This Side of the Moon (Dig)

Elizabeth Cook | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 17, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Thirty Tigers
• ASIN: B00096S2LY
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,486 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Cupid

2. Funny Side Of Love

3. Before I Go That Far

4. Here's To You

5. This Side Of The Moon

6. Kiss Me Again

7. Ruthless

8. Alone Down Here

9. Hard-Hearted

10. Heather Are You With Me Tonight

11. All We Need Is Love

12. Where The Blue Begins

13. Somebody's Gotta Do It

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cook's "Moon" Is Definitely on the Country Side, June 10, 2005

By 

Timothy Yap "thy4568" (Sydney, NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: This Side of the Moon (Dig) (Audio CD)

Prime Cuts: Here's to You; Cupid; Kiss Me Again

Imagine if Emmylou Harris had not dabble with the New Age ethereal foray of Americana and continues to cut albums entrenched with solidly country tunes "This Side of the Moon" could be it. Coming from the same vocal school as Harris, Cook has that mellifluous vocal with that distinct brush of southern charm, minus the country veteran's weathered worn texture. Further, her girlish coy and odylic sassiness will undoubtedly bring comparisons with Kelly Willis and Dolly Parton. Penning or co-penning 12 out of these 13 tracks and with most of them nudging under 3 minutes, this Floridian native certainly is not on the verbose side. And brevity is the soul of wit here. Cook has an acerbic outlook to love and life and she captures them just right on these paeans. Every track is a perfect capsule without an ounce of fat. Compared to her 2002 Warner Brothers debut "Hey Y'all," this set is even stronger and ironically more radio savvy.

The first 6 tracks are all stellar and they are tailored made for country radio. Given the right promotion, it's not difficult to see how the sensuous country ballad "Kiss Me Again" can make a dent in the upper echelon of the Billboard charts. Assisted by some mournful sounding steel guitars, "Kiss Me Again" is a desperate plea by Cook to her paramour to give their love another try. Fetching indeed is Cook's girlish, almost fragile vocals, which gives this weeper such an inherent believability. Another charmer is the album opener "Cupid," a honky tonk imbued toe-taper that finds an infatuated Cook blaming the god of love for the euphoria of love. Love's entangling prowess is again the theme of "Here's to You." With its sing-a-long chorus framed by some ambrosial fiddling, this could be an instant scorcher in the hands of say Martina McBride or Lee Ann Womack. Less jovial is the gorgeously penned piano ballad "Before I Go That Far," which finds a frustrated protagonist making her kiss off by engaging in ménage-a-trios with her new found flame.

Also thumbs are up when it comes to the Bakersfield-infused "All We Need is Love." Though the lyrics are edged on being juvenile ("I think you're hot/You think I'm good looking/I like your muscles/You like my cooking), this Tim Carroll (Cook's hubby) tune has such an infectious melody that all is forgivable. However, Cook is not able to get away that successfully when it comes to the more bluesy tunes like "Ruthless" or "Heather Are You with Me Tonight." There's not enough grit and soul within her to tackle such numbers with conviction and credibility.

Nevertheless, if you are looking for songs that championed for neo-traditional country (a la Alan Jackson and George Strait) "This Side of the Moon" will not disappoint. Instead of drowning out the singer, the production is spot on: often subdued yet subtle enough to enhance the emotional nuances of each paean. Further, Cook's voice is a delight, in the midst of many divas who scream their heads off, Cook sings to soothe, excite and convince. And she does it with honors.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatness, not goodness, December 19, 2006

By 

J. D. from Texas - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Side of the Moon (Dig) (Audio CD)

The best traditional country music cd of the past ten years.
"Before I Go That Far" is the single best "country" ballad by a female artist since Reba's "Somebody Should Leave", and would be a guaranteed number one hit had it been recorded by an established artist like Leann Womack. "Here's to You" is very nearly as good, and I can't imagine anyone else singing it better than Elizabeth does. The gorgeous title track is so reminiscent of Dolly Parton, I can see why so many reviewers are making the comparison. "Kiss Me Again" is a song I'm sure Reba would like to have recorded, given she hasn't had a great single in more than a decade. The remaining tracks are all worth listening to, but the the above-mentioned 4 tracks which appear consecutively on the album are as good a power play as you are ever likely to hear in modern country music. As you can probably tell, I'm hooked.

It's so great to hear a pure country voice that hasn't been corrupted by the Nashville music mill. Hopefully, even better things are yet to come with the impending release of her Rodney Crowell-produced next album. If you're a fan of Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, early Reba, or even Patty Loveless, this album is essential. My only regret is that I just recently discovered this amazingly talented singer/songwriter. Only a chance viewing of one of her videos on CMT's Edge of Country exposed me to this relatively unknown artist. Isn't it ironic? The "Edge of Country". And all this time I thought this kind of music was the real thing. I guess Faith and Tim and all the rest really do rule over country music. Sad, sad, sad.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Muscles, June 30, 2005

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: This Side of the Moon (Dig) (Audio CD)

Elizabeth Cook's "This Side of the Moon" is another delightful country blast from this gorgeous Florida chanteuse. "Here's To You" is a midtempo track with Elizabeth's full-throttle vocals jamming the romance in reverse, "Heartache went from bad to worse, I called the doctor & got his nurse, So I'm here for a drink & the sound of a country band." On "Ruthless" Elizabeth gets funky with Alison Prestwood's bass & Henny Vaughan's stinging electric lead on this bluesy country rocker & Cook's powerful vocal, "She is gone now that you're found." Cook & Hardie McGehee penned the down-home classic "All We Need Is Love" drenched with Steve Fishell's steel guitar, "You think I'm hot & you're good lookin', I like your muscles, You like my cooking, Now all we need is love." The set closes with the sexy "Somebody's Gotta Do It" with Elizabeth's vocal cracking like a country Maria Muldaur. "This Side of the Moon" is an incredibly strong set with Elizabeth's excellent songwriting, high quality musicianship & her edgy powerful vocals blowing the mix through the roof. Bravo!