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CD review: David Cook
Last week, American Idol runner-up David Archuleta released his debut CD to mixed reviews. Tuesday, it was Idol champ David Cook’s turn, releasing his self-titled effort. I admitted in my Archuleta review that I voted for Cook. And having downloaded most of his AI cover songs like Billie Jean and Always Be My Baby to my iPod, I have been looking forward to his debut.
But when the Chris Cornell-penned single Light On was released a few weeks ago, I was disappointed. It didn’t have a good hook for the chorus and basically sounded like your average grunge ballad. Cook’s voice sounds great on the track but the song itself seems to be a mish-mash of musical styles. So I was a little apprehensive when I listened to Cook’s CD over the weekend (www.iheartmusic.com had the full album streaming live).
Cook, who has co-written most of the songs on the album, has put forth a solid debut effort. A haunting piano on Permanent and the guaranteed-to-get-stuck-in-your-head song, Lie, showcase Cook’s emotion-wrenched voice that was often heard on Idol. Bar-ba-sol will make rock fans happy. And he channels his inner Journey (Steve Perry in a good way) on A Daily Anthem. I can already see the lighters flickering on and off for that song. The second half of the album, which contains most of the songs I just mentioned, is definitely stronger than the first part.
But it does have its weak moments, like Light On and the schlocky Idol coronation song, Time of My Life. And it is missing an obvious radio hit. Idol season five contestant Chris Daughtry wrote the adult contemporary friendly song, Home, which enticed millions to buy his debut CD. I know the comparisons to Daughtry happen all the time and while Cook is clearly the more versatile singer, he could pick up a pointer or two from Daughtry on how to write a catchy, or as another reviewer I read said "ear-wormy," chorus.
Bottom line is I will probably buy Cook’s CD off of iTunes and play it in the car even when my four-year-old son is in the car. (You should hear him sing Cook’s version of Little Sparrow!) But I probably wouldn’t recommend it to someone who never watched AI or isn’t a fan of Nickelback or Hinder.
Submitted by ajkoos on Nov. 19, 2008, 12:04 am
Last week, American Idol runner-up David Archuleta released his debut CD to mixed reviews. Tuesday, it was Idol champ David Cook’s turn, releasing his self-titled effort. I admitted in my Archuleta review that I voted for Cook. And having downloaded most of his AI cover songs like Billie Jean and Always Be My Baby to my iPod, I have been looking forward to his debut.
But when the Chris Cornell-penned single Light On was released a few weeks ago, I was disappointed. It didn’t have a good hook for the chorus and basically sounded like your average grunge ballad. Cook’s voice sounds great on the track but the song itself seems to be a mish-mash of musical styles. So I was a little apprehensive when I listened to Cook’s CD over the weekend (www.iheartmusic.com had the full album streaming live).
Cook, who has co-written most of the songs on the album, has put forth a solid debut effort. A haunting piano on Permanent and the guaranteed-to-get-stuck-in-your-head song, Lie, showcase Cook’s emotion-wrenched voice that was often heard on Idol. Bar-ba-sol will make rock fans happy. And he channels his inner Journey (Steve Perry in a good way) on A Daily Anthem. I can already see the lighters flickering on and off for that song. The second half of the album, which contains most of the songs I just mentioned, is definitely stronger than the first part.
But it does have its weak moments, like Light On and the schlocky Idol coronation song, Time of My Life. And it is missing an obvious radio hit. Idol season five contestant Chris Daughtry wrote the adult contemporary friendly song, Home, which enticed millions to buy his debut CD. I know the comparisons to Daughtry happen all the time and while Cook is clearly the more versatile singer, he could pick up a pointer or two from Daughtry on how to write a catchy, or as another reviewer I read said "ear-wormy," chorus.
Bottom line is I will probably buy Cook’s CD off of iTunes and play it in the car even when my four-year-old son is in the car. (You should hear him sing Cook’s version of Little Sparrow!) But I probably wouldn’t recommend it to someone who never watched AI or isn’t a fan of Nickelback or Hinder.
Comments
I'm pleased to know that you're a Cougar for Cook like me! I'm buying the CD on itunes today. Initially, I didn't like the single Light On, but it's grown on me. It probably helped that I went to www.davidcookofficial.com and listened to it intermittently on repeat for, like, an hour!