Words and pictures by Duane Clawson
In the short time I’ve been covering live music for MTC, I have had the opportunity to witness a few performers grow their careers before my very eyes. Elizabeth Cook would be one of these said performers. Just a few short months ago I covered Elizabeth’s show at the much smaller Off Broadway. Tonight Cook had moved up the street to Old Rock House, a club that is much more generous in size. The one thing that was clearly evident at this show was how much more familiar this audience appeared to be with Elizabeth and her music. A major player in Elizabeth’s recent rise in popularity is her Sirius/XM radio show “Apron Strings”, which has now secured a spot on the Outlaw Country channel for the past four years. Another contributing factor in Cook’s success were her recent appearances on the David Letterman show. Elizabeth again brought her ever present charm to the Old Rock House stage, engaging the audience with tales of the people and places that have inspired her music and songwriting.
Cook’s show this evening was more upbeat than her previous St. Louis visit at Off Broadway. The size of the venue had no effect on Elizabeth’s ability to captivate the audience, as was the case during the song “Heroin Addict Sister”, a highly personal song about addiction and the struggles of dealing with family members that are addicts. Elizabeth shared a couple of songs with the St. Louis audience from a forth coming EP entitled Gospel Plow. As one might expect from the title of this EP, the songs are of a gospel nature. With that being said, the songs that Elizabeth chose to debut from this forthcoming album were upbeat, good ole foot-stomping, dancing with rattlesnakes type gospel songs. The House audience showed their appreciation for the new music with gracious amounts of dancing and applause. One other highlight from tonight that deserves mention was Elizabeth’s cover of Merle Haggard’s “Today I Started Loving You Again”. Cook adds a new dimension to this classic, country tearjerker by slowing it down just a bit while Tim Carroll’s slightly distorted guitar nicely compliments Elizabeth's vocals that bear resemblance to Tammy Wynette . Before Cook took the stage, some members of the audience were only familiar with her radio show. By the end of her set, it was impressive to watch her ability to win some new fans. Thanks to Traci Thomas of Thirty Tigers for allowing MTC to cover Elizabeth’s return visit to St. Louis. Pictures of the show are below:
Contributed by Duane Clawson
Cook’s show this evening was more upbeat than her previous St. Louis visit at Off Broadway. The size of the venue had no effect on Elizabeth’s ability to captivate the audience, as was the case during the song “Heroin Addict Sister”, a highly personal song about addiction and the struggles of dealing with family members that are addicts. Elizabeth shared a couple of songs with the St. Louis audience from a forth coming EP entitled Gospel Plow. As one might expect from the title of this EP, the songs are of a gospel nature. With that being said, the songs that Elizabeth chose to debut from this forthcoming album were upbeat, good ole foot-stomping, dancing with rattlesnakes type gospel songs. The House audience showed their appreciation for the new music with gracious amounts of dancing and applause. One other highlight from tonight that deserves mention was Elizabeth’s cover of Merle Haggard’s “Today I Started Loving You Again”. Cook adds a new dimension to this classic, country tearjerker by slowing it down just a bit while Tim Carroll’s slightly distorted guitar nicely compliments Elizabeth's vocals that bear resemblance to Tammy Wynette . Before Cook took the stage, some members of the audience were only familiar with her radio show. By the end of her set, it was impressive to watch her ability to win some new fans. Thanks to Traci Thomas of Thirty Tigers for allowing MTC to cover Elizabeth’s return visit to St. Louis. Pictures of the show are below:
Elizabeth Cook @ Old Rock House, St. Louis, MO
Reviewed by Scott Rowe, Editor
on
June 21, 2012
Rating:
Reviewed by Scott Rowe, Editor
on
June 21, 2012
Rating:
