CHROMANCE (2018): EP Review

I feel your pulse steady like an 808/It keeps driving like a semi on the interstate/Swerving left and right, coloring outside the lines/We gotta get before the getting’s late Damn, Cook’s still got it! Two and a half years after the long-awaited Digital Vein comes the release of Chromance. Created in a similar vein (pun intended) to DV, Chromance is self-produced, uses more programming elements, and the creation process was followed along by fans through another Pledge Music campaign. However, unlike DV, Chromance moved to a different sound. David Cook explains that he was inspired by sounds like the ones he heard on a song called “Running with the Wolves” by AURORA, and the new Halsey record Badlands. With those in mind along with the release of the first single off of Chromance, “Gimme Heartbreak”, the fans were in for a different sound from Cook. Also another departure was the fact that this was going to be an EP. The only other EPs from Cook were in the form of acoustic EPs of songs already tracked on their full length albums. As we know, Cook isn’t a fan of singles, in fact he hates them, as stated on AOL Build. He believes in the landscape of a record where each song flows into the next.  So the fact that he wanted to make an EP was interesting to me. At first I was a little bummed out that we weren’t getting as many songs this time around, but an interview with David opened up my mind. I believe he was on “Ralphie Tonight” when he said that he had a conversation with someone who told him that every great story teller tells a short story once in a while. This changed his outlook on EPs and now we are getting Cook’s first one. With this in mind and after warming up to “Gimme Heartbreak”, I was really interested in what Cook had in mind for a short story. Then February 16th hit. Here we go. First of all, I'd like to touch on the EP cover art. Not a bad cover at all, it's just a bit of the same old thing. David Cook standing in front of a white background. Obviously This Loud Morning is very different and that's definitely my favourite of his album covers, but this formula has been working, and it's a decent cover. The colours reflect the album's name and it's decently appealing to the eye. Like I said it's not a TLM album cover but it does its job. I hope we see something different on upcoming albums. I was kind of digging the artwork we were getting on the DavidCookOfficial website when it was updated for the release of "Gimme Heartbreak". It was eerie looking, with artwork looking like the woods in some pictures and the white background with small black lines running across. The colours looked like those we saw on the "Gimme Heartbreak" single artwork, which I really liked. I wonder if this was the direction in artwork he had in mind for the EP before he decided to name the EP Chromance.

“The Lucky Ones” kicks off the record with an electronic, darker sound than we’re used to. The lyrics on this track shine. "So be the blood rushing right into my brain/As your oxygen begins to take my breath away." C’mon, these lines are perfect. I’m so happy (knock on wood) that with time, David Cook’s lyrics are always getting better, unlike some other artists, some of whom are my favorites of all time. The chorus of this song kills any worries I had about the direction this EP was heading in. The melody is different in structure and sound, but doesn’t stray too far as to isolate David Cook fans. It’s not as soaring of a sound as say a “Declaration” or a “Criminals” but it’s not trying to be, and it sticks the landing on its sound. Next we move into the leadoff single, “Gimme Heartbreak”. This song is good. It’s not outstanding but it’s good. When I first heard the song I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. Part of me was thinking I wish he was sticking with his rock sound, and another part of me was thinking, we already have a bunch of other albums where David Cook rocks out, and that seemed to help me embrace the song a little more. I think the song’s a little safe. Not that that’s a bad thing at all, I think songs like “Life on the Moon”, “I Did It For You” and “Fade Into Me” are a little safe but I still think they’re great songs. But had the EP been released with no singles, “Gimme Heartbreak” wouldn’t have been the first or second or third song I would’ve gone back to. That being said I like the falsetto sound Cook goes for in the chorus along with a heavier sounding instrumentation. The juxtaposition of the two sounds really go good together. I also like the breakdown in the bridge, with the drums and the muted guitar riff, and how the chorus hits right after. I think that’s my favourite part of the song. "Warfare" is a really good one. The highlights of Warfare are the chorus and the third verse. The melody on the chorus is damn kick-ass. The bass really sticks out on the chorus. I always love when the bass is a little more prominent in a song because it's not always warranted in every song but when it is and it's done well, it sounds great. I also like the riff the guitar is doing in the last chorus right before the song ends. The third verse is great too. Most all the instrumentation drops out except this weird siren sounding thing, and we just get David's voice. I love when he sings "Another night to kick the habit/Of living life monochromatic". I got very excited when he mentioned chromatic, it was a very nice reference to the title of the EP. And when he says addict and the audio goes all weird and drains out quickly, followed by the chorus just kicking right in. It's so bad-ass. That's definitely my favourite part of the song. The song just has an energy to it, a high energy that just doesn't let up the entire song. I think where this song is a little weaker is in its first two verses. The music here is fine, it's nothing crazy, I guess it's supposed to be a little more subdued to contrast the rocking chorus but it's the lyrics that aren't all that strong here. They're not awful or even bad, they're just a bit weaker compared to the rest of the song, even the third verse. The "Fightin' for your love" chant in the background, however, is so bad. It's extremely cheesy and almost ruins the song for me. I really wish it wasn't there. I feel like it didn't even need to swap it for something else, vocal or instrumental, it could have just been completely omitted and I feel like the rest of the song would have filled in nicely.

Now we move onto a track I have some serious opinions on, "Another Day in Paradise". A Phil Collins cover? Really? First of all, why Phil Collins? Don't get me wrong, if he made it his own like he did "Hello" or "Billie Jean" or "Baba O'Riley" or (insert almost any American Idol performance here), then I'd be all for it. But it's basically the same song, with some production differences. He's done so many great live covers, "The Chain" sticks out most recently, and he tracks, on an EP, "Another Day In Paradise"? He sings the song very well obviously and the instrumentation and like I said the production is done very well, but I'm still left scratching my head as to why Phil Collins? If Cook decided to release a 12 - 13 tack album of just covers, I still don't think I'd want this on here. I know David's said in some interviews that it was the perfect combination of the message of the song resonating with what's going on in the world right now, and the production of the song fitting in line with the sound of the EP, but I can't help but think that if he had to put a cover on the EP that this was the best pick. I'm also still not okay with the idea of putting a cover on an original album/EP. I did like David's take of "Wicked Game" on Digital Vein and that's an example of Cook doing a cover very well, but I still wish he had left it as a bonus track or as a single or something. Maybe I'm being a little too harsh but I just wish this was better cover or an original instead. I thought that with some time I might warm up to the song but sadly I haven't really and I find myself skipping it every time. Then... "Ghost Magnetic". Oh my fuck. The haunting piano at the beginning of this track is so chilling. The lyrics and vocals are the perfect combination. Again, I can't say enough about Cook's lyrics. "Losing light, and closer than I’ve ever been/To paralyzed and covered in your fingerprints/Pulses beating right in time/Motion for a silent night". This is a ballad that is my favourite since "Permanent". This was a single released before the album was released and also was a song David was playing live leading up to the release of Chromance. I actually waited for the EP to hear it (and "The Lucky Ones") and I'm so glad I did. The dark story of love on this track, trying to escape one's love but not being able to is chill inducing as Cook seems to capture that story using words flawlessly. "I can’t escape/I’m living with the ghost magnetic/Yeah all that I can hear them say/Is I’m the whisper of a dead aesthetic." The way Cook sings "I can't escape" over again at the end of the song as a sort of cry for "help" is heartbreaking as well as breathtaking. "Ghost Magnetic" is a powerful ballad that fits great in the back half of the EP and is a perfect lead into the last track. Wait. This next track is a David Cook song? It doesn't even sound like him really at the start. "Circles" is quite a different direction. Even on this already upside down sound from David Cook. This song sticks out, in a good way, especially seeing that it's at the end of the EP. David said that he hopes the song feels like you're falling off the edge of a cliff by the end, and I certainly feel this. The verses are so dark and quiet and brooding, each moment of the song building and leading to a huge breakout on the chorus when Cook sings "We could make our way through hell/But we keep tripping on ourselves/Yeah we’re running in circles". It sounds so good. And it really rocks out. But not necessarily in a "Bar-Ba-Sol" style. It's even heavier. The relentless guitar on the chorus is so hard and sounds so good. I wasn't excepting this sound here. Also one of Cook's favourite lyrics he's written is on this track when he sings "We fake it till we make it/Just to break it like it's part of the plan". ​He explained that the lyrics represents bad advice he'd received that he needs to write the "hit" single. David talks about how being in-genuine (faking it) to get commercial success (till we make it) leads to a piece of himself breaking off every time he isn't true to himself (just to break it like it's part of the plan). With songs like "The Lucky Ones" and the lead off single "Gimme Heartbreak", this song comes out of nowhere. After the heavy chorus, we get a softer outro as David sings quietly "Yeah we’re running in circles" over and over again, like a circle. Chromance is an EP I wasn't really asking for as a David Cook fan. I wanted a full length rock album, instead we got an EP full of left sounding David Cook songs, incorporating a lot of pop elements and sounds. That said, I'm glad he did. We have 12 years of music from Cook that have that rock sound. And who's to say he won't re-visit that in the future, not to dismiss the fact that there are some very rock sounding tracks on Chromance, especially on "Circles". It's not like he just up and wrote a bunch of songs that will play at clubs or country bars, he put a bit of a spin on his iconic David Cook sound, and if this is where David is feeling most creative, keep it coming. At the end of the day I just want great music from David Cook and we're getting it. I can't wait to see where David goes from here, this EP has got me really excited. My favourite songs from favourite (1) to least favourite (6): 1. Ghost Magnetic 2. The Lucky Ones 3. Circles

4. Gimme Heartbreak 5. Warfare 6. Another Day in Paradise