Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton record new duet for her forthcoming album “Four the Record”
Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton (AP file)
With less than two months until the release of her new album “Four The Record,” country music superstar Miranda Lambert, who lives in Tishomingo, has revealed at MirandaLambert.com a few details about the hotly anticipated Nov. 1 release.
“I’m so ready for the fans to hear it,” said Lambert on her website. “‘Baggage Claim’ is such a groovy song and I’m glad it’s the first single. But just like ‘Revolution,’ not one song represents the whole album. There are ‘All Kinds Of Kinds’ of music on the record, and I’m so excited for it to get out there.”
In addition to the 14-song album that will be released 11/1/11, there will also be a limited deluxe edition of the album that will include a bonus song and a DVD featuring Lambert sharing stories behind each song.
Perhaps the most exciting news for Lambert fans is that “Four the Record” will feature a duet with her husband, fellow country star and Tishomingo resident Blake Shelton, titled “Better In The Long Run.” The song was written by Ashley Monroe, one of Lambert’s “sisters”/bandmates in her new all-girl trio Pistol Annies, along with Lady Antebellum member Charles Kelley and songwriter Gordie Sampson.
Shelton and Lambert have made music together before, but their fans continue to clamor for more collaborations. The country stars first met when they were tasked to perform the classic “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma” together on “CMT’s 100 Greatest Duets Concert” in 2005. Lambert provided backing vocals on Shelton’s 2008 hit “Home” and on the title track of his new album “Red River Blue,” released in July. They also co-wrote and performed as a duet the fun ditty “Bare Skin Rug,” which closed Shelton’s 2008 album “Startin’ Fires.”
Of the 14 tracks on the album, Lambert wrote or co-wrote six of them, including first single “Baggage Claim,” which features Josh Kelley on background vocals and Steve Winwood on B-3 organ. Lambert’s friend Brandi Carlile, who sang at her wedding, penned “Same Old You,” and provided background vocals.
“To me, part of having a long career is to keep reinventing yourself, keep reinventing your music, and make it fresh. And it’s kind of crazy to think that I’m on my fourth record, and after what ‘Revolution’ did for my career, I was nervous, but what am I gonna do? So I just started writing, started collecting songs, finding songs, and listening to artists, and I just found that I’m gonna just let the music lead it. I just think I followed my heart,” Lambert said.
Last week, the reigning Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year received two CMA nominations for the upcoming awards show, including Female Vocalist and Music Event of the Year for her rendition of “Coal Miner’s Daughter” with Loretta Lynn, one of her musical heroes, and Sheryl Crow. The 45th Annual CMA Awards, co-hosted by Checotah native Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, will air live Nov. 9 on ABC.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Sept. 15, 2011: Check out the opening day of the Oklahoma State Fair
Today’s featured event:
Check out all the rides, games, food and more as the 2011 Oklahoma State Fair opens today at State Fair Park.
Along with an array of attractions and exhibits, today’s special events include the 7:30 p.m. performance of “Disney on Ice presents Toy Story 3″ in Jim Norick State Fair Arena and a free-with-gate-admission concert with Texas country-rockers the Eli Young Band on the Chesapeake Energy Stage.
For more information, go to www.oklahomastatefair.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: New “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″ trailer debuts
The latest trailer for the hotly anticipated sequel “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1,” the fourth movie based on Stephenie Meyer’s supernaturally popular vampire romance series, debuted today. Twi-hard fans are sure to find plenty to make them even more eager for Nov. 18 to get here.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: “The Wayman Tisdale Story” to air on ESPN this fall, be released on DVD Nov. 22
Embodying his life’s approach of compassion, courage, and optimism, “The Wayman Tisdale Story” is a feature-length documentary that offers a detailed account of the life of the late basketball star, jazz musician and Tulsa resident Wayman Tisdale. Told through his own words, “The Wayman Tisdale Story” journeys through Tisdale’s life from this childhood as a preacher’s son to his battle with cancer.
A story of human courage in the face of adversity, the documentary will air on ESPN and NBA TV this fall, with the DVD and CD/DVD release to follow Nov. 22 from Rendezvous Music/Mack Avenue. Check out the trailer posted in this Video Spotlight.
Rendezvous Music complements the telling of Wayman’s story with a soundtrack featuring 13 tracks, including the previously unreleased track, “Slam Dunk,” produced by Jeff Lorber, and “Cryin’ For Me,” which was written and performed as a tribute to Wayman by fellow Oklahoma musician Toby Keith. Check out the full track listing after the break.
While attending Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Tisdale became one of the most highly touted high school basketball players in the country. After high school he played basketball at The University of Oklahoma, where he became the first player in college basketball history to become a first team All-American in his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons. After winning the gold medal in the 1984 Olympic games, Tisdale decided to forgo his senior season at Oklahoma and entered the 1985 NBA draft. Over the next 12 years, Tisdale became an NBA star while playing for the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns.
A self-taught musician, Tisdale began playing the bass guitar during his father’s Sunday services. “He just always had a strong musical side and it was very important to him,” Michael Jordan explains in the documentary. As his basketball career was ending, he turned his focus to his self-described “first love” with the release of his debut jazz album, “Power Forward,” which climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard’s contemporary jazz charts. In his short musical career, he released nine eclectic jazz albums—”Power Forward” (1995), “In The Zone” (1996), “Decisions” (1998), “Face To Face” (2001), “Presents 21 Days” (2003), “Hang Time” (2004), “Way Up!” (2006), and” Rebound” (2008) and the posthumous “The Fonk Record” (2010)—four of which hit No. 1 on the jazz charts.
In 2007, Tisdale began a two-year battle with bone cancer, including chemotherapy and the amputation of part of his right leg. Presented with a debilitating condition, Tisdale used his faith, music, and positive outlook on life to help others through the Wayman Tisdale Foundation, established to assist individuals in need of prosthetic limbs who could not afford them. Wayman Tisdale passed away May 15, 2009 at the age of 44.
Featured at multiple film festivals throughout 2010, the documentary garnered Best Documentary accolades from the Park City Film and Music Festival and International Christian Film Festival, Best Sports Documentary from the Los Angeles Sports Film Festival, Audience Choice Award Runner-up at the Pan African Film Festival and the 2010 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Award.
Wednesday Video Spotlight: The Dirt Drifters’ “Something Better”
Warner Bros. Records’ road-tested honky-tonkers The Dirt Drifters released Tuesday their debut album, “This Is My Blood,” and will play a CD release show at 11 p.m. Friday at the Wormy Dog Saloon in Bricktown.
The hard-touring band, which features Moore natives Matt and Ryan Fleener, has been attracting a loyal following. Their first single “Something Better,” is a raucous toe-tapper worth dancing to.
The Dirt Drifters met in Nashville and are five musicians from four states with backgrounds from across the spectrum and a hunger to make music that matters. Their growing suspicion that they had something special was confirmed over and over as they took to the road. Fans in one club after another reacted as they always do in the presence of the real thing, and the Dirt Drifters began attracting a rabid and loyal following.
The Dirt Drifters are lead singer/guitarist Matt Fleener, vocalist/guitarist Ryan Fleener, vocalist/guitarist Jeff Middleton, bassist Jeremy Little and drummer Nick Diamond.
Look for my interview with Matt Fleener Friday here on BAM’s Blog, in The Oklahoman and on NewsOK.
For more information, go to www.wormydog.com.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: St. Vincent’s “Strange Mercy” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Tulsa-born singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist St. Vincent (AKA Annie Clark) released Tuesday her third album, “Strange Mercy.” It is the follow-up to her 2009 sophomore effort “Actor,” which made my top 10 list for that year.
Last month, St. Vincent played a show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in which she spotlighted a few of the songs from “Strange Mercy.” Check out these YouTube videos from the performance:
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Kristin Chenoweth touts first country album, “Some Lessons Learned”
Broken Arrow native Kristin Chenoweth has been making the rounds on television promoting her debut country album, “Some Lessons Learned,” which was released on Tuesday. You can look for my review of the album in the coming days.
In the meantime, check out these TV clips of the Tony- and Emmy-winning actress/singer performing her songs “Fathers and Daughters” and “I Want Somebody (Bitch About)” and chatting about her new album, performing on Oprah’s penultimate show and dining with Prince. She even gives a shout-out to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Foodie Film FEASTival runs Thursday-Sunday at OKC Museum of Art
My colleagues and I have many fascinating discussions here on the ninth floor of OPUBCO tower, and believe it or not, these conversations occasionally result in something other than us avoiding our daily newspaper and online duties.
One day, Food Dude Dave Cathey and Assistant Entertainment Editor George Lang started chatting about their favorite food-focused films. Before any of us could say cheese, Dave had contacted the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and proposed a food film festival. The museum ran with the idea, and the first – and hopefully annual – Foodie Film FEASTival will be Thursday-Sunday at the downtown museum, 415 Couch Drive.
The FEASTival, sponsored by The Oklahoman, Forward Foods, Slow Food OKC, Premium Beers of Oklahoma and the Museum Cafe, will feature craft beer, artisan cheese and gourmet food tastings from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.
Three different films are on the slate for the event: “El Bulli: Cooking in Progress” screens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Double features are planned Friday and Saturday with “Soul Kitchen” and “The Trip” showing at 5:30 and 8 p.m., respectively. “El Bulli” also will screen at 2 p.m. Sunday, but without a tasting.
Tickets for the movies and tastings are sold separately by phone at 278-8237 or online at https://tickets.okcmoa.com/public.
In this NewsOK video, Dave, George and OKC Museum of Art Film Curator Brian Hearn talk about the festival, and click here to read Dave’s feature, including the mouth-watering menu. Hopefully, this will indeed become a yearly occasion because it sounds scrumptious.
The Foodie Film FEASTival
“El Bulli: Cooking in Progress”
7:30 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. Sunday
This documentary follows world-renowned chef Ferran Adria at his Spanish restaurant El Bulli. The opportunity to see this film comes on the heels of the legendary restaurant closing its doors in July so that Adria can continue his exploration of flavor unbridled.
“Soul Kitchen”
5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
The German comedy revolves around a locals-only restaurant, depicting people of various cultures hop-scotching international borders in pursuit of individual destinies. A dynamic soul-laden soundtrack sets the tone.
“The Trip”
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Michael Winterbottom’s travelogue/comedy is about two comedians eating and bickering their way across the north of England. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, both British comics, play semifictionalized versions of themselves. Think “My Dinner With Andre” meets “Duelling Brandos.”
Tickets
Tickets for the beer and food tasting and/or the movies can be purchased in person at the museum box office or admissions desk, by calling 278-8237 or by going to https://tickets.okcmoa.com/public/
Information
For more information, go online to okcmoa.com/see/films or blog.newsok.com/fooddude.
-BAM
Stone Temple Pilots postpone Concho show to November after Scott Weiland put on immediate vocal rest
Stone Temple Pilots (AP file)
CONCHO – Rockers Stone Temple Pilots have postponed their concert scheduled for Saturday at Lucky Star Casino, 7777 N U.S. 81. The show has been delayed and the tour suspended because of vocal cord damage suffered by lead singer Scott Weiland, according to an announcement from a venue representative.
Tickets for the Lucky Star Casino show are expected be honored at the rescheduled date, set for Nov. 5.
According to a message on the band’s Facebook page, STP was scheduled to perform tonight at the Taft Theater in Cincinnati, Ohio, but had to cancel after Weiland was put on immediate vocal rest because of inflamed
The message includes a quote from Dr. Sid Khosla, director of the University of Cincinnati Health Voice Center, saying that he and other doctors use video stroboscopy to determine that Weiland’s left vocal cord “has likely scarring” and his right vocal cord is “tremendously inflamed.” “With such a heavy concert schedule and vocal activity we determined that Mr. Weiland could potentially run the risk of a vocal hemorrhage or suffer permanent damage hence putting him on complete vocal rest.”
A year ago, the band announced it was rescheduling several U.S. tour dates in support of its 2010 self-titled album so that the band could take a “short break.” The announcement followed a Houston show in which Weiland reportedly told the crowd, “I started drinking again. My brother died, I got divorced (from) my wife, and my whole world basically spun around. So you know what? I’m going to take care of myself because that’s what I need to take care of. Instead of just having a few shows, I want to have a whole hell of a lot of shows.”
For more information on the rescheduled Concho show, call 262-7612 or go to www.luckystarcasino.org.
-BAM
Eli Young Band playing opening day of Oklahoma State Fair for second straight year
From Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman. To read more of my recent phone interview with the Eli Young Band’s Chris Thompson, click here.
Eli Young Band plans to win over fair-goers
For the second straight year, the Texas country quartet is playing the opening day of the Oklahoma State Fair.
When the Oklahoma State Fair starts Thursday, Eli Young Band will be on exhibit alongside the prize show cattle and ribbon-winning cinnamon rolls.
“It is kind of like you’re up on display, but thank God for those really passionate fans,” said drummer Chris Thompson with a laugh. “It is really, really different than playing a club or a bar or anything like that where it’s like later in the night … but you sort of readjust the show. And you’ve gotta kind of find your own inner energy for a little while until you finally win the crowd over. And then it’s great.”
For the second straight year, the Texas country quartet — singer/guitarist Mike Eli, guitarist James Young, bassist Jon Jones and Thompson — is playing the opening day of the Oklahoma State Fair. The band considers the Sooner State a kind of second home when it comes to touring and will return to Oklahoma next month to play Oct. 4 at the Tulsa State Fair, Oct. 14 at the Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre’s Seventh Annual Family Jam and Oct. 28 at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville.
“I think Texas fans and Oklahoma fans really have a lot in common; I know they probably wouldn’t want to hear that,” Thompson said with a laugh during a recent phone interview, “But they are some of the most passionate, good-time-having fans out there.”
More than a decade after the quartet came together at the University of North Texas in Denton, the Eli Young Band still features the same four pals playing heartland country rock, just with many more passionate fans spread farther and wider these days. The group’s fourth album, “Life at Best,” debuted last month at No. 3 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and No. 6 on the multi-genre Billboard 200 with sales of 35,000 units.
“I think it’s just a culmination of a really slow, gradual build,” Thompson said. “When we were growing up, we checked out the bands that we looked up to and kind of figured out how they did what they did. And all of them hit the road, built a fan base, released singles, had moderate success and just built on it. And every single kind of built on the last one, and every show built on the last one, too, with fans coming and then telling their friends about it and fans coming again the next time and then more the next time. We just agreed that that’s the way we wanted to do it and I think we’re at the point now in our careers where it’s starting to get to the point where I guess it’s spilling over. And it’s great.”
“Life at Best” marked the band’s first entry into the top 10 on the Billboard 200 and more than doubled the first-week sales figure for the group’s 2008 major-label debut, “Jet Black & Jealous.”
“Our goal is always to grow from the last record, and we felt like all the material we had and everything we were doing was moving in that direction. So we just kept going,” Thompson said. “This time around it seemed we knew a little bit more about how to get the sounds we wanted in the studio. We were playing probably better than we’ve ever played before. So we had that kind of going for us.”
When they entered Dark Horse Studio in Franklin, Tenn., to make “Life at Best,” they had almost 50 songs to choose from, from anthems written the week of their recording sessions to tunes they penned prior to their 2005 debut album “Level.” The final 14 selections included songs the bandmates had written in various combinations along with tracks from seasoned songwriters such as Katrina Elam, who hails from Bray; Natalie Hemby, who helped Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert pen her first No. 1, “White Liar”; and Lee Brice, who will play the Oklahoma State Fair Saturday.
“It does come down to the best song wins. At the end of the day, if it’s a great song, it’s a great song, it doesn’t matter if we wrote or some character off of ‘Sesame Street’ wrote it,” Thompson said. “They’re songs that all four of us believe in. For a song to get on our record, it takes 100 percent of our votes. We know that any of those songs we could potentially be playing for the rest of our lives.”
The album’s lead single, “Crazy Girl,” which Brice penned with frequent Taylor Swift collaborator Liz Rose, has probably earned a permanent place in the band’s set. The sweet ballad was certified gold over the summer and last week reached No. 11 on the Billboard Top Country Songs chart.
“I think people just relate to it. We hear it all the time. You know, guys are like ‘That’s my girl right there. You wrote that song about my girl,’” Thompson said. “And women are like, ‘I hate you. When a guy sings that song to me, I just melt.’”
Before they take the stage Thursday to win over fair-goers, Thompson and his buddies plan to check out this year’s festivities for themselves.
“We usually get there kind of early and walk around and check it out. And I think at this point in our career we’ve played enough fairs where … anything you’ve got at a fair that’s fried, I’m pretty sure one of us has tried. Other than that, sometimes we get to ride rides and we’ll hang out and then eventually we’ll get onstage and rock the house,” he said.
IN CONCERT
Eli Young Band at the Oklahoma State Fair
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Where: Chesapeake Energy Stage, State Fair Park.
Admission: Free with fair admission.
Information: 948-6700 or www.okstatefair.com.
-BAM
