease’ girl
Although Olivia Newton-John earned her stripes well before starring in 1978’s Grease and released her debut album an entire decade before 1981’s Physical, odds are that when you think of the Australian pop star, you think of one of two things: black hot pants or a leotard. Despite those benchmarks, she has performed nonstop for […]
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Helio, you must be going
For a lot of bands, discovering that your studio’s been submerged under a foot of water would prove catastrophic. Such an undesirable dilemma was forced upon The Helio Sequence after the release of its breakthrough 2009 album, Keep Your Eyes Ahead. Yet, while the alt-rock act could have sulked knee-deep in the liquid that pervaded […]