David Cook Leaves The “Grunge Lite” On

noah | November 18, 2008 4:00 am

Our look at the closing lines of reactions to the week’s biggest new music continues with a glance at reviews of American Idol champ David Cook’s self-titled album, which arrives in stores today:

• “Producer Rob Cavallo has crafted a slick, dynamic, low-risk, major-league album designed to hang around for a while. None of the production techniques will fall out of fashion the next two years, which ought to be the shelf life of this record. There are at least six singles on David Cook, not counting ‘The Time of My Life.’ If commercial radio is part of your daily life, be prepared to start hearing these songs soon and often. When you do, remember it’s the sound of a local boy making it really big.” [Kansas City Star]

• “Cook’s engaging, enthusiastic vocals bind it all. He’s especially impressive on the harder rocking cuts: ‘Bar-ba-soul’ is a standout. But even when he’s knee-deep in sappy sentiments, as on ‘Mr. Sensitive’ and ‘Life on the Moon,’ Cook manages to invigorate the songs with passion and warmth, the hallmark of a promising pop star.” [Baltimore Sun]

• “Somehow, David Cook matches its creator–a little unfocused but brimming with potential and so much likability that the faults get forgotten.” [Newsday]

• “You’ll search in vain for a spark of originality, but you will find a degree of poignancy in songs concerning Cook’s cancer-stricken brother, Adam (‘A Daily AntheM,’ whose capitalized letters spell out his name, and especially ‘Permanent,’ a moving semi-ballad). Still, you have to hope there’s more to Cook than is audible in this disappointing debut.” [USA Today]

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