Dark Side of the Moon
Opry darling Elizabeth Cook's self-released new record casts more shadows than her major label debut
by Chris Neal
Elizabeth Cook
This Side of the Moon
(Hog County)
In some parallel universe, Elizabeth Cook is an accountant, just like she planned. In this reality, she sits behind a desk for eight hours a day, crunching one dull-ass number after another. Maybe, as she's walking documents from one part of the office to another, she sings to herself a little.
Nah, it could never have happened. Cook may have graduated from Georgia Southern University with two degrees in accounting and computer information systems, but she could never have resisted her true calling. She was born the 11th child of musician parents, including a father who served time for moonshining—but more importantly, she sings with a lilting, vibrant soprano that sounds like it was formed in the upper atmosphere from stray Grand Ole Opry broadcasts and pure sunshine.
That said, there is a certain mathematical precision to Cook's third album, This Side of the Moon. Not a moment of these 13 tracks is wasted; each is served up with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of discipline. Cook's singing never slides into melisma, and the fat-free production aims for timelessness, not timeliness. Aside from some synthesizer on the title cut, an irksome racket that seems beamed in from some other album, this is music that could have been recorded 50 years ago. (The peekaboo poncho Cook wears on the inner sleeve might have been a problem in 1955, but no matter.)
That sound is the work of a total of five producers, but there are no jarring transitions as one snappy track quickly overtakes the next—it's all held together by the strict parameters of Cook's beans-and-cornbread drawl and determinedly retro Tammy-and-Loretta sound. Not for nothing has she made over 100 Opry appearances in the last four years, charming the traditionalist gatekeepers with her classic-country sound, girlish charm and scrubbed-clean good looks.
Unfortunately, Cook's most-favored-nation status on that venerable radio show hasn't translated into national stardom just yet. Her lone major-label album, 2002's Hey Y'All (named for her trademark onstage greeting), sat on a shelf for over a year, the victim of record-company machinations. It was met with a shrug upon release, leading to Cook's inevitable split from her corporate bosses in 2003.
For Moon, Cook has returned to DIY record-making; like her 2000 self-titled debut, This Side of the Moon is a self-released effort promoted largely through Cook's Web site. That doesn't make it a return to square one—throughout Moon, Cook carries herself with a swagger that suggests her trip on the major-label money-go-round has toughened her commitment.
Granted, it may have also darkened her worldview a tad. Cook's naturally warm, buoyant voice contrasts wickedly with the knife-edge sentiments of many of her songs. "Here's to you," she sings in the song of the same name before finishing the thought: "for messing up everything." Another aggravating lover gets needled in "Hard-Hearted": "You're so hard-hearted, the dearly departed can't even get to you."
Even in seemingly upbeat moments, Cook retains her edge; when she sings about looking for the "Funny Side of Love," it's because she can't quite see it at the moment. Cuts like "Cupid" and "Somebody's Gotta Do It" sound cutesy on first spin, but there's a sharp-toothed wit at play that gives them just the edge they need to get under your skin. The result is a nuanced suite of songs that start out beaming sunlight and eventually give up the darkness.
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