New releases for Oct. 16, 2012: Tulsa-based writers P.C. and Kristin Cast release “Hidden,” 10th book in their best-selling “House of Night” series
Kristin and P.C. Cast
Tulsa mother-and-daughter writing team P.C. and Kristin Cast release today the 10th book in their wildly popular “House of Night” vampire series. Titled “Hidden,” the eighth book in the young-adult fantasy series continues the exploits of 16-year-old fledgling “vampyre” Zoey Redbird, a student at the House of Night boarding school in Tulsa.
The Casts’ “House of Night” series has nearly 12 million copies in print and rights sold in 38 countries. The series is an international phenomenon, reaching No. 1 on the U.S., German, and UK bestseller lists, remaining a fixture on the New York Times Children’s Series bestseller list for more than 140 weeks and counting.
P.C. Cast and best-selling paranormal author Gena Showalter, who lives in Oklahoma City, will celebrate their release of their duology “After Moonrise” next Tuesday, Oct. 23 with a signing at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 6100 N May Ave. in Oklahoma City. Look for my interview with the authors on Monday. For more information on the signing, go to www.barnesandnoble.com.
For classic country music fans, Jamey Johnson releases today his new album “Living for a Song: Tribute to Hank Cochran.” To salute Cochran, the late, great songwriting legend who died in 2010, Johnson collaborated with a veritable constellation of music superstars, from Alison Krauss and Merle Haggard to Elvis Costello and former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn.
For the homage, Johnson teamed with Oklahoma natives Vince Gill and Leon Russell to cut Cochran’s “A Way to Survive.” Country Music Hall of Famer Willie Nelson joined the trio of Johnson, Gill and Russell for “Everything But You.”
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books out this week:
CDs
Jamey Johnson, “Living for a Song: Tribute to Hank Cochran.”
Jason Aldean, “Night Train.”
Scotty McCreery, Christmas with Scotty McCreery.”
Donald Fagen, “Sunken Condos.”
Dethklok, “Dethalbum III (Deluxe Edition).”
A Fine Frenzy, “Pines.”
Brandy, “Two Eleven (Deluxe Version).”
Placido Domingo, “Songs.”
DVDs
2016 Obama’s America
Airborne
Alcatraz: The Complete Series
Chernobyl Diaries
A Christmas Kiss
Excision
The Firm: The Complete First Season
The Forgiveness of Blood
The Heart of Christmas
The Lucky One
Mad Men: Season Five
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Moonrise Kingdom
Psych: The Complete Sixth Season
That’s My Boy
Touch: The Complete First Season
Turn Me On, Dammit!
Books
Hidden (House of Night) by P. C. Cast, Kristin Cast
The Bone Bed (A Scarpetta Novel) by Patricia Cornwell
Hungry Girl to the Max!: The Ultimate Guilt-Free Cookbook by Lisa Lillien
The Twelve (Book Two of The Passage Trilogy): A Novel by Justin Cronin
The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 2 TP by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard
The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden by Mark Bowden
The Panther (John Corey) by Nelson DeMille
-BAM
Jamey Johnson to salute Hank Cochran with new album, featuring duets with Vince Gill, Leon Russell & Ronnie Dunn
Jamey Johnson (AP file)
Grammy-nominated country singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson’s next album will be a collaborative effort to celebrate the late, great songwriter Hank Cochran.
“Livin’ for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran” will consist of duets between Johnson and several other musical celebrities, including Oklahoma natives Vince Gill and Leon Russell and former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn.
Hank Cochran
According to the Associated Press, the album also will include Johnson duets with Willie Nelson, George Strait, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Ray Price, Bobby Bare and Kris Kristofferson.
The 16-track collection will feature some of Cochran’s best-known hits, including “I Fall to Pieces,” performed with Merle Haggard, and “Make the World Go Away,” with Alison Krauss.
The album will come out Sept. 25 on vinyl and Oct. 16 in other formats.
Cochran died in July 2010 at 74. According to the AP, Johnson sang at Hank Cochran’s bedside in the hours before his death.
-BAM
Video: Joe Cocker to perform “Delta Lady” tonight at Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre show
Grammy-winning rocker Joe Cocker has promised that “Delta Lady,” his iconic ballad written by Oklahoma native Leon Russell, will be part of his set when he plays tonight at Oklahoma City’s Zoo Amphitheatre, 2101 NE 50.
Cocker recorded “Delta Lady” for his 1969 solo album “Joe Cocker!,” and the next year, he and Uncle Leon put together a 40-piece band and toured the world as Mad Dogs & Englishmen. That run resulted in a hit movie and one of the bestselling albums of Cocker’s career.
It also made a star out of Russell, but Cocker hasn’t spoken to the Oklahoma-born Mad Dogs bandleader in 42 years, reports The Oklahoman‘s Entertainment Editor Gene Triplett.
“Well, you know, it was well publicized at the time that we kind of fell out at the end of the tour,” Cocker told Gene in a recent interview. “I don’t know what it was. It was 1970 and you know, I mean, for me, I’m just a kid from Sheffield who came over from England and, you know, going into all the wrong substances too quickly. And by the end of the tour I was pretty much a wreck. I’ll own up to it.
“But I’ve never blamed it on Leon. I’ve always thought he was an incredible pianist and writer. But he did, he left a message one time saying, ‘Tell Joe I’m ready to put Mad Dogs together again.’ But I said, ‘I’m not.’ ’Cause I just didn’t wanna go. You know, the pressure I took. Being the front man on that package, even though it was Mad Dogs and Englishmen, my name was always at the fore and I did all the press on that tour. And I just didn’t want to. It’s not like putting the Eagles together, you know what I mean? … I mean there’s nothing to say I wouldn’t work with Leon again. He did that thing with Elton John recently. They came up with some good stuff.”
To read more of Gene’s feature on Cocker, click here.
Along with “Delta Lady,” Cocker, 68, promised that he will belt plenty of his big hits at tonight’s show, which starts at 7:30 p.m. with openers Huey Lewis & The News.
“We blast ’em hot and hard, with ‘Feelin’ Alright,’ ‘You Are So Beautiful,’ ‘Up Where We Belong,’ ‘You Can Leave Your Hat On,’ ‘Unchain My Heart’ … We kind of swing through a few memories there.”
For more information, go to www.zooamp.com.
-BAM
Cameron Crowe’s Leon Russell and Elton John documentary “The Union” airing tonight on HBO
“The Union,” a documentary directed by Cameron Crowe (“Almost Famous”) capturing musical legends Elton John and Lawton native Leon Russell as they collaborated on their 2010 duets album, debuts at 8 p.m. tonight on HBO, reports NewsOK TV blogger Melissa Hayer.
Here is a summary of the film, provided by HBO:
After 38 years of not seeing or speaking to Leon Russell, Elton John listens to Russellʼs greatest hits album while on safari in Africa with his partner David Furnish. He is moved to tears. Distraught at the thought that Russell – whom John considers one of his greatest musical influences – has seemingly fallen into obscurity, he vows to contact his idol and propose that they collaborate on an album together.
So begins “The Union,” an unprecedented personal look into the making of John and Russellʼs acclaimed album of the same name. Stepping into The Village studio in Los Angeles, director Cameron Crowe captures a myriad of intimate moments involving the two artists, including the first-ever filming of John composing music to lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, his longtime collaborator. Underscoring Johnʼs desire that the new album sound like one of Russellʼs classics, the film is filled with concert footage of John and Russell throughout their careers, including Johnʼs first U.S. appearance at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, a show attended by Russell.
-BAM
Video: LookatOKC’s “Got It Covered” – K.C. Clifford and David Broyles take on Leon Russell’s “Superstar”
My excellent colleagues George Lang and Kyle Roberts continue their latest video series for LOOKatOKC called “Got It Covered.”
In the latest episode, husband-and-wife Oklahoma City musicians K.C. Clifford and David Broyles take on Tulsa Sound pioneer Leon Russell’s “Superstar.” Russell co-wrote the song, initially titled “Groupie (Superstar),” with Bonnie Bramlett, and it was originally recorded by Delaney & Bonnie and Friends in 1969.
In 1971, it became a big hit for the Carpenters, and since Clifford is an unabashed fan of the sibling duo, she selected “Superstar” from the roster of 12 songs by Oklahoma artists on the “Got It Covered” list.
For more information on the series, go to http://lookatokc.newsok.com/got-it-covered.
-BAM
13 Days of Oklahoma Music: Leon Russell joins the rock and roll and songwriters halls of fame
The 13 Days of Oklahoma Music continue here at BAM’s Blog, as we look back on the musical milestones state artists experienced in the past year as 2011 draws to a close.
Tulsa Sound pioneer Leon Russell’s 2010 resurgence powered through 2011.
After 50 years of rocking, the Lawton native officially rolled into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, with British superstar Elton John, with whom Russell recorded the 2010 duet album “The Union,” ushering him into the hall.
In April, Russell and John performed on “Saturday Night Live,” with the “Rocket Man” pulling double duty as host. Also in April, director Cameron Crowe’s (“Almost Famous”) documentary chronicling the making of “The Union” will open New York’s Tribeca Film Festival.
On May 1, the singer/songwriter/pianist known as Uncle Leon played the closing day of the Stagecoach Festival. In June, Russell and Oklahoma country superstar Garth Brooks were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
And in September, Russell returned to “Home Sweet Oklahoma” to play what was believed to be his first showcase at the state fair.
Hopefully, Russell, 69, will continue his comeback into 2012.
-BAM
New releases for Dec. 6, 2011: Amy Winehouse, Black Keys, Dia Frampton, “The Help,” “Cowboys & Aliens,” “The Debt”
Amy Winehouse’s posthumous album “Lioness: Hidden Treasures,” which features a cover of Oklahoma music icon Leon Russell’s “A Song for You,” is one of the most anticipated albums among this week’s new releases, which also include The Black Keys’ eagerly awaited new record, the seventh volume of show-choir covers featured on “Glee” and the post-”The Voice” debut of Dia Frampton, one of the singers Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton mentored on the first season of the hit reality TV show.
In the movies department, several summer films are getting their DVD and Blu-ray drops just in time for Christmas shopping, including “The Help,” “The Debt,” “Cowboys & Aliens,” “The Hangover Part II” and “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.”
Since I’m a University of Florida fan, I’d like to note that the Young Readers Edition of Tim Tebow’s book “Through My Eyes: A Quarterback’s Journey” is on bookshelves today.
Here are more new CDs, DVDs and books out this week, from Amazon.com, VideoETA.com and BarnesandNoble.com:
CDs
Amy Winehouse, “Lioness: Hidden Treasures.”
The Black Keys, “El Camino.”
“Glee” cast, “Glee: The Music 7.”
Dia Frampton, “Red.”
Neil Diamond, “Very Best of Neil Diamond.”
Doris Day, “My Heart (U.S. edition).”
Chevelle, “Hats off to the Bull.”
Korn, “The Path of Totality.”
The Roots, “Undun.”
DVDs
Big Love: The Complete Fifth Season
A Christmas Wedding Tail
Cowboys & Aliens
The Debt
The Hangover Part II
The Help
Law & Order: The Ninth Year
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Point Blank
The Simpsons: The Complete Fourteenth Season
Spongebob Squarepants: The Complete Seventh Season
The Three Investigators in the Secret of Skeleton Island
Books
Through My Eyes: A Quarterback’s Journey (Young Readers Edition) by Tim Tebow with Nathan Whitaker
Clockwork Prince Exclusive Edition (Infernal Devices Series #2) by Cassandra Clare
Red Mist (Kay Scarpetta Series #19) by Patricia Cornwell
Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James
One on One: Behind the Scenes with the Greats in the Game by John Feinstein
The Fire (Witch and Wizard Series #3) by James Patterson
Ruthless (Pretty Little Liars #10) by Sara Shepard
December 1941: 31 Days That Changed America and Saved the World by Craig Shirley
Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again by Donald J. Trump
-BAM
Video: Amy Winehouse covers Leon Russell’s “A Song for You” on posthumous album “Lioness: Hidden Treasures”
Amy Winehouse’s anticipated posthumous third album, ““Lioness: Hidden Treasures,” will be released Dec. 5 in the United Kingdom, and a day later in America, her team announced this week.
The Grammy-winning Brit died of alcohol poisoning in July; she was just 27 years old. She released just two albums, “Frank” and “Back to Black,” in her short lifetime, but those two albums have been incredibly influential. So, anticipation for the new album is sure to be sky-high.
For Oklahoma music fans, the album will include a special treat: A cover of Tulsa Sound pioneer and Lawton native Leon Russell’s wrenching signature ballad, “A Song for You.” Winehouse’s version of “A Song for You” will close “Lioness: Hidden Treasures.”
Here’s what the album announcement at AmyWinehouse.com says about “A Song for You”: heartbreaking and emotional version of the Leon Russell classic made famous by Donny Hathaway. Hathaway was Amy’s all-time favourite artist and the song was recorded in one take, just Amy and her guitar, at her home in London during the spring of 2009 as she battled her demons. Produced by Salaam Remi.
“A Song for You” is one of my all-time favorite Uncle Leon songs. Check out this YouTube video of Russell performing it back in 1971.
To read more about “Lioness: Hidden Treasures” click here.
-BAM
Amy Winehouse’s posthumous 3rd album “Lioness: Hidden Treasures” to close with cover of Leon Russell’s “A Song for You”
Following neo-soul chanteuse Amy Winehouse’s death in July, it was only a matter of time before the posthumous recordings began making their way to the marketplace.
After all, the Grammy-winning Brit released just two albums, “Frank” and “Back to Black,” in her short 27 years, but those two albums have been incredibly influential.
This week, Winehouse’s team announced that her posthumous third album, “Lioness: Hidden Treasures,” will be released Dec. 5 in the United Kingdom, and a day later in America.
For Oklahoma music fans, the album will include a special treat: A cover of Tulsa Sound pioneer and Lawton native Leon Russell’s wrenching signature ballad, “A Song for You.” Winehouse’s version of “A Song for You” will close “Lioness: Hidden Treasures.”
On Wednesday, producer Salaam Remi hosted a press listening this week for the forthcoming album, which consists of 12 tracks including covers and stripped-down versions of previously released Winehouse songs, with some completed in one take.
Remi said the soul singer had written all the songs she was planning to put on her third album, but she was not rushing to release that new material, instead planning to drop a jazz album first with a “supergroup” including ?uestlove of the Roots, reports the Associated Press.
Only two of the tracks Winehouse wrote were recorded and appear on “Lioness: Hidden Treasures,” according to the AP.
“She was taking her time with it, and at the end of the day all of her songs are somewhat autobiographical, so she had to live through something, then get out of it and then look back at it to be able to write about it,” Remi said.
“Who knows what will happen in the future with that,” he said of the songs she wrote.
Winehouse died from accidental alcohol poisoning at age 27. Her body was found at her London home July 23.
Here’s the album announcement, from AmyWinehouse.com:
Following her tragic passing in July, some of the producers and musicians who worked closely with Amy Winehouse, among them Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, spent time listening over the many recordings that Amy had made, before, during, and after the release of “Frank” and “Back To Black.” It was said by all who worked with Amy that she never sang or played a song the same way twice. It quickly became apparent to Salaam and Mark that they had a collection of songs that deserved to be heard, a collection of songs that were a fitting testament to Amy the artist and, as importantly, Amy their friend.
The 12-track collection features previously unreleased tracks, alternate versions of existing classics as well as a couple of brand-new Amy compositions, and has been compiled by longtime musical partners Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson in close association with Amy’s family, management and record label Island Records. “Lioness : Hidden Treasures” proves a fitting tribute to the artist, the talent and the woman and serves as a reminder of Amy’s extraordinary powers as a songwriter, a singer and an interpreter of classics.
See the album tracklist, with descriptions, after the break.
Video: Denver Duncan launches LookatOKC’s “Got It Covered” series with Roger Miller’s “King of the Road”
My excellent colleagues George Lang and Kyle Roberts have launched a new video series for LOOKatOKC called “Got It Covered.”
“Got It Covered” will feature 12 local musicians covering classic songs by Oklahoma artists. The series will last for 12 weeks and will shoot at 7 p.m. each Thursday at Saints, 715 NW 16 in the Plaza District. The pub is sponsoring the series.
Audiences are encouraged to show up 30 minutes before taping to enjoy each performance. Each video will debut the following Monday.
The singers, bands and musicians participating in the series select one of 12 songs to perform — first come, first served. The last musician to schedule a performance has to play the last song on the list, which includes signature songs from The Flaming Lips, Reba McEntire, Hanson, the GAP Band, Leon Russell, Wanda Jackson, Color Me Badd and other famed Oklahoma music stars. To see the full list, go to http://lookatokc.newsok.com/got-it-covered.
The next “Got It Covered” performance will be at 7 p.m. this Thursday at Saints, with Chase Kerby performing J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine.”
-BAM
