The News on Maggie McClure My.Coke.com July 2007 Maggie McClure has been selected to be the 'Featured Pop Artist' starting in mid-August 2007- on the MyCoke/MyTracks' New Music Program presented by "Coca Cola" and "MyTracks". Maggie's music will available to over 7,500,000 subscribers currently registered at www.mycoke.com. Thousands of artists were considered for this featured spot and Maggie's great new CD entitled "Maggie McClure" was their choice. The single 'What's It Like' will be featured and available to download for free. This great news comes just over a month after the same song was featured on the MTV Music Networks, MTV-U . The promotion will run for one month so don't forget to check out the site and register to receive a free download and other special offers. Cross Rhythms – UK July 2007 http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/products/Maggie_McClure/Out_Of_My_Mind/23625/ Reviewed by Aaron Ferris Although gaining considerable interest at home, Maggie McClure, a 20 year old music business student from Oklahoma, is to most a new name on this side of the pond. One way to get noticed is with an album that cannot be ignored and boy does this self-titled release demand attentiveness. From the off this album grips the listener with radio friendly "Out Of My Mind" as Maggie deals with the breakdown of a relationship. Whilst the love/relationship theme holds strong societal importance, Maggie's faith provides the bulk of the material and whilst never glaring is cleverly interwoven with encouragement to "believe and you will find a little peace of mind" with "My Love" proclaiming "You are my solid ground". Perhaps most delightful is the concluding "All Of Me" stripped down and tenderly expressing "to belong is indescribable" as Maggie relays the contentment found in Christ. Each beautifully crafted layer compliments the positive and highly competent lyrical ability, displaying talent beyond her years. If this album is anything to go by, Maggie McClure is surely set to do big things. Featured Artist on mtvU – June 2007 Vocal artist Maggie McClure is getting her time in the national spotlight. The Norman, OK native is the featured artist this week (June 11-17) at mtvU, where her music video “What’s It Like” is to be broadcast nationwide. The video also can be seen on mtvU online at www.bestmusiconcampus.com McClure, 20, graduated from Norman North High School in 2005. She attends Oklahoma City University and has chosen a major in music business. She said the journey to stardom began last December at one of her performances in Norman. After the show, a high school friend, Mike Morgan, (a student at Full Sail: School of Film in Florida) approached McClure about producing a music video. “He called me up and showed me his ideas,” she explained. McClure was receptive and production on the music video started in January. The video was filmed entirely in Norman. McClure said the process lasted 12 hours but editing took longer. “We got the video finished in March,” she said. McClure said her manager Marty Marmor lives in Austin, Texas, and inquired with mtvU about featuring the singer. The college student has signed contracts that can allow her music to be heard on mtvU, MTV, and VH1 channels. The cable channel reaches at least 800 cities with colleges in the United States, McClure said. “The exposure is really cool,” she said. McClure said she always knew she wanted to pursue a career in music. Meghan McCormick - Transcript KOAR New Music - Posted June 6, 2007 — in Music News Check it out KOAR readers! Twenty-year-old ‘Do it Yourself’ Oklahoma bred singer/songwriter/piano player, Maggie McClure is getting her name out there. She has been performing at various churches, youth groups, theatres, festivals, clubs and in-store events for six years. Some say Maggie is breaking down walls between secular and sacred audiences. Check out the “What’s It Like” Music Video that will be featured on MTV Networks. - King of A & R FreePlay Music Songwriter Maggie McClure brings a boldly emotional pop sensibility to Freeplay’s catalog with her soulful debut self-titled album. Passionate vocal work and poignant lyricism characterize these tunes, with compositions ranging from smooth melancholy rock to breezy, toe-tapping funk. For instance—“All of Me” is an evocative, sentimental track—sweeping strings bolster heartfelt vocals and piano that impart a tone of rumination. Check out Maggie McClure for a set of inspiring tunes sure to move and affect audiences. Radiant Magazine – CD Review http://www.radiantmag.com/article.php?id=164 Enjoying Life as It Comes By Lindsay Goodier Maggie McClure is out to prove that even Christians have lives. As a little girl she was raised strictly on Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant and the oldies station, but she’s not about to let her limited musical exposure as a child hold her back from a musical career. This 20-year-old from Norman, Okla., has recently released her self-titled album through Spaceway Studios, which features Shane Barnard of Shane & Shane on acoustics on two of the album’s tracks. McClure’s inspiration is to deliver a clear message that Christians experience the struggles and joys of everyday life just like anyone else. “I think no matter if you’re a Christian or what, you still go through everyday life. You still have relationships with people, and you still do normal, everyday things,” she says. “My point is to show that the two can coincide and that life still happens even if you’re a Christian.” As a child, McClure was branded to become a musician. She got her first piano when she was 1 year old. When she and three of her childhood friends weren’t baking cookies in her Easy-Bake Oven, they were singing and dancing in a pop group—the “Cool Pops”—they formed when McClure was 8. As a teenager, McClure decided it was time to get past the classical music her piano teachers had taught her. “When I was 13, I was like, I don’t want to play Beethoven anymore.” She began playing in rock bands, taking on the roles of drummer and vocalist. However, she never abandoned her piano roots, especially after one of her teachers became someone important in her life. “My step dad was actually my last piano teacher; he and my mom met through my piano lessons.” McClure has been called the next Vanessa Carlton, possessing a soothing yet upbeat sound set to her skillful pianism. She says some of her other musical influences include Sarah McLachlan, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Nichole Nordeman, Michelle Branch and Carole King. Along the road so far, McClure has met with plenty of surprises. The first was in the creation of her self-titled album. It was originally intended to be an EP, a recording of five songs, but everything changed when she called her producer to see if she could tweak a couple of songs. “He said, ‘I think it would be worth your time and money if we finished up the whole CD.’ I ended up writing four new songs in about two weeks before the new recording,” McClure says. Just after McClure had received her mixes from the studio, she was featured on Oklahoma City radio station 98.9 KYIS FM for their “Homegrown” series. “It was the beginning of June, and I was playing at a summer camp for a church, and I got a phone call from my mom. She said, ‘You’re going to be on the radio in 30 minutes.’ There was a huge stack of CDs, so I guess I was either really lucky or everyone else was really bad.” McClure, who has been writing songs since she was 12, aims to deliver lyrics that are neither Christian nor secular. “On some of the songs, I tried to make it a little ambiguous who I’m talking about,” she says. “Some of them, you can tell they’re Christian songs, but some of them, you kind of wonder.” One of the melodies left ambiguous is “My Love,” in which she expresses the need to be around the one she loves. “Come over here to me,” she sings with an intensity that could be a beckon to God or to an earthly love. “I just want to let [people] interpret it the way they need to, so it can speak to them the way they need it to.” For now, McClure is content playing at restaurants—like the Norman grill she performs at every Tuesday with her boyfriend, guitarist Shane Henry—bookstores, coffee shops and churches in the Oklahoma City area as she works on a double major in music and business. However, she has applied to Belmont University in Nashville for the fall semester of 2007 with hopes that she will be signed by then. “My philosophy right now is just to enjoy things as they come and to not stress out about it because that doesn’t do any good.” For more information or to listen to the music of Maggie McClure, visit her website at www.maggiemcclure.com Christian Music Today - CD Review 3/05/07 http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/reviews/2007/maggiemcclure.html Sounds like sophisticated, confessional pop in the vein of Vanessa Carlton, Michelle Branch, and Imogen Heap. At a glance, while her music is certainly well crafted, it’s the refreshingly honest perspective in her lyrics that really causes Maggie McClure to stand out. Although she is only 20 years old, Oklahoma native Maggie McClure has been performing at theaters, clubs, fairs, and in-store events for more than six years now. And her experience definitely shows on her self-titled release, which is not only enjoyable from a musical perspective, but has plenty of relatable lyrical depth—especially from someone so young. Mostly focused on relationships, McClure addresses the opposite sex struggles that so many of her peers face. But instead of putting a big red bow around her thoughts by the end of the song, she isn’t afraid to vent a little, particularly on the catchy opening track “Out of My Mind” where she laments a relationship that went sour a long time ago. “We fill our lives with so much that we don’t need, and we can’t take anything with us when we’re gone,” McClure shares. “I want to get across to people that they don’t have to hide their hurt through whatever they’re going through, but to simply let it go and have a little faith.” These diary-like confessions continue with “What It’s Like” as the guy in question seems to be on her mind again—as girls are prone to do, she speculates on how his latest relationship is progressing. And while more ambiguous in nature, tracks including “Believe,” “Life,” “I Wonder Why” and “Never Let You Down” also seem to be relational, although they could apply to God just as easily as your average crush. While those seeking more overt spiritual sustenance may be a little disappointed, McClure’s message is still adamantly counter-culture, especially in light of mainstream pop artists like Nelly Furtado, Beyoncé or Ciara, who address relationships that are more suggestive, rather than redemptive. Unlike the American Idol contenders on Fox each week, McClure isn’t merely trying to be the next karaoke superstar. In addition to her thoughtful lyrics, the musical side of the equation is equally intriguing. Her voice is strong and expressive—a mix of Avril Lavigne and Vanessa Carlton with a little bit of Imogen Heap’s whimsy. While the music itself falls squarely in the pop genre, producer Will Hunt (Shane & Shane, Apt.Core) gives it just enough edge to prevent it from becoming staid, which is refreshing given most of the cookie-cutter pop that gets airplay. Christa Banister Oklahoma Daily, OKC “Stand back Vanessa Carlton: there’s a new singer, songwriter and pianist ready to take the nation by storm - she’s Oklahoma native Maggie McClure.” - Katie Parker CCM Magazine - May 2007 From the first listen to Maggie McClure’s self-titled album, there is no doubt this 20 year-old singer/songwriter/pianist has earned a place among the most progressive artists. Collaborating with ultra-creative producer Will Hunt (Apt Core, Shane & Shane, Shawn McDonald) resulted in a project that is endearingly inventive and fresh. Melodies are anything but ordinary, and the production and arrangements are equally as unexpected and genius. McClure’s self-titled album (follow-up to her 2005 debut release What’s It Like) is a record focused on the relational aspects of life. Often using the canvas of dating, she explores the heartaches and joys of relationships with surprising honesty. The opening track, “Out of My Mind” dives into the issue of how to let go once a relationship is over. “What’s It Like,” echoing a similar theme, asks the question “What’s inside your head/I wonder if there will ever be a place for me again?” While dealing with these highly relatable human experiences, McClure brings to the table a Christian worldview that stands in stark contrast to mainstream pop. Her gut-level, raw approach extends into her songs that are more blatantly spiritual. “Believe” exhorts listeners to press into their faith, and the chorus of “Fall Into Me” is a cry for rescue to which God answers, “My child, I’m here/fall into me, fall into me.” - Kate McDonald Norman Transcript “Maggie McClure is one of the bright young stars of Oklahoma’s growing community of spiritually-oriented musicians making the crossover into mainstream music. Her 2006 release ‘Maggie McClure’ is mellow, polished light rock that suggests a more secular-oriented sound. Lyrically, the songs blend concerns of faith with the challenges of everyday life, yielding a more grounded, practical feel than many modern Christian recording artists. McClure’s voice is a great asset toward accomplishing this sound, expressing pain, uncertainty and curiosity. The end result is uplifting but not preachy, melodic but not trite, pensive but not plodding; a track that strongly exemplifies her smooth blending of joyful praise with the more temporal joy of performing is ‘All We Need’. Whether or not this style of music is the future of Christian rock, McClure’s level of musicianship means it’s only a matter of time before the talented, enthusiastic, thoughtful young pianist/singer gets snapped up by a major label.” 98.9 KYIS FM / OKC “... a really nice person ... a beautiful, great, seasoned voice ... very attractive young lady, put together just perfectly ... her CD has a whole bunch of really good songs on it, we had a hard time picking which songs to feature ... Maggie’s playing/writing reminds us of Alicia Keys, and we can hear the Carole King (influence) in her.” - Jack & Ron Morning Show DJ’s KOKH Fox 25 / OKC “ An up and coming Oklahoma star... might be the next Oklahoman to see her name in lights... listening to Maggie McClure is almost a spiritual experience... her soothing sound and Christian lyrics seem to comfort the soul... her messages are subtle, but thought provoking... making her appealing to the masses... chances are God smiles when Maggie sings.” - Brooke Osburn POP Norman Transcript “ Maggie McClure is probably Norman’s most likely candidate for achieving Michelle Branch or Amy Grant status.” - Josh McBee Border’s Book Store Newsletter “ Maggie McClure is the reigning pop queen of Norman. Maggie just might be the next Vanessa Carlton.” POP Norman Transcript “ Maggie McClure took control of the mic, singing the Vanessa Carlton chart-topper ‘1000 Miles’ with a voice that could have belonged to an angel.” POP Norman Transcript “ ...has the pop look down and is absolutely beautiful, and has something most mainstream musicians don’t - talent. McClure has perfect pitch vocals, to be that young you can’t help but be impressed.” OK Gazette “ a very talented soon-to-be Diva. ”