Almost three years after the release of his self-titled debut, David Cook returns for round two with his sophomore album ‘This Loud Morning’.
Executive produced by Matt Serletic, best known for his work with Rob Thomas and Matchbox Twenty, the set features songs penned by Cook with acclaimed and award-winning songwriters including David Hodges and Claude Kelly.
Summary Analysis
The album opens with “Circadian”, a whimsical and dreamlike cut that feels like the beginning of a great musical journey, in addition to serving as a great outlet for his voice.
On the powering “We Believe”, he rejoices in the possibly of a better day, while the Ryan Tedder-produced lead single “The Last Goodbye” sees him acknowledging his insecurities and dealing with unfortunate situation of meeting the perfect girl at the wrong time.
Other notable moments include “Time Marches On”, on which he sings of love lost, the emotionally vulnerable “Paper Heart”, and the album’s best offering “Hard to Believe”.
Building to a hypnotic climax, he sings about losing faith over lush and overlapping counter-melodies that perfectly blend from beginning to end.
The two main problems with the set are that as it progresses, the songs begin to lack any distinction from the one that preceded it or the collection as a whole, and although Cook’s voice is always stalwart, the material often abandons him.
From fillers like “Right Here, With You” and “Take Me As I Am” to underwhelming cuts like “Fade Into Me” and “4 Letter Word”, Cook makes them all better than they truly are, but even his raspy chops can’t elevate them beyond average.
Fortunately, the final two offerings, which include the breathtaking “Goodbye to the Girl” and “Rapid Eye Moment”, reaffirm that with sufficient material, he can excel.
Final Verdict
On ‘This Loud Morning’, his sophomore album, David Cook does seem more self-aware and assure of himself than he did on his debut album, but regrettably, the album simply does not resonate with you as much as he wants it to.
His raspy voice is filled with depth and nuance, and he often shows skill at utilizing it to help guide different records, but any artist is only as strong as the material they release and ‘This Loud Morning’ is often weak and repetitive.
3 OUT OF 5
Celebrity Bug’s Key Tracks
“Time Marches On”, “The Last Goodbye”, “Hard to Believe”, “Goodbye to the Girl” & “Rapid Eye Moment”.
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