David Cook - David Cook (13 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

"Permanent"-ly Attached

Lance G. Augustine | The Midwest, USA | 11/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Being an American Idol winner brings with it the almost unattainable expectation of releasing a "perfect" record the first time out... what fourth season victor Carrie Underwood achieved would almost have to be considered a minor miracle. A fourth or fifth place finisher might actually have an advantage (case in point...Chris Daughtry)...more time, less pressure.

The super-intelligent, mature-for-his-age David Cook seems to be a better bet than most former winners...with musical direction not being an issue and plenty of writing and recording experience under his belt.

The one thing I admired most about Cook on AI was his ability to take a song, regardless of genre or how old it was, and turn it into something modern and original. He's also proved he has the voice to match his creativity. Even though David had to fulfill his duties and go on the Idol tour, he still managed to write or co-write almost the entire album, of which the majority was recorded while he was away. Grammy-winning producer Rob Cavallo took the reins and did an excellent job of crafting a very natural-sounding rock record, without feeling the need to "spice it up" with synthetic instrumentation & over-the-top special effects.

It's easy to hear how David's favorite bands, like Our Lady Peace and Collective Soul, have influenced his songwriting. There are songs here that reach both ends of the rock spectrum, from the almost-heavy-metal "Bar-ba-sol", to the stripped-down piano-based dirge "Permanent". Most of the rest of the songs are slight variations of a basic rock formula...sparse instrumentation at the beginning of the song with David singing in his lower register, a mid-tempo, right-on-the-beat, plodding bass line that drives the song to its heightened chorus section, where David sings at full throttle, backed by powerful guitars with your standard rock chord progressions...in other words, nothing ground-breaking and slightly cliche'...but does that mean the songs aren't that good? Absolutely not!! While these are mainstream radio rock songs, and I was hoping for something so unique and original it would blow me away, I must say I haven't heard the "norm" done this well in a very long time.

As I suspect there will be many comparisons to groups like Daughtry and Nickelback, IMO David betters both in terms of performance and delivery. As you go down the track list, it appears there may be only a couple of tunes that won't make the cut as a potential radio single.

One final note about a song that I do believe breaks new ground. The aforementioned "Permanent"...a song for his brother Adam who is battling cancer... that one hits me in the gut and in the heart...not just because I too am in a similar fight, but because this is a song sung with such amazing passion...I feel that so deeply in his voice and delivery every time I hear it; it's truly a song to make a grown man cry.

I think this album will do the same for millions more. It's melodic and catchy, with great lyrics and depth, and comes from a special man in terms of both talent and personality...he'll never be able to hide his smile behind that kind of album cover.

I'm "permanent"-ly attached to this one... A++"

David Cook Looks Inside for the Light, and finds it Shining

Storylover | Philadelphia, PA USA | 11/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yea, that's the voice we've been waiting to hear. David's voice--raspy, melodic, like hot bourbon poured over honey--comes on like strong medicine, reminding us of exactly why he was the winner of Idol. His voice stamps this music like a branding iron stamps leather, marking it with the power and charisma that never fails to impress every time he opens his mouth. The magnetism of this man's voice is impressive, and is perhaps the greatest draw to this album.

Cook's inclination towards guitar driven, mid-western style, straight-ahead rock and roll has been given full rein here. Guitars are loud, inclined towards power chords and crunchy distortion, and great solos. If you are looking for innovation, then you will be a little disappointed--there is nothing new or groundbreaking in terms of the style of music or composition. This is a rock album, get over it. But let's be honest, you aren't coming to David for innovation. You're here for the emotion, and in that you will be in no way disappointed. His heart is on his sleeve and he isn't ashamed to let you know what is on his mind, and it is actually quite refreshing to find someone who knows that they simply want to rock and who has the ability to do it.

It appears that David was able to maintain at least some degree of control over the album, at least as judged by the writing credits: something like 10 of the songs are of his own composition. The fact that Cook is such an excellent writer is definitely going to be one of his strengths.

But how about the songs themselves? Well, they are uniformly what one would have hoped after seeing David's best Idol performances. Light On, of course, is great. But other standout tracks include the first track, Declaration, I Did it For You, and Avalanche.

This album is exactly what the legions of fans that David made for himself on Idol have been hoping for. But, more than this, he has remained true to the David we heard on Analogue Heart, rocking hard and fiercely unapologetic. This is not a record that will change your life, but if you give it a chance, it will make you smile, make you sing along, and give you a great time. Five stars not for being wildly inventive or boldly out of the box, but rather for being precisely what (I suspect) he wanted his music to be--a thoroughly enjoyable rock declaration."

Amazing!

Deborah | Huntington Beach | 11/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What is amazing about this album is that no two people can agree which song is their favorite! I have read many reviews of this album and even the music critics can not agree on which songs are good or not. That is what makes this album so great, its diversity, honesty, and thought provoking journey David takes us on.

The fact that his music appeals to a large group of people, spanning all ages, and crosses over from Rock to Pop demonstrates the versatility of this album. Highly recommend!"

David Cook - S/T 6/10

Rudolph Klapper | Los Angeles / Orlando | 11/20/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to hate on an American Idol winner when said winner is dyed-in-the-wool Midwestern rocker David Cook. He cruised to a fairly dominant victory over standard-pop crooner David Archuleta with his nicotine-stained, husky vocals, his bar-rocker good looks, and most importantly, his ability to actually play guitar and create some truly out-of-left-field arrangements of songs. Cook's first album after winning Idol, and his second overall, is what you would expect from his offerings on the show, a collection of modern-rock tunes that are carried mostly on Cook's strong voice and owe quite a lot to Cook's own idols. Alas, the creative ingenuity Cook showcased on Idol in covering pop classics has been overwhelmed here, replaced by radio-ready, meat-and-potatoes rock `n roll that is entertaining, solid, and, too often, surprisingly bland.

Unlike most of the champions who came before him, credit must be given to Cook for penning much of the material on his self-titled, and while he can at times wax sentimental like on the sappy "Heroes," his arrangements and lyrics are what you would expect from a new alt-rock hero with the ambition to become an "American Our Lady Peace." Single "Light On," co-written with that Seattle rock god Chris Cornell, is your typical late `90s power ballad, while opener "Declaration" is hook-y guitar-heavy grunge-pop, and Cook's voice is the driving engine behind each song, lending appropriate gravitas and pathos at times and just sounding like he's having a ton of fun at others. Just check out the gritty, thudding rock of "Bar-Ba-Sol," easily one of the best songs and vocal performances on the record.

Cook still has a ways to go when it comes to making smart creative decisions, as the embarrassing metaphorical conceit "Life On The Moon" shows, and some songs just end up sounding too much like generic Nickelback-esque contemporary rock, like the uninspired "Mr. Sensitive" and the corny "I Did It For You." The best songs are those that don't come off as sounding like they just rolled off the latest major-label rock assembly line, most notably the affecting "Permanent," which glides along on a haunting piano and strings line and Cook's intimate lyrics. And Cook's own "A Daily AntheM" ends out the album on a powerful note, a truly ripping guitar solo that I almost couldn't believe coming from the mild-mannered Cook closing out a fairly rockin' tune.

David Cook is easily one of the best debut albums to come out from the American Idol series, disdaining cookie-cutter pop and an anonymous hit team of writers, instead focusing the attention on its star's distinctive vocals and a rebellious image that Idol definitely needed. While much of the record still sounds a little too over-produced, a little too slick, and a little out-of-touch with progressive alt-rock, it bodes well for Cook's burgeoning career and a number of tracks give hope for a more original future beyond that of a Daughtry sound-a-like."

The most personal and artistic debut ever from an Idol winne

Elizabeth Pearson | Austin, TX | 11/21/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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, but the focus here seems to be on highlighting the arena-filling upper range of Cook's voice, which is so searing it can make the hair on 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 many other rock vocalists. One such song is the standout track "Permanent" (written for his brother who is fighting brain cancer) - it features just piano, strings, and a tender and 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 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 with several songs that are both representative of the artist as well as 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 and 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 the Idol mold and stretch even further on his next record."

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