BEST OF 2010 - #8 - ELIZABETH COOK "WELDER"

I recently wrote about Elizabeth Cook's great new album Welder, but I'll write a bit more about it. I am making up for the lack of attention she is getting from bigger outlets, who should be giving some of that Gaga love to Ms. Cook.

I mentioned that both Paste and Rolling Stone named Welder one of the best albums of 2010 (which I agree with). I'm glad that Rolling Stone has come correct again: they've named "El Camino" as one of the best songs of the year. It is such a funny song, and I've said it before, but the line about "if I wake up married, I'll have to annul it/right now my hands are in his mullet" is so funny.  The thing is, she's not just light-hearted fun, she is what I call a "Saturday night/Sunday morning" singer. She sings without judgement about people who many would be quick to judge, notably on "Heroin Addict Sister."  I actually filmed her singing that song in a radio interview, it was hard to be in room, the song hurts that much. I don't know if it is about her sister or someone else she knows.  But it's about someone's sister.

She also sings about love, sex and relationships in an honest and frank way.  On "Yes To Booty" she tells her dude to leave those beers alone until later ("when you say no to beer, you say yes to booty") and  on "Girlfriend Tonight" she sings "honey I know I am just your wife, but I want to be your girlfriend tonight" which hits hard. More than anyone else, she reminds me of Loretta.

Another note about her album: a quick look at the backing vocalists shows you the respect she commands among artists: who else uses Buddy Miller, Rodney Crowell and Dwight Yoakam as backing singers on one album? She's a DJ on the amazing SiriusXM channel Outlaw Country and she's a character on the video game Red Dead Redemption. She's like, one break away from being a big star. But don't you want to say you knew her before she became a big superstar?  Right!  Pick up Welder now and be the coolest country fan on your block!

Check out: "All The Time," "El Camino," "Heroin Addict Sister," "Girlfriend Tonight," "Rock N Roll Man"