Elizabeth Cook

Opening for Todd Snider on 2/26 & 2/27

Doors 8pm Show 9pm • $20 Advance • $22 Day of show • Over 21 Only • Buy Tickets

SATURDAY 2/27 — SOLD OUT!

In contemporary country music, it’s a rare performer who will dare to take on the industry on her own hogs-and-kisses terms. But for the artist whom Nanci Griffith has called “this generation’s Loretta Lynn,” it takes a certain tenacity to meld smart attitude with classic tradition, the credibility of a life lived with genuine hillbilly passion, and the integrity to write an acclaimed cache of uncommonly cool songs. In other words, for Elizabeth Cook, it takes balls.

Balls is the bold declaration of an uncompromising artist unafraid to be exactly who she is. Produced by Rodney Crowell, 9 of the album’s 11 tracks are written or co-written by Elizabeth – including the brash anthem “Sometimes It Takes Balls To Be A Woman” – and the album stands defiant in its devotion to smiles, tears and sexy, sassy swagger. It’s a fiercely independent ride where shuffles, ballads and even the occasional juice harp can soar alongside an exquisite cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning.” Balls is, quite simply, Elizabeth Cook’s unabashed breakthrough. “I still can’t believe I got away with going into the studio and cutting these songs,” she says with a laugh, “I feel like I’ve just robbed a convenience store.”

“In an era of fabricated fame, Elizabeth is the real deal,” says Rodney Crowell, the legendary singer/songwriter whose work as producer has also included acclaimed records with Guy Clark, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Jim Lauderdale and five landmark albums with Roseanne Cash. “Elizabeth has a quirky Loretta sensibility that is positively poetic. She’s got that Emmylou quality that inspires those around her. Then factor in her amazing family history – You simply cannot make that stuff up.”

To say that Elizabeth Cook’s background is like something out of a country song would be wildly underestimating the entire genre. The youngest of 11 half-brothers and sisters, she grew up in rural Florida where her musician parents met while playing in local country bars. Her father learned to play upright bass in a Georgia prison band while serving 11 years for running moonshine. Her mother, a singer and mandolin player from the hills of West Virginia, wrote her daughter’s first songs, including “Does My Daddy Love The Bottle More Than He Loves Me,” and had Elizabeth singing on stage at 4 years old. Elizabeth had her own band at 9 – as well as the regional hit “Homework Blues” – and performed prolifically throughout her school years. “The way I sound and my musical references came from what I heard and learned as a child,” Elizabeth explains in her rich twang, “I had this accent when I was 2 years old. It’s not an apology or even an explanation; it’s just what I am. My way of talking, singing and writing is just how I use language, my cultural vernacular. The only difference between me and most of my family is knowing that there’s actually a word such as ‘vernacular’.”

Elizabeth graduated from Georgia Southern University in 1996 with dual degrees in Accounting and Computer Information Systems, and accepted a job offer from Price Waterhouse’s Nashville office. But her gift for music proved inescapable and the young accountant signed a publishing deal within a year. She released the independent album Elizabeth Cook/The Blue Album in 2000, and made her major label debut in 2002 with Hey Y’All. But following a corporate re-structuring that left the album virtually abandoned, Elizabeth fought back with her 2004 independent release This Side Of The Moon, drawing raves ranging from The New York Times (which named her One Of The Top Ten Unheard Artists Of The Year) to No Depression (who called her “an artist to whom attention must be paid, reminiscent of Dolly Parton or a more burnished Julie Miller). Through it all, Elizabeth remained a relentless performer, playing shows across America – as well as in South Korea, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Poland and France – and well over 200 performances at The Grand Ole Opry.

“If you mention Emmylou or Lucinda or Patty Griffin or other artists who have longevity, it’s because their work is based on recognition of their artistry,” says Rodney Crowell. “My hope for this album is that Elizabeth is recognized as the same kind of artist that deserves to be heard. She has something to add to it all.” And for the artist who dares to describe herself as “a girl with an affinity for vintage cocktail dresses but believes in baiting her own hook,” her new album is the twanged clarion of a bold new stage in an already fearless career. “I write what I love,” says Elizabeth, “And I love to communicate what I write. Most of all, I write to help heal myself. Music has traditionally helped people feel better and gotten them through hard times. With this album, I want people to feel like they got a laugh and got a cry. I want people to feel understood, if only for a few minutes.” Because for Elizabeth Cook, having Balls is just the beginning.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 20th, 2009 at 6:36 pm and is filed under Past Shows. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.