Amanda Cook – Love Through Time
This critically acclaimed bluegrass unit led by award-nominated songwriter & vocalist Amanda Cook has been plucking the strings & singing the high lonesome since 2013. Ms. Cook’s band does maintain a traditional bluegrass tempo but adds insightfully a contemporary sound. Ms. Cook’s prior album “Restless Soul” reached #2 on the Billboard Bluegrass Album chart & an earlier album at #1. So, there’s no elementary endeavor to this new 10-track showcase filled with Love Through Time (Dropped Oct. 16/Mountain Fever Records/35:34).
Produced by The Amanda Cook Band & Aaron Ramsey, the showcase was recorded at Mountain Fever Studios, Willis, VA. The set starts not with fiery showboating bluegrass break-neck speed but with a simple upbeat glossy mandolin & fiddle chasing Amanda’s unrestrained vocals. The title track “Love Through Time” celebrates her marriage & spills graciously from the speakers with bluegrass poignancy tethered to the tradition with vibrant rhythm in a well-arranged piece. Quite different from the basic bluegrass tune.
Singing with the whispery attraction of Allison Krauss, Amanda adds an aurally mellow “Mohegan Moon,” & “Good At Losing You” which continues to display intricate instrumental interplay. The lyrics on both cuts are clear & sincere; the backing musicians nourish the melodies. More in a contemporary vein is “Ghost Town” that’s sung well but not as pristine sounding as the previous tracks. The acoustic guitar & banjo breaks pop with clarity, but while Ms. Cook’s vocals are captured warmly her voice should have more presence (a different microphone maybe?)
The duet with Katelyn Ingardia on “Matter of Time” is a beautiful & gratifying bluegrass ballad. A decorative George Mason fiddle adds to the tune’s attraction. Singing closer to her own signature tone, Amanda’s voice has renewed brightness on the slow contemporary bluegrass tunes “Safe & Sound,” & “Odd One Out” where her intonation, phrasing & tonality features her individuality.
Ms. Cook’s arrangements on many of her bluegrass numbers is what sparkles. She has energy, slows down, restarts, is whispery & then sings with authority. The musicians all add musical color with precision & ripe instrumentation. Closing the LP is the upbeat & exuberant “Down In the Quarter” that even possesses a Dolly Parton-irresistible style in its execution. Bluegrass aficionado? Add this one to a must listen list. Lots of snazzy tendrils to this performance & Amanda Cook delivers.
Highlights – “Love Through Time,” “Mohegan Moon,” “Ghost Town,” “Matter of Time,” “Safe & Sound,” “Let You Go,” “Odd One Out” & “Down In the Quarter.”
Musicians – Carolyne Van Lierop Boone (banjo/harmony), Troy Boone (mandolin/harmony), Justin Alexander (guitar/harmony), Joshua Faul (bass/harmony), Chevy Watson (guitar on “Matter of Time”) & Gaven Largent (resonator guitar).
Color image courtesy of Amanda’s website photo gallery. CD @ https://amandacookbluegrass.com/product/1271460-love-through-time-cd & https://mountainfever.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Amanda Cook “Restless Soul”