Elizabeth Cook

Elizabeth Cook has been called a punk-rock Patsy Cline, and aside from the fact that Patsy was plenty punk herself, the comparison is apt. With her guileless drawl, rollicking steel guitar twang, and song titles like "Sometimes It Takes Balls to Be a Woman," this singer owes more to the brassy wit of her bluegrass foremothers than the saccharine gloss of Faith, Shania, et al.

A modern spin on the classic country-bluegrass sound, this is by no means a one-trick album. Expertly roaming from pacy honky-tonk numbers to closing-time ballads that showcase the surprising purity of Cook's voice, Balls has a strong and varied track list. "Sometimes..." is one standout: a grin-and-grit anthem for women "standing up to the test / wearing a party dress," while "Gonna Be" is her feisty declaration of screw-you ambition.

The (ahem) ballsier numbers may be accessible, but it's when the album takes a more contemplative turn that its true gems are revealed. The melancholy refrain of "Sunday Morning" carries a simple sweetness, while the way Cook allows her voice to spiral into soft regret during "What Do I Do" marks her as a truly gifted singer and songwriter.

- Abby McDonald
05.07.07

After a quick listen to Balls, it's hard to imagine why Warner Brothers dropped Elizabeth Cook after only one album. Could she have sounded too traditional for country radio? Did they want her to tone down her in-your-face delivery? The mysteries of major labels are many and unfathomable, so suffice it to say that Cook is a major talent and will undoubtedly wind up with another major-label deal. Balls has the same power and charm evident on her earlier outings and the bonus of Rodney Crowell's sharp production talents. Every track crackles like a pork fat fueled barbecue fire, full of the spunk and sass that make Cook an artist to watch. "Times Are Tough in Rock 'N Roll" is a sly putdown of the mainstream music industry and a celebration of country roots driven by a traditional track that includes banjo, jew's harp (something you don't hear on many records these days, if ever) and fiddle. When she sings "All my feelings/All my fears/Were confirmed with Britney Spears" you've got to laugh out loud. Cook's been called a cross between Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, and a tune like "Sometimes It Takes Balls to Be a Woman" tells you that the comparisons aren't mere hyperbole. It's a honky tonk stomp that delineates the problems facing the fairer sex with good humor and sharp observations of the strength it takes to deal with the male ego. "What Do I Do" is Western swing in the style of Merle Haggard, a weeper that finds the singer torn between giving her heart away and walking away from a bad situation. Some nice Roy Nichols-style electric guitar fills add authenticity to the track. Cook's just as commanding on the album's ballads. "Down Girl" is as dark as anything Gillian Welch has written, "Rest Your Weary Mind," a duet with Bobby Bare, Jr., sounds like a hundred-year-old folk lament, while "Mama's Prayers" is a ringer for Parton's homespun Tennessee tales of tribulation. The most surprising track is "Sunday Morning," the Velvet Underground oldie transformed into a mournful ballad given extra melancholy by Matt Combs' fiddle work. Balls is a great album made by people who obviously love the grit and honesty of real music. ~ j. poet, All Music Guide