Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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182 of 189 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Permanent"-ly Attached, November 18, 2008
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++
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70 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
David Cook Looks Inside for the Light, and finds it Shining Brightly, November 18, 2008
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.
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68 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!, November 18, 2008
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!
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by David Cook 
