“…there’s no doubt The Imaginaries are ready to take off faster than a getaway train with music like this in tow.”
– American Songwriter
“…It’ll make you want to open your windows and sing out loud along with them.”
– Americana Highways
“…The Imaginaries once again prove they’re going to be a force to reckon with in the Americana scene.”
– Mother Church Pew
“This is dramatic, hard-hitting stuff. Hand-clap breaks, an expansive chorus and top notch playing provide plenty to hook the ear. The Imaginaries’ dual-vocals are striking and smooth, with a suitable rough-edge and bountiful kick. Throw in a smoldering guitar solo and you have all the ingredients for a winner.”
– Rock And Blues Muse
“Maggie McClure unthreads a siren-like enchantment…Her feathered songbird lead calls you forward, and their stylistic switch is an unexpected treat, veering into gasoline-doused third gear.”
– B-Sides & Badlands
“She’s a soulful singer with entrancing pips like Raitt and Henry is a blues guitarist
and vocalist in the boogie vein of Hooker.”
– Norman Magazine
New York, NY– Formed on the open plains of their home state of Oklahoma, husband and wife duo The Imaginaries’ Maggie McClure (piano, keyboard, vocals) and Shane Henry (guitar, vocals) finally release their long-awaited self-titled debut album, The Imaginaries today Friday, March 26, 2021 through ONErpm. Fans can order copies of the album now HERE.
The duo celebrated all week long starting with their special DittyTV interview and performance on Monday, watch it HERE. On Wednesday, DittyTV premiered The Imaginaries video for their song “Blue Sky” on The Curve and finished up a week of press with a special release day today, with an American Songwriter Instagram takeover followed by a livestream on American Songwriter’s Facebook page.
Their single “Revival,” a spiritual swampy roots song about finding hope and salvation, is at radio now with adds at WMOT, WMHB, WXNZ, WTMD, WCBE, KAFM, WCLX, KSMF, WERU, KOSU, KKFI, WVIA, WMMT, KZUM, WVMO, KHNS, and more – Listen to it on Spotify HERE. “’Revival’ is a song of strong compositional form, smart with word play and rhyme scheme, and built for an audience anxious for a good call-and-response or catchy refrain to (eventually) belt at a live show…,” says American Songwriter.
“It’s upbeat and bluesy with smart lyrics and smarter composition…there are shades of The Civil Wars, with perfectly matched harmonies and exquisite chemistry,” says Three Chords. The video / short film has received a lot of attention on the film festival circuit with its O Brother, Where Art Thou? meets Bonnie and Clyde theme. Watch it HERE.
Produced by the duo, the album marks the beginning of their journey as a band after both singer songwriters have enjoyed their own successes as solo artists. It began when they traveled to Muscle Shoals, AL to perform a couple of songs for Grammy-Award winning engineer John Cuniberti’s YouTube series called “The OneMic Series.” They had such an amazing experience being there that they decided to return to record their album enlisting the help of session musicians and legendary Muscle Shoals “Swampers,” including bassist David Hood (Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Paul Simon), Little Richard guitarist Kelvin Holly (Jason Isbell, Gregg Allman, Neil Young), bassist Shonna Tucker (John Paul White, The Secret Sisters), and keyboardist NC Thurman (Hank Williams Jr, Gregg Allman, Little Richard). They also flew in their drummer Rob Humphreys (Leonard Cohen, Jason Mraz) for the recording and worked with Chad Copelin (Sufjan Stevens, Christina Perri, Ben Rector) back in Oklahoma for keys and additional production as well as keyboardist Dan Walker (Heart). Watch the EPK style documentary about the album for the Grand Casino Resort’s “Play It Loud” series HERE.
The experience left a profound effect on the duo and what came out of those recording sessions were songs filled with effortless harmonies combined with heartfelt lyrics and real-life lessons inspired by personal experiences. Originally planned for a 2019 release date, the album had several major setbacks, read about them in Oklahoma City Free Press, beginning when Shane was struck with a serious medical procedure that sidelined him for many months and could have killed him. Following his recovery, the duo was chosen from dozens of competing artists to open for the 16th Annual Brian Setzer Orchestra’s annual Christmas Rocks Tour only for it to be suddenly canceled because Brian came down with a severe case of tinnitus. Then Maggie had unexpected invasive gum surgery which kept her from singing for two months. During this time, they worked diligently on booking shows for Spring/Summer 2020 to support their pending album release when Coronavirus pandemic took hold of the world, so the duo decided to switch gears and release three singles and three videos to build up to the album release.
In addition to “Revival,” The Imaginaries released “Walking On A Wire,” a song written about facing obstacles head on and pushing through to overcome them along with the stunning video shot in the dunes of Little Sahara State Park in Waynoka, OK and Gloss Mountain State Park in Fairview, OK – watch it HERE. “Thinking ‘Bout You” is a sincere acoustic-driven song about missing someone you care about but don’t get to be with because of distance – watch the video HERE.
After multiple challenges, many career ups and downs, the duo, are looking forward to finally releasing their debut album. “We are so excited for the world to hear The Imaginaries’ debut album in its entirety,” says the duo. “The recording experience was amazing, having had the opportunity to collaborate with so many incredibly talented individuals, and we are so proud to finally release this collection of songs.”
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