David sounds like a seasoned pro on this CD and little wonder. In addition to his pre-American Idol solo album (the amazing Analog Heart), David was also the lead singer for the indy rock band Axium. My iPod is proudly loaded with all of the Axium tunes that I could find, Analog Heart, and now the Self-Titled new release.
So is this supposed to be the “new and improved” David Cook? All summer I have been listening to his earlier music which is raw, gritty, emotional, and full of sexy angsty oomph. It is no surprise that his post-AI effort is way more “vanilla,” because that is just the way they roll.
It is as if those sharp rough edges have been smoothed out, presenting to us a sleeker, cooler, more GQ David. For the fans who only know him from American Idol, that is perfectly acceptable. (After all, didn’t we see a metamorphosis right before our eyes?)
Even though I still prefer the music of “pre-fame” Cookie, this champion’s new release is enjoyable nonetheless. David wrote or co-wrote 10 out of 13 tracks. For some reason, the two songs released as singles are the ones that he did not write – “Time of My Life” and “Light On.”
The only track that comes close to his early ROCK days is “Bar-Ba-Sol.” This is one of those ditties about raising heck that young people enjoy and makes older folks (like moi) reminisce fondly.
One song, called “Permanent,” made me cry because it was written for David’s cancer-stricken brother Adam. As the mom of an angel-daughter who battled that dreadful disease, I can definitely relate to the lyric “And so I ask oh God is there some way for me to take his place.”
As David promised after winning the AI title in May, he would give his fans an album that surprised us and made us think. He has accomplished this feat and I am prouder than ever to be a fan.
Check out the lyrics on DC’s official fan site, and his first music video on his web page.
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