Miranda Lambert’s “Law & Order: SVU” episode airing Feb. 8
Miranda Lambert (AP file)
NBC has announced the airdate for country music star Miranda Lambert’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” guest appearance.
The Tishomingo resident will make her acting debut in the episode titled “Father’s Shadow,” airing at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8.
Here is the episode synopsis:
Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay) finds herself in danger when a rape investigation spirals into a hostage crisis. Harry Connick Jr., Miranda Lambert and Michael McKean guest star. An aspiring actress is found unconscious in Central Park with drugs in her system and evidence of sexual trauma. Detectives Benson (Hargitay) and Amaro (Danny Pino) pay a visit to the reality show producer (guest star McKean) for whom she had auditioned just before the attack, and stop him from assaulting another actress (guest star Lambert) on the casting couch. The detectives arrest the producer, but the situation turns dangerous when his distraught son takes drastic action in order to get his father out of jail. Meanwhile, Benson and Executive ADA David Haden (guest star Connick) grow closer. Also starring Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Dann Florek (Captain Donald Cragen), Richard Belzer (Sergeant John Munch) and Kelli Giddish (Detective Amanda Rollins.) Special appearance by Linus Roache (Bureau Chief Mike Cutter.)
-BAM
Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith and more earn ACM Award nominations
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert (AP file)
From Friday’s The Oklahoman.
Oklahomans nominated in every major ACM Awards category
Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, Thompson Square and Rascal Flatts will represent the Sooner State when the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards are handed out April 1 in Las Vegas.
At least one Oklahoma star is nominated in every major category of this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards.
Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, Thompson Square and Rascal Flatts will represent the Sooner State when the 47th annual ACM Awards are handed out April 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. For the second straight year, Oklahoma natives Shelton and Reba McEntire will co-host the show, which will air live on CBS.
Shelton, who lives in Tishomingo, is among the nominees for the top prize, entertainer of the year, along with Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney, who earned a leading nine nominations. For the fifth year, the entertainer award will be fan-voted, with balloting beginning March 19 at Ö www.VoteACM.com.
“The support I have felt this week is overwhelming,” Shelton said in a statement. “Thank you everyone for this honor.”
The Ada native will contend for male vocalist of the year, too.
Miranda Lambert, Shelton’s wife and fellow Tishomingo denizen, will compete for the female vocalist title, while her “Four the Record” is nominated for album of the year, an award she has won twice previously. with her 2007 release “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and her 2009 effort “Revolution.”
Carrie Underwood (AP file)
Checotah native Carrie Underwood also will vie for the female vocalist honor, while she and Paisley share a vocal event of their year nomination for their chart-topping duet “Remind Me.”
Norman resident Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” is more than just a cup, it’s a two-time nominee. The rowdy party anthem is up for single record of the year, earning Keith a double nomination as the song’s artist and producer. The star-studded viral video, which has notched more than 10 million YouTube views, got a video of the year nod.
Vince Gill, who hails from Oklahoma City, is a double nominee in the song of the year race as the artist and co-writer of “Threaten Me with Heaven,” the first single from his 2011 album “Guitar Slinger.” Gill wrote the poignant ballad with his wife Amy Grant, Dillon O’Brian and the late Will Owsley.
Vince Gill (AP file)
Trio Rascal Flatts, which includes Picher-bred guitarist Joe Don Rooney, is nominated for vocal group of the year.
Thompson Square, which includes Miami, OK, native Keifer Thompson and his wife Shawna, earned a nomination in the vocal duo category.
In addition, Thompson Square is among the eight semi-finalists for new artist of the year. Fan voting continues through 11 a.m. Monday to narrow the newcomer race to three finalists. Balloting to pick the new artist winner will resume March 19 at Ö www.VoteACM.com.
Among the industry awards, three Oklahoma music locales are nominated: WinStar World Casino in Thackerville for casino of the year; the Wormy Dog Saloon in Oklahoma City for nightclub of the year; and the BOK Center in Tulsa for venue of the year. Plus, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill in Minneapolis, Minn., is nominated in the nightclub category.
Also, Cash and Carey (Natalie Cash and Jim Carey) of KWEN-FM in Tulsa are nominated for on-air radio personality of the year in the medium market category.
The academy announced the nominees Tuesday morning in its first-ever digital press conference, with singer Lionel Richie, actress Beth Behrs, TV personality Nancy O’Dell and TV journalist Michael Ausiello presenting the nominations via YouTube videos that were posted on the ACM’s Twitter and Facebook pages.
To see the full list of nominees, click here.
-BAM
2012 ACM Awards nominations: At least one Oklahoman is nominated in every major category
Blake Shelton
At least one Oklahoman is competing in every major category of the upcoming ACM Awards.
The Academy of Country Music announced the nominees for its 47th annual ACM Awards this morning in a digital press conference via Twitter and Facebook. Among the nominees with Oklahoma ties are Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood, Thompson Square, Vince Gill and Rascal Flatts.
Shelton and Reba will co-host the ACM Awards as they are broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 1 on CBS.
Among the industry awards, three Oklahoma places to see a show are nominated: WinStar World Casino in Thackerville for casino of the year; the Wormy Dog Saloon in Oklahoma City for nightclub of the year; and the BOK Center in Tulsa for venue of the year.
Also, Cash and Carey (Natalie Cash and Jim Carey) of KWEN-FM in Tulsa are nominated for on-air radio personality of the year in the medium market category.
Here are the nominees in the major categories, with the Oklahomans marked with an *. Look for the musician, technical, radio and other industry award nominations after the break.
Entertainer of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
* Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift
Miranda Lambert
Female Vocalist of the Year
Sara Evans
* Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
* Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
* Blake Shelton
Chris Young
Thompson Square
Vocal Duo of the Year
Love and Theft
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland
* Thompson Square
Vocal Group of the Year
The Band Perry
Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
* Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band
Album of the year (Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company)
Chief – Eric Church (EMI-Nashville)
Produced by: Arturo Buenahora, Jr., Jay Joyce
* Four The Record – Miranda Lambert (RCA)
Produced by: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf
Hemingway’s Whiskey – Kenny Chesney (BNA)
Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney
My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean (Broken Bow Records)
Produced by: Michael Knox
Own The Night – Lady Antebellum (Capitol Records Nashville)
Produced by: Lady Antebellum, Paul Worley
Toby Keith
Single Record of the Year (Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company)
Crazy Girl – Eli Young Band (Republic Nashville)
Produced by: Mike Wrucke
Don’t You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson (Broken Bow Records)
Produced by: Michael Knox
* Red Solo Cup – Toby Keith (Show Dog-Universal Music)
Produced by: Toby Keith
Tomorrow – Chris Young (RCA)
Produced by: James Stroud
You And Tequila – Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter (BNA)
Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney
Song of the Year (Award to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s))
Crazy Girl – Eli Young Band
Composers: Lee Brice, Liz Rose
Publishers: Cake Taker Music (BMI), Mike Curb Music (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Sweet Hysteria Music (BMI)
Home – Dierks Bentley
Composers: Brett Beavers, Dierks Bentley, Dan Wilson
Publishers: Big White Tracks (ASCAP), Chestnut Barn Music (BMI), Chrysalis Music/BMG Rights (ASCAP), Chrysalis One Songs (BMI)
Just A Kiss – Lady Antebellum
Composers: Dallas Davidson, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott
Publishers: Dwhaywood Music (BMI), EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI), EMI Foray Music (SESAC), Hillary Dawn Songs (SESAC), Radiobulletspublishing (BMI), String Stretcher Music (BMI) Warner-Tamberlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)
* Threaten Me With Heaven – Vince Gill
Composers: Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Dillon O’Brian, Will Owsley
Publishers: Grant Girls Music (ASCAP), Vinny Mae Music (BMI), Willie-O Music (ASCAP)
You And Tequila – Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter
Composers: Matraca Berg, Deana Carter
Publishers: Deanaling Music (ASCAP), Hannaberg Music (BMI), Songs of Universal Inc., (BMI), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)
Video of the Year (Award to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)) *(Off Camera Award)
Homeboy – Eric Church
Producer: Brandon Arolfo
Director: Peter Zavadil
Just A Kiss – Lady Antebellum
Producer: Don Lepore
Director: Shawn Silva
Mean – Taylor Swift
Producer: Oualid Mouaness
Director: Declan Whitebloom
* Red Solo Cup – Toby Keith
Producer: Mark Kalbfeld
Director: Michael Salomon
Tattoos On This Town – Jason Aldean
Producer: John Burke
Director: Wes Edwards
Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley (AP file)
Vocal Event of the Year (Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company) *(Off Camera Award)
Country Boy – Aaron Lewis Featuring George Jones & Charlie Daniels (R&J Records)
Produced by: Aaron Lewis, James Stroud
Don’t You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson (Broken Bow Records)
Produced by: Michael Knox
Old Alabama – Brad Paisley Featuring Alabama (Arista Nashville)
Produced by: Frank Rogers
* Remind Me – Brad Paisley Duet With Carrie Underwood (Arista Nashville)
Produced by: Frank Rogers
You And Tequila – Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter (BNA)
Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney (more…)
Services set for Dick Shelton, father of Blake Shelton, in Ada
Services have been set for Saturday in Ada for Dick Shelton, father of country music star Blake Shelton.
Dick Shelton, 71, died Tuesday. He had been struggled with declining health in the past year.
Blake Shelton, who rescheduled four tour dates to be with his family during this difficult time, posted this photo of himself with his father at BlakeShelton.com with the words “in memory.” Shelton’s wife and fellow country star Miranda Lambert also postponed three shows to be with her husband and his family.
Blake Shelton, an Ada native who now lives in Tishomingo, thanked his fans for their support on his website:
“I appreciate your understanding during this difficult time and thank you for all your prayers. Your support means the world to me. I love you guys,” Blake Shelton said in the statement.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the Shelton family.
-BAM
Hits by Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert and more featured on “Country Dance All Stars” Kinect game
Brooks & Dunn (AP file)
GameMill Entertainment, an independent publisher of entertaining mass-market video games, today announced plans to release “Country Dance All Stars,” an entertaining dance game with bonus sing-along features that will be packed with dozens of hits from favorite country chart-toppers. “Country Dance All Stars,” which launches exclusively on Kinect for Xbox 360 in March, will become the first country music dance game to hit the platform, according to the announcement.
“Country Dance All Stars” will feature more than 35 tracks from the best names in country music, including 18 of last year’s Country Music Association Awards winners like Male and Female Vocalists of the Year Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, who live in Tishomingo; Album of the Year winner Jason Aldean; and Vocal Duo of the Year Lady Antebellum.
Songs from Checotah native Carrie Underwood and fellow superstars Brad Paisley, Zac Brown Band and Eric Church also will headline the dance party.
Of course, what country dance game would be complete without former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn crooning the Brooks & Dunn smash “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”?
Here is a partial list of the in-game soundtrack revealed today:
Alan Jackson – “Good Time”
Ashton Shepard – “Look It Up”
Billy Currington – “People Are Crazy”
Blake Shelton – “All About Tonight”
Brad Paisley – “Water”
Brooks & Dunn – “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”
Carrie Underwood – “Cowboy Cassanova”
Chad Brownlee – “Carried Away”
Dierks Bentley – “What Was I Thinking”
Easton Corbin – “Roll With It”
Eric Church – “Hell On The Heart”
Gwyneth Paltrow – “Shake That Thing”
Jason Aldean – “My Kinda Party”
Josh Turner – “Why Don’t We Just Dance”
Katie Armiger – “Best Song Ever”
Kellie Pickler – “Tough”
Lady Antebellum – “Lookin’ For A Good Time”
Laura Bell Bundy – “Giddy On Up”
Miranda Lambert – “White Liar”
Zac Brown Band – “Chicken Fried”
“Country Dance All Stars,” the next iteration in the top-selling “Country Dance” video game franchise, brings a whole new hands-free experience to the dance party. Your body becomes the controller as you kick up your boots and dance your way through more than 35 hot routines and songs. Players can challenge a friend to a dance-off with simultaneous competitive play or work together to pull off the moves and collectively build a top score. Boost your boot-scootin’ skills with all new line-dancing routines, and don’t be afraid to belt it out with scrolling sing-along lyrics. Plus, players can share the fun with friends as the Kinect sensor snaps photos throughout each routine. Plus, new downloadable content (DLC) support allows gamers to keep the party going with downloadable song packs featuring new choreography that will be released post launch.
Additional songs and features as well as pricing will be announced at a later date. “Country Dance All Stars” for Kinect for Xbox 360 is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information, go to www.game-mill.com.
-BAM
Miranda Lambert reschedules shows after the death of Blake Shelton’s father
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert
As reported last night, Ada-born and bred country music star Blake Shelton is mourning the passing of his father, Dick Shelton, who died Tuesday evening in Oklahoma.
Due to his father’s passing, Shelton is rescheduling four dates on his “Well Lit & Amplified Tour.” To read about the rescheduled dates, click here.
Shelton’s wife and fellow country country star Miranda Lambert also is rescheduling three dates on her “On Fire” tour after her father-in-law’s death. To read about Lambert’s rescheduled dates, click here.
“Thank you to the fans for all the support and prayers. This is a really difficult time for our family and the most important thing is being together. Tell your loved ones you love them. See you next week,” Lambert writes on her website.
Dick Shelton, who had been in declining health the past year, was surrounded by loved ones in Oklahoma when he died. His son, who lives in Tishomingo, was visibly emotional when he paid tribute to his father during last month’s American Country Awards; at the time, Dick Shelton was in the hospital with pneumonia.
“I appreciate your understanding during this difficult time and thank you for all your prayers. Your support means the world to me. I love you guys,” Shelton said in a statement posted Tuesday on his website.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Shelton family.
-BAM
RIP Dick Shelton, Blake Shelton’s father
Blake Shelton
Dick Shelton, father of Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton, has died in Oklahoma.
This message was posted this evening (Tuesday) at BlakeShelton.com:
It is with much sadness that we announce the passing of Blake Shelton’s father, Dick Shelton. Mr. Shelton, who was in declining health this past year, was surrounded by loved ones in Oklahoma upon his passing this evening.
Due to his father’s passing, Shelton is rescheduling four dates on his “Well Lit & Amplified Tour.” To read about the rescheduled dates, click here.
“I appreciate your understanding during this difficult time and thank you for all your prayers. Your support means the world to me. I love you guys,” Shelton said in a statement on his site.
Shelton will sing “America the Beautiful” with his wife Miranda Lambert before the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, while the second season of the hit reality TV show “The Voice,” which features Shelton as a celebrity coach, will air after the big game. The “Honey Bee” singer also is contending for three Grammys next month.
Our thoughts are with the Shelton family at this time.
-BAM
Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Kelly Clarkson to perform before the Super Bowl; Madonna to put on halftime show
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert (AP file)
Oklahoma country music stars Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert will perform as part of the Super Bowl pregame festivities Feb. 5 in Indianapolis. The Tishomingo residents will sing “America the Beautiful” before the big game at Lucas Oil Stadium, according to the Associated Press.
“American Idol” Kelly Clarkson will perform the National Anthem during the pregame. The Super Bowl is historically the biggest television event of the year.
Shelton is a celebrity judge on “The Voice,” the hit singing competition on NBC, which is broadcasting the Super Bowl this year.
The hotly anticipated second season of “The Voice” premieres on a special night and time at approximately 9 to 10 p.m. Feb. 5 following Super Bowl XLVI on NBC. The reality TV show will then settle into its regular time slot of 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays (8-10 p.m. ET) beginning Feb. 6.
Lambert and Clarkson will serve as celebrity advisers for Shelton’s team on “The Voice” during the second season.
The NFL announced in December that Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Madonna will perform at halftime of the league’s title game.
-BAM
BAM’s all-Oklahoma top 10 albums of 2011
A version of this column appears in Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
BAM’s top 10 albums of 2011
Column: Oklahoma recording artists from across the musical spectrum made beautiful music and reached impressive milestones in the year just past.
For fans of Oklahoma music, it’s hard to imagine a more exciting year than 2011.
Tulsa Sound pioneer Leon Russell finally made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and then the Songwriters Hall of Fame for good measure, Owasso-based country star Garth Brooks joined Uncle Leon in the songwriters’ club, and Chockie ranch girl Reba McEntire and Pauls Valley native Jean Shepard were ushered into country’s hallowed hall.
Tishomingo denizens Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert squeezed in their wedding between his reality TV breakout on NBC’s “The Voice” and the release of his latest LP and her launch of side project Pistol Annies and work on not one but two albums. On the red dirt scene, Cody Canada & The Departed arrived to soothe those saddened by the breakup of Cross Canadian Ragweed, while The Great Divide reunited after more than eight years after the original lineup split.
Maud native and rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson teamed with White Stripe Jack White to make a barn burner of a comeback record, former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn made his solo debut after two decades with country duo Brooks & Dunn, and teenage Internet sensation Greyson Chance of Edmond and country duo Thompson Square, featuring Miami, OK, native Keifer Thompson, released splashy debut albums.
Oklahoma City-based rock ’n’ roll mad scientists the Flaming Lips experimented the year away, recording six- and 24-hour-long songs; releasing music on USB drives encased in gummy fetuses, $5,000 real human skulls and strobe-light gizmos; and finally inviting Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon to ring in 2012 at their fifth annual New Year’s Eve Freakout.
With all those milestones, the decision to make my top 10 albums list of 2011 an all-Okie affair was easy. Figuring out who would make the final cut, now that was hard.
1. Miranda Lambert “Four the Record” (RCA Nashville) and Pistol Annies “Hell on Heels” (Columbia Nashville)
The Texas native not only fired off a fourth solo album even better than its Grammy-winning, game-changing predecessor (2009’s “Revolution”) but also lit the fuse on a doozy of a side project with her all-girl trio Pistol Annies. Between the two albums, she wrote or co-wrote 14 songs and cut a total of two-dozen, matching her impressive output with prodigious quality.
On “Four the Record,” she confidently covers a wide range of topics, emotions and musical styles, from the blazing bad-girl anthem “Fastest Girl in Town” and the galloping breakup freakout “Mama’s Broken Heart” to the affectionate celebration of diversity “All Kinds of Kinds” to the gorgeous ode to her adopted home state “Oklahoma Sky.”
With their first effort as the Pistol Annies, Lambert and fellow singer-songwriters Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley ignited the country charts with their old-school sound, sharp songsmithing and take-no-prisoners attitude. They’re pretty, they’re smart, and they’re going to say and do whatever they want. And they’re coming for you.
2. Cody Canada & The Departed “This Is Indian Land” (Underground Sound/Apex Nashville)
I can’t think of a better entrance for a new band so rooted in Oklahoma’s red dirt scene than this homage to the state’s songwriting greats. The Departed — former Cross Canadian Ragweed singer/songwriter/guitarist Canada, ex-Ragweed bassist/singer Jeremy Plato, Texas guitarist Seth James, Tulsa keyboardist/organist Steve Littleton and Yukon drummer David Bowen — tunefully pay tribute to the finely crafted story-songs of Tom Skinner, Bob Childers, Greg Jacobs and more with a debut that leaves you eager for more.
3. Wanda Jackson “The Party Ain’t Over (Nonesuch/ Third Man Records)
As he did with Loretta Lynn on her 2004 album, “Van Lear Rose,” producer/guitarist Jack White — the rocker best known for fronting The White Stripes — again demonstrates his masterful knack for celebrating a veteran performer’s storied past while still pushing her out of her comfort zone. This “Party” celebrates Jackson’s rock ’n’ roll trailblazing with smoking covers of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates’ “Shakin’ All Over” and Bob Dylan’s “Thunder on the Mountain” and recalls her country and gospel days with a funked-up version of “Dust on the Bible” and a stripped-down rendition of Jimmie Rodgers’ “Blue Yodel #6.” At 74, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is still “the sweet lady with the nasty voice.”
4. The Damn Quails “Down the Hatch” (598 Recordings)
After just two years of making music as a duo, Norman-based singer-songwriters Bryon White and Gabriel Marshall earned national and international acclaim with their debut album, which features a rootsy sound both distinctly Oklahoman and uniquely their own. As each of the 14 earthy tracks comes “Down the Hatch,” it becomes increasingly clear the fertile Oklahoma music scene has nurtured a pair of exceptionally talented country-folk performers. Get the binoculars; you’re going to want to watch these birds.
5. Broncho “Can’t Get Past the Lips” (self released)
Here’s what I love about Oklahoma music: It turns out The Damn Quails weren’t the only Norman-based upstarts who released a standout debut record in the year just past. Broncho, the side project for Starlight Mints keyboardist Ryan Lindsey, forcefully declared that punk was not dead with its brawny, frenetic “Can’t Get Past the Lips.” As a bonus, the manic standout track “Try Me Out Sometime” deservedly made NPR’s list of five garage rock favorites from 2011.
6. Stoney LaRue “Velvet” (B Side Music Group)
Warm, smooth and surprisingly mellow, the red dirt star’s long-awaited second studio album fulfilled the promise of its luxurious title. The follow-up to “The Red Dirt Album,” the Edmond resident’s 2005 debut studio effort, “Velvet” was more than worth the wait, showcasing a more mature, finely crafted sound that maintains its rootsy authenticity.
7. Other Lives “Tamer Animals” (TBD Records)
After 14 months of painstakingly sculpting their sophomore album in their Stillwater studio space, the orchestral pop-rockers were richly rewarded for the elegantly lovely fruits of their labor: The band toured with Bon Iver in 2011, and they are joining none other than Radiohead on the road in February. Catch them in concert Jan. 26 at Tulsa’s Fassler Hall or Jan. 27 at Oklahoma City’s Blue Note Lounge because we will soon be forced to love Other Lives and their evocative music from afar.
8. Colourmusic “My __ is Pink” (Memphis Industries)
Like Other Lives, experimental rock quartet Colourmusic spent months in its Stillwater recording lab conjuring up its second album. With “Pink,” the neo-psychedelic wizards tried out a distinctively different sonic formula from their fantastic 2008 debut “F, Monday, Orange, February, Venus, Lunatic, 1 or 13.” Although their sophomore effort featured a much tougher and more aggressive sound, it maintained those beautifully mesmerizing melodies. I still get goose bumps on my goose bumps hearing their 10-minute epic “The Little Death (In Five Parts).”
9. Vince Gill “Guitar Slinger” (MCA Nashville)
The Country Music Hall of Famer was never going to match the scope and audacity of his four-disc, 43-track box set “These Days,” which won the 2006 Grammy for best country album and earned an overall album of the year nomination. But the Norman-born, Oklahoma City-bred singer/songwriter/guitarist didn’t disappoint with his 12-track follow-up, which channeled Motown with “Tell Me Fool,” memorialized Billie Holiday on “When the Lady Sings the Blues” and passionately pondered life and mortality on the Grammy-nominated first single “Threaten Me With Heaven.”
10. St. Vincent “Strange Mercy” (4AD)
The Tulsa-born singer/songwriter/guitarist also known as Annie Clark continues to make music reminiscent of a diamond-bladed scalpel: The otherworldly vocals and lush melodies possess a delicate beauty, but St. Vincent’s pointed lyrics and finely honed guitar hooks will cut you open as ruthlessly as the “Surgeon” she pleads with on her third album.
-BAM
Miranda Lambert’s “Four the Record” goes gold
Country music star Miranda Lambert, who lives in Tishomingo, is starting the New Year with some shiny new metal. Her latest album, “Four the Record,” has achieved gold status faster than any of her three previous albums, all of which have been certified platinum.
Released Nov. 1, 2011, “Four The Record,” garnered rave reviews from the press and ended up on many album of the year lists including Rolling Stone, USA Today, People Magazine, American Songwriter, The Houston Chronicle and many others. In fact, Rolling Stone called it “…her most easeful and assured effort yet,” and added the song “Mama’s Broken Heart” to their singles of the year list.
See how “Four the Record” fared on my album of the year list Wednesday here at BAM’s Blog, on NewsOK and in The Oklahoman.
“Over You,” is the recently released second single from “Four The Record,” and is one of the most personal lyrics of her career. Written by Lambert and husband Blake Shelton, the song is about Shelton’s brother who died in a car accident when Shelton was a teenager.
Lambert kicks off her new headline tour “On Fire,” on Thursday in Rockford, Ill. Featuring two of country’s hottest acts Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann, the coast-to-coast tour will play more than 30 cities.
-BAM
