Sounds Of Oklahoma: JW Francis, Daniel Mudliar & Corey Kent

Sounds Of Oklahoma- Bella's Picks For 1/26/24

Working to create a comprehensive list of musical artists and bands from Oklahoma, I have found many hidden gems and was inspired by old favorites all over again. Here is a list of this week's favorites.

If you want to listen along to my top songs, follow this playlist on Spotify:

JW Francis

94.1k monthly listeners

Born in Oklahoma, then based in New York, JW Francis is now what he calls a “nomad”. Francis spends his time traveling, playing concerts, and backyard shows. His interesting personality and ways of bending the rules performance-wise, also shine through in his music. 

Francis is known to use his audience as a part of the band when he performs, much like another uber-creative artist Jacob Collier. 

In songs like “Swooning”, and “Keep It Cool, Steve”, you can hear the indie-pop influences very clearly. But in other songs like “Take Me Away”, the music production takes a slightly different approach that I don’t dislike. 

I think Francis’ ability to write and perform so freely, is inspiring for musicians. He not only is attempting to break out of a niche or musical ‘box’, but he is also finding new ways for an audience to feel a part of something rather than just spectating it.

According to an article by Spin, Francis used stories from fans and turned them into songs. The article continues to say that hundreds of fans submitted stories about their loved ones, and Francis picked from those to create his latest album “Dream House”.

Creativity exudes from JW Francis, and many of his songs like “Too Fast”, can instantly give you a mood boost.

Similar Artists: MOTO BANDIT, Shimmertraps, Husbands

Related Article: https://www.spin.com/2023/01/jw-francis-dream-house/

Daniel Mudilar

1,995 monthly listeners

I found Daniel Mudliar through TikTok. An app that has given me many new musicians to listen to, and also has helped many artists and bands take off. 

Mudliar is from Oklahoma City and has only two songs out. However, I was able to find live versions of both, as well as an unreleased song on YouTube.

I am a big fan of Jack Johnson and the feeling I get when I listen to him. Mudliar has a similar vibe to Jack Johnson, and Jose Gonzalez, who I also am very fond of. In “ Indecisive”, Mudliar takes a simple guitar loop and elevates it even more so in the live version.

The quality of his work is impressive considering how little attention he’s gotten. However, I think this is a smart move on his part because his live recordings are very good and film-like.

I was able to find a music video for a song that to my knowledge is unreleased called “Mystery” with Ken Pomeroy and Garrison Brown. This unplugged acoustic version of the song is simple, yet musically very interesting. 

Similar artists: Jack Johnson, Jose Gonzalez, Iron & Wine

Corey Kent 

4.3m listeners

A country boy from Bixby, Oklahoma, has made a name for himself in Nashville. According to his website, Corey Kent started playing and performing when he was just 11 years old. Kent had moved out of Bixby and was playing shows in Nashville at 17.

Kent had a chance encounter at a Willie Nelson concert, was pulled up onto the stage, and was inspired to start writing music full-time.

Kent started traveling with huge country names like Parker McCollum, Kolby Cooper, and Cody Johnson and then blew up when “Wild As Her” took off.

Kent’s most recent single “This Heart” actually took me by surprise. His vocal abilities show off in this one, and the music production feels different than most of his discography. 

I also really enjoy “Something’s Gonna Kill Me” and “Once or Twice” from Kent. 

I think when we can hear his smooth vocals in songs like “Once or Twice”, I can appreciate Kent’s raw talent.

Similar Artists: Sean Stemaly, Chase Matthew, Conner Smith