Say bye-bye/As you go outside, croons Marshall Oakman on his new single, titled See You Again. Oakman is this interesting hybrid of Andy Grammer and the sort of folksiness that defined artists existent in the eighties and late seventies. There’s immediately something kind of timeless about the single, yet with unrepentantly modern, polished quality. Oakman has these fine-tuned, sharpened vocals, coupled with a bluesy, tunefully imperfect backdrop I find beguiling.
URL: http://www.marshalloakman.com/
The song feels like it comes from a distinctly personal place, regardless of whether or not this is the case. Oakman has this unabashed earnestness with which he delivers the lyrics. Like any good singer-songwriter, he’s not just singing catchy stanzas, but telling a story. The themes in said story may be as old as time, but sometimes the choir needs a good song. What makes Oakman stand out as a musical presence is the matter-of-factness of his delivery, musically and in terms of image. Often there’s a certain degree of corporatization and calculated oversharing on behalf of artists. But Oakman’s marketing campaign matches the smartly concise nature of his songs. The result is something immersive, but with wide listening demographic appeal. There’s no extra baggage to the profile of who listens to a Marshall Oakman song.
“Catching and locking into the ultimate vibe of how I want a song to sound is exhilarating and heartfelt. Superior recordings and performances naturally result from aligning with musicians whose style, experience, skill, openness and personality are in sync with who I am and what I write,” Mr. Oakman stated, in an interview with Rock Era Magazine. “Working with musicians who don’t bring these traits makes the process of recording or performing potentially slower, methodical and tedious, ending in an uncertain, possibly unfulfilling, disappointing outcome.”
It shows. While clearly an independent release, See You Again has all of the finesse, polish, and musical talent of a top 40s hit. It’s indicative of a really interesting democratization process happening in the fields of entertainment, not just music itself. Artists worthy of a seat at the table are finding new opportunities through online release, Spotify, internet platform followings, and other enterprises dependent on views and clicks. The result is something exciting, and uplifting for people who truly worship at the altar of making great art. Oakman cites Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Bon Jovi amongst his top influences. With the genre hybrid that is his new single, part of Oakman’s reverence is the lyrics themselves. Gliding soulfully from the speakers, they have an easy listening feel, but retain the expert craftsmanship of a genuine storyteller.
“When I was about six years of age, I was fortunate to have and be attracted to a piano,” he said in aforementioned context. “I instinctively discovered I could play melodies by ear. That tapped my interest and desire to go deeper, always returning to the piano. It opened and embraced me to be forever connected to music as a listener, writer, singer and performer.” I would concur.
Garth Thomas