It's no secret that debut albums from American Idol winners (and runners-up) are typically assembly-line productions that are rushed to market with pre-processed hits and little to no input from the artists themselves. But 'David Cook' the album stands out (much as the man himself did on the show) as clearly the most introspective and eclectic debut ever to come from the Idol franchise.
Cook himself wrote or co-wrote 10 of the 12 tracks on the album, and the lyrics are extremely personal and raw, touching on the support of his family, dealing with loss, and the inner-conflict that comes with sudden fame.
Cook has proven himself to be an extremely versatile vocalist (and a pretty personable guy!), but the focus here seems to be spotlighting the arena-filling upper range of Cook's voice, which is so searing it can literally make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. But there are a few delicate moments where Cook is able to utilize the rich timbre that sets him apart from so many other rock vocalists. One such song is the standout track "Permanent" (written for his brother who is fighting brain cancer), which features just piano, strings, and a tender and heart-wrenching vocal. He also moves effortlessly into his lovely falsetto for 'Avalanche,' one of the more straightforward love ballads on the record.
On the other end of the spectrum is the driving urgency of the heavy riff-rocker Bar-ba-Sol, which is probably the best track on the record. Cook is a born performer who commands the stage and knows how to work both the camera and the crowd. Bar-ba-Sol plays to this strength - it is a song that demands to be heard live with a beer in hand.
It's obvious that some compromises had to be made in order to satisfy the 30 million fans who watched him sing theme-week covers on Idol every week. There are a few fairly generic pop-rock tunes ('I Did it For You' and 'Come Back to Me' most notably) which may ultimately become big hits in the Daughtry mold. But produced by the highly-respected Rob Cavallo, the album is for the most part a cohesive rock record chock-full of songs that are both representative of the artist and radio-friendly. In addition to those mentioned above, I particularly like 'Lie,' 'Declaration,' 'Life on the Moon,''Light On' (co-written by Chris Cornell), and the rough & tumble, sexy easter-egg track 'Kiss on the Neck' which appears after several minutes of silence following the strong closer 'A Daily AntheM'.
Under the circumstances (written and recorded in just 10 weeks while in the midst of a 53-city tour), the album is an imperfect but nonetheless impressive debut from the clearly talented Cook. I look forward to seeing him continue to break out of the Idol mold and stretch even further on his next record.
Home » The most personal and artistic debut record ever to come out of Idol
The most personal and artistic debut record ever to come out of Idol
It's no secret that debut albums from American Idol winners (and runners-up) are typically assembly-line productions that are rushed to market with pre-processed hits and little to no input from the artists themselves. But 'David Cook' the album stands out (much as the man himself did on the show) as clearly the most introspective and eclectic debut ever to come from the Idol franchise.
Cook himself wrote or co-wrote 10 of the 12 tracks on the album, and the lyrics are extremely personal and raw, touching on the support of his family, dealing with loss, and the inner-conflict that comes with sudden fame.
Cook has proven himself to be an extremely versatile vocalist (and a pretty personable guy!), but the focus here seems to be spotlighting the arena-filling upper range of Cook's voice, which is so searing it can literally make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. But there are a few delicate moments where Cook is able to utilize the rich timbre that sets him apart from so many other rock vocalists. One such song is the standout track "Permanent" (written for his brother who is fighting brain cancer), which features just piano, strings, and a tender and heart-wrenching vocal. He also moves effortlessly into his lovely falsetto for 'Avalanche,' one of the more straightforward love ballads on the record.
On the other end of the spectrum is the driving urgency of the heavy riff-rocker Bar-ba-Sol, which is probably the best track on the record. Cook is a born performer who commands the stage and knows how to work both the camera and the crowd. Bar-ba-Sol plays to this strength - it is a song that demands to be heard live with a beer in hand.
It's obvious that some compromises had to be made in order to satisfy the 30 million fans who watched him sing theme-week covers on Idol every week. There are a few fairly generic pop-rock tunes ('I Did it For You' and 'Come Back to Me' most notably) which may ultimately become big hits in the Daughtry mold. But produced by the highly-respected Rob Cavallo, the album is for the most part a cohesive rock record chock-full of songs that are both representative of the artist and radio-friendly. In addition to those mentioned above, I particularly like 'Lie,' 'Declaration,' 'Life on the Moon,''Light On' (co-written by Chris Cornell), and the rough & tumble, sexy easter-egg track 'Kiss on the Neck' which appears after several minutes of silence following the strong closer 'A Daily AntheM'.
Under the circumstances (written and recorded in just 10 weeks while in the midst of a 53-city tour), the album is an imperfect but nonetheless impressive debut from the clearly talented Cook. I look forward to seeing him continue to break out of the Idol mold and stretch even further on his next record.