Since Ashley Cooke arrived on the country scene with ‘never til now’ – a duet with none other than Brett Young – she’s continued to go from strength to strength. The Florida native has since made her Grand Ole Opry debut, toured alongside Cole Swindell, Jordan Davis and Luke Bryan, and even crossed the pond to perform at C2C. Now she’s releasing her first full-length album, ‘shot in the dark’ – the largest debut record by a female country artist to date, with Cooke credited as a writer on 20 out of its 24 tracks.
The album opens with ‘tastes like’, which features a distorted vocal effect before lifting into a twangy melody with some cool rocky touches. Cooke’s vocals have a smooth, rich quality that works well with the playful verse as well as the rapid-fire singalong chorus. I loved how specific she made the lyrics, with references to ‘ginger and Jack’ as her drink of choice and how things take an unexpected turn at ’11:52′. It’s a really clever play on the break-up song and very much sets the tone for the rest of the record in that regard.
One thing which really stood out to me was the sheer variety of sounds and influences Cooke explores across the album. Whether that’s the 70s touches on the title track with its affectionate lyrics of the surprise of falling for someone in a bar over tequila, the pop-influenced ‘good thing going’ which contrasts an upbeat melody with worries that a new relationship might come crashing down, ‘tryin’ to love you’ with its rocky guitar, showing her slinky side on the upfront and frank ‘back in the saddle’ or the bright, almost beachy vibe of kiss-off song ‘gonna get’, she really makes the most of showing her range as an artist and it means there’s something for everyone on this album. I also really liked the small organic touches, like the phone call effect at the start of ‘build a bridge’ (with echoes of Taylor Swift’s ‘We Are Never Getting Back Together’), which contrasts lyrics about an obnoxious ex wth a soft melody and Cooke’s sweet vocals, and the tape recording and count in on the emotional ‘it’s been a year’ where she reflects on what she’s missed out on through life on the road – a recurring theme later on in the record.
Cooke also has a number of collaborations on the album, including her fellow young Nashville artists as well as established country stars. The rocky ‘see you around’, featuring Nate Smith, has a mellow midtempo feel balanced by lonesome-sounding guitar as well as punchy drums and another of her trademark big choruses, as well as plenty of details like the reference to an ’05 Chevy with tinted windows. Elsewhere, ‘mean girl’ with Colbie Caillat teams a shuffling melody with gorgeous harmonies, smart wordplay, impressive vocal runs from Cooke and big sisterly advice about a boy who’s bad news, whilst the aforementioned ‘never til now’ with Brett Young is a wedding song for the ages with its dreamy quality, soft guitar melody and lush vocal blend. However, my personal favourite is ‘what are you on fire about’, which sees Cooke team up with Jackson Dean. The song’s stripped-back yet cinematic feel really puts the emphasis on their vocals, especially in the chorus with its clever twist, and there’s a real power about Cooke’s delivery in particular that makes this track stand out compared to the rest of the record.
When I spoke to Ashley about the album recently, she mentioned that she almost wanted it to feel like two halves of a whole, and there are definitely plenty of moments where you can see that across the project. The traditional country-sounding ‘getting into’ is an early example of that bookend effect, with Cooke warning a potential partner that she isn’t perfect, before later she sings about accepting her partner despite all his flaws on ‘dirt on ’em’, which features a soaring rocky chorus. Meanwhile, ‘good to be back’, which opens the second half of the record, harks back to ‘tastes like’ with a similarly uptempo sound but a far more uplifting message about getting through a breakup, as well as some wicked guitar riffs, whilst the bright yet wistful ‘i almost do’ feels like the more upbeat twin to ‘running back’, a piano-led, soaring number which features a massive note from Cooke as well as some lyrics about having to confront yourself when looking back at the past.
For me the standout track is ‘next to you’, the only song Cooke wrote alone. It comes midway through the record, and has a gorgeous delicate melody alongside heartfelt, romantic lyrics and that detailed imagery again, like the reference to a middle school shirt and Tecovas by the door. You can really feel the warmth in Cooke’s voice as she sings and even though it’s very simple, it’s incredibly effective and touching – I definitely welled up a bit over that one! I also really loved ‘moving on with grace’, a driving, tongue-in-cheek number which has plenty of swagger in the chorus, some impressive long notes from Cooke and fantastic energy that I think will sound great live, as well as the sheer amount of detail in the stomping ‘get you’ with its references to a crush’s whiskey brand of choice and puzzle piece tattoo and biting, baffled lyrics about why he chooses to date someone else. Elsewhere, the sparse, downbeat ‘enough to leave’ which has a refreshing emotional honesty and openness about walking away from a good relationship that isn’t quite right, and I love the quiet strength she shows when dealing a dithering ex in the soulful yet sharp ‘say no more’ and ‘your place’.
Cooke closes the album with ‘state i’m in’, another piano-led track which sees her reminiscing about her decision to live life on the road rather than settling down. Her vocals glide effortlessly over the piano melody as the song’s layers build up and you really feel her wrestling with the pull of going home as well as following her heart and wanderlust to chase her dreams. It feels like a great note to end a debut album on and leaves you intrigued as to where she’s going to go from here to continue the journey.
Overall Ashley Cooke has delivered an excellent debut album which blends pop, rock and country influences and shows off all sides of her personality, alongside a strong vocal range that runs from soft and sweet to strong and powerful and brilliantly vivid songwriting throughout. It’s a great introduction to her as an artist and is sure to win her plenty of new fans as well as connecting with old ones, and has the makings of a great live show (particularly as she’s about to head out on her first headlining US tour). I’ll definitely be playing it a lot this summer, and in the meantime crossing my fingers she might make a trip back to see us here in the UK again soon…
Track listing: 1. tastes like 2. it’s been a year 3. see you around (featuring Nate Smith) 4. shot in the dark 5. moving on with grace 6. getting into 7. enough to leave 8. i almost do 9. mean girl (featuring Colbie Caillat) 10. running back 11. good thing going 12. next to you 13. good to be back 14. what are you on fire about (featuring Jackson Dean) 15. say no more 16. tryin’ to love you 17. back in the saddle 18. your place 19. dirt on ’em 20. build a bridge 21. get you 22. never ’til now (featuring Brett Young) 23. gonna get 24. state i’m in Record label: Big Loud Records/Back Blocks Music Release date: 21st July 2023
