"American Idol" season 7 winner David Cook is back with a standout sophomore album.
In this age of singles, singles, singles, and the ability on itunes to download tracks a la carte, David Cook has given music lovers a reason to go for the whole enchilada. Cook hesitates to call This Loud Morning a “concept album” because he wants listeners to interpret its theme and songs their own way; but the theme is so strong, and the flow so carefully layed out, it really is best to listen to the album in order - start to finish - in one sitting. This is the closest I’ve seen anything come to a classic 70s/80s-style concept album in two decades. Don’t let that scare you. No single track relies on another for a great listening experience. Play any one of them and you’ll have a winner for 3 to 4 minutes in your head. It’s just that played in order, as a whole, the experience is enahanced 10-fold. The musical connection between first track Circadian with last (non-bonus) track Rapid Eye Movement is a stroke of genius. They are bookends that tie the whole album together. It truly is like falling asleep and into a melodious and intense dream… before you go under for that deep sleep.
Lyrically, This Loud Morning shows great progression on the part of Cook. Musically, it further establishes his style and voice, but it is far superior to anything he has created in the past. Producer Matt Serletic (Ryan Star, Matchbox 20) took these great songs and worked magic on them. The instrumentation and arrangements are brilliant, but best of all, Serletic did what he’s known for: he let the singer’s voice remain front and center. With Cook’s last album, my only (minor) complaint was that too many of the tracks had a wall of sound that didn’t let his amazing voice shine through. This time, David’s voice is the star, and the instrumentation and effects are superb supporting players.
Standout tracks for me are Circadian; Right Here, With You; Take Me As I am; Paper Heart; Goodbye to the Girl; Rapid Eye Movement and bonus track Let Me Fall For You. I’m just waiting for NBC to use “We Believe” for the Olympics (the way they’ve used Cook’s “Heroes” on NBC Sports for the last two seasons).
If you order through Cook's online store at his website, you can get a fanpack that includes the deluxe 14 track edition of the album, a t-shirt, a poster, and an acoustic EP called "This Quiet Night." It contains five tracks (The Last Goodbye, Right Here With You, Take Me As I Am, Goodbye To the Girl and Paper Heart), recorded unplugged by David and his band with just piano, acoustic guitars and soft drums. It's a gem.If you just want the music, I highly recommend the deluxe version which includes the two killer bonus tracks and a "making of the album" DVD (it's included on iTunes as a video download).
If I had to rate This Loud Morning, I would give it ★★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Here is the lead single from the album, "The Last Goodbye"
A thoroughly enjoyable but exasperating night on American Idol has prompted me to post this morning! The good news is that, like many viewers, I finally know what kind of record Adam Lambert should (and probably will) make. Yes, as the judges said, he needs to go the Led Zeppelin mixed with glam-rock route. There are, however, some big problems with that and I will elaborate in a moment.
First I must vent because the judges really pissed me off by going overboard in their obvious attempt to save Mr. Lambert after last week's bottom two "scare." Whether Lambert is your cup of tea or not is irrelevant because he turned in a stellar performance last night and didn't need extra pimpage from the judges. Allison Iraheta came out and gave one of the best performances anyone has given all season, and they picked it apart over what seemed like the lamest of reasons. Non-reasons. It smacks of manipulation. I would still buy Allison's record before Adam's. But that's me. Kris Allen and Danny Gokey did the best they could with the material but they are not this year's rockers and it showed. Gokey's fan base will keep him safe.
So let's get back to rock music. Here's where Adam Lambert faces a challenge. If he takes the judges' advice and goes the pure, classic, bring-the-house-down rock route he's going to have post-Idol troubles. There's much talk about filling the current empty void of arena rock but I've got news for you and I will put this in bold typface: an American Idol contestant, whether a winner or runner-up, is not going to be the one to single handedly bring back rock. Mr. Lambert, good luck getting on rock radio, because you better line up behind 5 x platinum Daughtry and newly platinum David Cook. Their "tainted" American Idol history still has them waiting for spins on the all-too-snobbish rock radio format. The pair are ruling Hot Adult Contemporary (aka Adult Top 40) and they both do well on Top 40, but cracking into the rock radio format is an uphill challenge. Daughtry's sophomore album is due out in July, and it remains to be seen whether he's paid enough "rock dues" to get onto rock radio. If so, it will have been three long years since he left American Idol, and he didn't even have the "stigma" of winning the show!
Adam Lambert faces other big challenges, especially if he wins and is signed by 19 Recordings and managed directly by the boss, Simon Fuller, himself (as is the case with Daughtry and Cook). They'll likely hook him up with RCA Records (again, like Daughtry and Cook, both 19/RCA) and there's no way he'll put out a hard rock-Led Zeppelin-Guns & Roses type of album right off the bat. David Cook, who was given unprecedented creative freedom post-Idol, and is by far the Idol success story with the most extensive indie-rock resume, put out a superb but fairly commercial rock album that crosses several radio formats (HAC, Top 40, Adult Contemporary). Daughtry's debut album has similar characteristics. The difference between Lambert and his two Idol predecessors is that it's unclear whether Lambert can shine in the dialed-down rock ballad category. Daughtry's crisp, clear understated angst-driven vocals have made him a rocker who gets played on pop radio. Cook's power and pipes go into Lambert's territory, but Cook is also brilliant at dialing it back and putting in a vocal performance that can bring tears to your eyes. Both Daughtry and Cook write and sing songs with pop-rock hooks that stay on your brain all day, but never stray from their rock roots. I'm not convinced Lambert will have me buying his entire album. Cook and Daughtry are seasoned musicians but I have no knowledge of Lambert being anything more than a performer, and that can be another handicap for Lambert in the rock world.
As an American Idol fan, I hope that Lambert succeeds as a rocker. Daughtry opened the door. Cook practically broke the show last year and proved you can be a successful rock winner. I think both Daughtry and Cook have allowed the judges and the fans to embrace rock on Idol, and as someone who prefers rock to pop, it makes me happy. Slash's involvement with the show might also help keep rock alive on Idol, and open some rock doors for Idol alumni. The sad news for me is that, in the real world, when you look at current radio, it's clear that rock has taken a back seat to R&B and Hip Hop oriented pop, so when a rocker does well on American Idol, expectations for him/her need to be managed. Versatility is the key to success, and I'm not convinced that Adam Lambert has the level of versatility that has helped David Cook succeed on HAC, Top 40 and Adult Contemporary. I would love to hear all four Idol rockers - Cook, Daughtry, Lambert and Iraheta, on rock radio - and soon!
Contestant duets are a welcome addition this season. Last night's performance of Foghat's "Slow Ride" by Lambert and Iraheta was a highlight of the show.
I predicted several weeks ago that Adam Lambert would be the one to beat in this year's American Idol contest and last night's "Motown" showcase has solidified my decision. In a night that was almost overshadowed by the immense star power and historical significance of Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson, Adam still managed to keep the spot light shining brighter on himself than anyone else on the stage.
This guy is mesmerizing. He has the looks, the confidence and the camera absolutely loves him. Adam is as home on the stage as most of us are on our living room sofas wearing a Sunggie blanket and bunny slippers . Best of all, he can sing like an angel, which was proved beyond any doubt last night with his almost ethereal rendition of Smokey's "Tracks of My Tears". Frankly, I liked it better than the original. And it earned him a standing O from most of the folks in the audience, including the great Berry Gordy.
He's the one to watch. The rest of the contestants are likable, but Adam is a star. I also applaud his chameleon appearance switch last night; from indie rocker to Vegas lounge lizard. Weird, but it worked wonderfully for me. Check it out below and judge for yourself.
Great television this morning in the Tampa/St. Petersburgh area. The local Fox station captured the moment when 7 year old leukemia patient (and uber-David Cook fan) Lindsey Rose met her idol. Grab a box of tissues first!
For those who don't know, a couple of weeks into "American Idol" Season 7, David Cook met Lindsey's father Charlie Belcher, a reporter for WTVT MyFoxTampaBay. Belcher told David about Lindsey Rose and how she picked him to win the moment she saw him. He told David about orange wristbands family and friends are wearing to show their support for her. David asked for one, and has worn it during every performance since - through the rest of AI Season 7, during his TV appearances after his big win, and on the AI Live Tour this summer. Belcher says during each performance, Lindsey Rose would completely forget about her illness. I will post some links so you can read more about this heart warming story.
Yesterday David kept his promise to meet her when the AI Tour stopped in Tampa. She spent the afternoon with him, saw the concert (he dedicated "My Hero" to her) and then hung around with him after the show. Tears.
Left: Lindsey Rose with David during afternoon fan "meet & greets."Right: Lindsey is thrilled to sign autographs!
This clip from a Mavid fan named Kristen has gone viral because it is a wonderful compilation. It covers the first Mavid Dance (early July) through 8/10/08 (the last one before they we're told to stop it), plus some extras!
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For those who don't know, Mavid is the combination of singers David Cook and Michael Johns. Michael+David=Mavid. The two became fast friends during Hollywood Week of American Idol season 7. By the midpoint of the season, their friendship had blossomed into a full fledged "Bromance." MJ is the jokester of the group (some of his fellow Idols say prankster is more like it). Cook, of course, is the AI winner and brainiac. Together they took it upon themselves to turn what would normally be the worst part of the AI Concert Tour into one of the most anticipated each night. At the same point each night, about 3/4 of the way through the cheesy group number "Please Don't Stop the Music," Johns got the idea of taking 7 to 10 seconds and doing a "routine" with David. It started the second week of the tour with them doing "the robot" and then it just took off.
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So how did this become an "internet thing?" The concerts on this tour are among the most taped and posted events in web history (you can thank the high number of insane Cook and David Archuleta fans). With 11,000+ registered members at david-cook.org and hundreds more on rickey.org and mjsbigblog.com, every night fans gather together online to virtually experience the concerts via "cell-certs" (fans attending the concerts actually sign up and volunteer to do a live audio-cast with their cellphones), and then wait patiently for audience members to get home and post their videos on youtube. After several hilarious routines by Mavid, fans started calling it the "Mavid Dance" and the "Brodance" (to rhyme with bromance). These "bits" caught on and all of the Idols quickly became aware of how the fans not only got the joke, but looked forward to it each night. Mavid got more and more elaborate, and last week they went so far as to do a takeoff on "Titanic" with Michael holding David, with David's arms out like Kate Winslet. Then they did ballet pirouettes (a takeoff on "So You Think You Can Dance"). Then they got in trouble!
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The Powers That Be told them to knock it off, thinking it mocked the show. They also claimed some fans were not amused. Turns out 99% of the fans WERE amused... to the point they got pissed off and started petitioning TPTB to bring back the "Mavid Dance." In Manchester, NH, many held signs during the concert saying "Please Don't Stop the Mavid." Mavid and the 10 Idols played it cool... sticking together and putting on a lifeless group number. Within two days Mavid and their fans won the battle and the "Mavid Dance" returned in Baltimore last night to the roar of the crowd.
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It was fitting that the Baltimore "Mavid Dance" (Tuesday, 8/12) had MJ and Cook boxing like Rocky. Victory! Here's a clip from last night. The "Mavid Dance" starts :25 seconds in:
NYT is the first news outlet I've seen on line to break the news of what happened, with more of an explanation from Paula herself. Click here to link to the article: NY Times Get's The Paula Story
A night that could have been quite predictable with guest artist Neil Diamond actually turned into quite weird and wonderful TV when one of the judges (Paula) got discombobulated and started talking about things that the viewers had not seen yet. Yes Virgina, there really is a Santa Claus. But no, America, this program really is not live as we could see tonight if we were paying attention. The five finalists each had to do two songs; the judges were to review them after all songs were done towards the end. Paula jumped the gun and reviewed both songs for one of the contestants, before they had even sung their second round. I thought it was charming, and loved seeing the 4th wall broken on event television. Obviously FOX loved it too, because it was not edited out.
So what happened? Here is my ranking after tonight:
#5--Jason. Pretty and nice but not enough to compete as a finalist #4--Brooke. Renditions of Neil Simon songs were surreal in their inappropriateness for a major TV competition. Brooke would be perfect at a children's birthday party singing "I'm a Believer". But Barney the Dinosaur would be better. And the Monkees would be best of all. #3--Syesha-I don't care what Simon says (and I am usually lock-step in agreement) but he is all wrong about this lady. She has major Broadway star quality. Send her straight to Times Square and the Tony's about 2 years from now. #2--David A.--The kid really pulled it out of the fire tonight with "Going to America". Beautiful, patriotic, and the audience loved it. He's got something. I'm still not quite sure what, and it's getting down to the wire. Keeps me coming back for more. #1--David Cook, of course--What a surprise. Just when you think he can't possibly take it up a notch again, he does it. His rendition of little known Neil Diamond song, "All I Really Need is You", was stunning and I've posted it above. Ready to become a hit right this moment. Neil, get ready to get some residuals from a song you thought was dead. Note to Jane, head over to iTunes and get this song on your iPod immediately so help soften the commute into L.A. tomorrow morning.
That's all, folks! Well done, for a wild and unexpected night, American Idol!
How is it possible that with all the great songs that came out of the 70's, there were so few being showcased tonight? Really, the most awful night of song choices I can recall for any American Idol episode. Each one was more dull than the next. Only Brooke White managed to find a decent tune to sing (Carly Simon's "You're So Vain"), but she didn't do anything special with it.
Not one of the girls deserved more than 2.5 stars tonight. I'm putting Alexandrea, Ramiele and Carly Smithson at the top, not for their songs or performances, but because they are all incredible vocalists and will most certainly stay in the competition.
No bottom picks for tonight, because they rest all fall into a sort of lackluster heap. Jeez, who picks these songs anyway? You'd think the producers would try to squeeze a few good ones in there. I hate Heart, and Celine Dion and the Bee Gees. All were sung poorly tonight.
Sorry ladies, this week goes to the American Idol guys. Next time have your moms and dads help with the song picks if you're too young to remember what was good in the decades before you were born!
Round two of the guy's night for American Idol, and the results were very different from last week. The theme was 70's music and the contestants had to reveal "something we don't know" about them in their intro. That did not help last week's Aussie eye candy Michael Johns, who's tennis hobby was enjoyable to watch but song tanked when he was first out of the gate. Following is the format for the remainder of the American Idol season on the Nose. My top picks, followed by my bottom picks and then special mentions, where they are applicable.
Top For the Night:
David A., (The Kid), was the final act of the night and he gets 4 stars from this blogger. One of the few song choices that really showcased a top artist from the 70's (John Lennon, for God's sake), his rendition of Imagine was stunning and pitch perfect. It is hard to believe he is only 17. Note to FOX- If you keep saving the best for last week after week, viewers will learn not to tune in at the beginning of the show.
David Cook (The Rocker), came out of the gate with the 70's classic "All Right Now" and I thought he hit it out of the park. I love his voice, he is the only true rocker in the bunch and (NOTE TO Simon) he is the smartest and wittiest of all the contestants so far. Much as I hate to depart from my lockstep agreement with Simon, tonight he was dead wrong. Cross word playing, word loving guys are sexy as hell. I'm going to have to assume that Simon's comments tonight were scripted, I can't believe he would come up with that blatant faux pas on his own. Go look that up online Simon (not that you're reading the Nose). I love this performer and think he is bound for glory. He could use a little help with his hair though.
Chikezie (The South Bay Wonder): OK, full disclosure...I am rooting for this guy as a fellow South Bay Los Angeles resident. Chikezie is a local singer from Inglewood CA, and I loved him from the start. He was unfairly dissed by Simon last week for his suit, which in retrospect was the perfect outfit for 60's retro-soul. This week he came back and really won the crowd over with a fantastic performance. He is immensely warm and likable, and his voice is tremendous. We love you and your Nigerian name, C! Let's hope that Simon figures out how to pronounce it before the season ends. PS-Your mom is cool too!
Bottom for the Night:
Luke: Please don't ever let someone do a Queen song again or the ghost of Eddie Mercury will come back and haunt this show forever
Robbie: Sang the song "Hot Blooded" with all the warmth of a gecko. A real gecko, not the Geico gecko, who is funny and adorable.
On The Fence:
I think Michael Johns had an off night and want to see him in his tennis shorts again
Ditto with Jason Castro, the dreadlocks dude. He has real talent and the bad song choice spiraled him tonight. He will do better with 80's and 90's alternative songs. Rock on guitar guy.
Special mention for Danny Norriega. I still think he might be this year's Sanjaya, and he tore many holes in a classic Carpenter's song tonight..but he is still so different and entertaining. I hope he sticks around. Also, he wins best outfit of the night...love the checkered Van's sweater and emo pants, dude.
OK American Idol ladies, it's show time! Let's see if you can hit a few notes out of the park and into the Kodak balcony tomorrow night.
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