“Okies are a strange breed. My great-great grandma’s
family came to Oklahoma before the Dust Bowl and stayed here through it. It takes
a certain kind of people to endure that sort of hardship and a lot of us still
have that mentality of ‘just put your head down and do your work for the day
and go home and thank the Lord for the bread on the table’.” (from an interview with PopMatters)
Perhaps it is exactly this mentality, expressed by singer-songwriter
Parker Millsap, which has enabled Oklahoma to produce some of the finest
songwriters in Country and Americana music. From the early days of the
commercial industry with folk musician Woody Guthrie to the man who penned
several hits for Glen Campbell in the 70s, Jimmy Webb, the songwriting talent
of the Sooner state seems to be on the rise once again, rivalling that of its
next-door neighbour, Texas.
John Moreland
John Moreland produced one of the standout albums of 2013
with ‘In the Throes’; a journey through some of the darkest moments of his
life. Hailing from Tulsa, OK, he possesses a sparse acoustic style which serves
to highlight his emotionally driven and hard-hitting lyrics. Moreland himself
stated that he ‘wants every word to serve a purpose’; this kind of care and
attention to his writing is what ensures its quality.
American Television host, Rachel Maddow wrote: “If the
American music business made any sense, guys like John Moreland would be
household names”. It seems that many have felt this way about Moreland’s
talents, not only about his songwriting but also his flawless delivery.
John Fullbright
“I hate vague songwriting – I’ve written vague songs but
they don’t mean anything. It’s a cowardly thing to do. If you’re going to take
someone’s time, you’d better damn-well say what you mean. And if it’s not
understood, you didn’t do it right. So I walk out on stage and I bleed all over
the place.” (from an interview with The Independent)
It is clear that the song is of utmost importance for Fullbright.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone Country, Fullbright credits his home
state for his success as a songwriter, stating: "It's such a fertile place
to try to be a songwriter, there's no judgment and no ego." On his
sophomore album entitled ‘Songs’, we find Fullbright in a deeply personal
environment in which telling the truth is his fundamental mission. The success
of his debut album ‘From the Ground Up’, nominated for Best Americana Album at
the Grammy Awards in 2012, may have made his follow up much more of a daunting
prospect. But ‘Songs’ is a dramatic change; moving away from the ‘rootsy’
nature of his 2012 release to a piano-driven serenity, allowing for a more
reflective, introspective atmosphere.
Parker Millsap
“Well it’s hotter than hell down here in Oklahoma
I guess that I might as well get used to it and quit my
moaning
Coz the devil he’s alive and well and he’s found himself
a new home
Well he’s burning the wheat and drinking up all the water
Do a rain-dance mamma, lay a lamb at the altar
I guess we’re all gonna drown in the dry if it gets any
hotter”
(Land of the Red Man)
At the tender age of 20, Parker Millsap is one of the most
exciting up and coming singer-songwriters in the Americana genre and has been
nominated for the 2014 Americana Emerging Artist of the year award alongside
Sturgill Simpson. His self-titled album is an absolute thriller, possessing a
1950s Rock & Roll attitude and taking a ‘rootsy’ approach which perfectly
accompanies his soulful, gravelly vocals. Millsap wrote all ten songs on the
album with the first two reflecting his Pentecostal upbringing, focusing on the
issues of hope, sin and redemption. His songwriting is also extremely dark as
if Millsap is constantly fighting the demons inside him. ‘Quite Contrary’
begins with the line: “Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how’d you get your eyes so scary?”
and reimagines the characters of nursery rhymes as if they resided in the harsh
climate of his southeastern Oklahoma.
Evan Felker
Evan Felker hails from Wright City and with his band the Turnpike Troubadours, has cultivated
a ‘rootsy’ country-rock sound which is extremely distinctive and original. 2012’s
‘Goodbye Normal Street’ enabled the group’s breakthrough to a wider audience
with songs exploring themes like war, drawing inspiration from real people.
“Well tell mom not to worry if she's taking it hard
Never thought I'd see action back when I joined the guard
Well all this will be over more later than soon
As I wrote in a letter beneath the big afghan moon”
(Southeastern Son)
Nashville has always been the central hub of songwriting
in country music with the overwhelming influence of ‘Music Row’. In the 1960s, Harlan
Howard was one of Nashville’s most prominent songwriters and Willie Nelson
wrote many hit songs like ‘Crazy’ for Patsy Cline and ‘Hello Walls’ for Faron
Young. In order to gain more artistic freedom and to launch his own recording
career, Nelson moved to Texas and his success persuaded Waylon Jennings to do
the same. This outlaw movement created an influx of great Texan songwriters
with the likes of Ryan Bingham and Hayes Carll following in that tradition
today. Texas offered and continues to offer a much needed alternative to the
more mainstream ‘popular’ songwriting produced in Nashville.
Contemporary songwriting in Nashville is now, in my
opinion, in dire straits. The majority of music being produced is following the
trend which is being called ‘Bro-Country’. Songs in this style focus on
drinking beer, picking up attractive females in trucks and going down to the
beach to have a good time. A prime example is Florida Georgia Line’s ‘This is
how we roll’ featuring Luke Bryan. These songs are all identical, possessing no
individuality or originality. The unfortunate fact is that ‘Bro-Country’ is now
the main export of Nashville’s songwriting firms and musical ‘talent’. This is
what most people are now calling Country music! Yet, it lies worlds away from
the sincerity and rooted nature of the music of Hank Williams and George Jones.
It seems that Country music has been hijacked! Nevertheless
we find in small pockets, mostly in
America’s underground scenes, those who are maintaining the roots of
traditional country music. Texas has always provided hope and now Oklahoma is
also challenging the baseless nature of Nashville’s mainstream
production. This, of course, is not the main intention of songwriters like
Moreland, Fullbright, Millsap and Felker but their music may serve the extra purpose
of setting the pathway and standard for future songwriters. Whilst the mainstream
commercial success of these songwriters is unlikely, it is important that we as
fans promote the songwriters which produce relevant and meaningful music, and
also shine a light on the areas where true talent lies.
