This Quiet Night (2011): EP Review

This Quiet Night paralleled – for the most part – the release of This Loud Morning. The album is a compilation of the acoustic versions 5 of the songs on This Loud Morning. Cook said he felt the fans deserved something extra for their patience awaiting the release of his sophomore album (post Idol). The EP kicks off with the lead single off of This Loud Morning “The Last Goodbye”. I never really felt the song was a great single, but was interested to see how it would sound stripped back, as I felt a lot of the sound relied on the fact that the lyrics didn’t really match the upbeat, rock sound of the instrumental. And the acoustic version isn’t anything that stands out either. It’s the same song with out the electric guitar, and it reminds me even more how much the song doesn’t really work, and isn’t anything very special. “Right Here, With You”, follows the lead single. In contrast to “The Last Goodbye”, the song sounds great. But even on it’s own I always felt it would have made for a good pick for a single, it’s quite radio friendly with some driving verses and some catchy hooks. The song starts (in stereo) with a light guitar riff in the right ear and quickly Cook singing in the left, by the first drop of the verse both ears balance with the rest of the song. I felt need to mention this as that always seemed to stand out to me about the song when thinking back on it. The rest of the song works fine on acoustic, still I prefer the louder version of the song, not to detract from the acoustic but the stripped back sound of the song doesn’t emphasize or improve really any aspect of the song. The first ballad on This Quiet Night is “Take Me As I Am”. The song was not a stand out on This Loud Morning. But how does it hold up on This Quiet Night? Surprisingly extremely well. I think this is a song that benefits from the quieter, more intimate interpretation of the song. This version just emphasizes Cooks flawless, raw vocals, and also seemed to grab my attention and point it to the bridge. I think the bridge is something to note as being a high point of the song. It's definitely better than the version on This Loud Morning. A little over halfway through the EP and it's just now that it starts to pick up.

“Goodbye To The Girl”, a stand out on This Loud Morning and a stand out here. The song works great, and like "Take Me As I Am", better than the theatrical version on This Loud Morning. Damn is this version good, and really gives the song a different vibe, for the better. The piano and Cooks voice blend great together, and do so in this quieter, clearer track, if that makes any sense?  What else is there to say? The song works here, very well. “Paper Heart” is one of my favourites on This Loud Morning and in my top 3 David Cook songs ever. The song on the EP is amazing, and I think the stand out track. Ironically I first heard this song acoustically when Cook played a small event before the release of This Loud Morning. When I heard it I really liked it and again it quickly was a stand out on the record and stands out even more live. But here it works so well with just the acoustic vibe. The rock version of the song sounds very angry and works great that way and here it comes across as a very sad, longing song, one you listen to in the rain. It’s funny when you pick a song to strip down how the vibe can change perfectly. This is a perfect pick for a song to put on an acoustic EP. And This Quiet Night ends on a high. I’m happy Cook released an acoustic EP for the fans who waited 3 years for his sophomore release but for an acoustic EP, most of the songs still sounded very produced. And 2 of the 5 weren’t great picks to turn acoustic. I don’t want to be misunderstood, I like acoustic songs and if the whole record could have been changed to acoustic for the EP, I might be a little less harsh on the songs, but when only 5 could be picked and 2 of them don’t really do anything differently, it kind of sucks. But it’s a nice little add on to the theatrical release and I’m not really disappointed at all. If you’re a die-hard Cook fan, like yours truly, you already have the album, if not, just give the last 2-3 songs a listen, and if you so dare, a download. 

​My favourite songs from favourite (1) to least favourite (5):

1. Paper Heart

2. Goodbye to the Girl

3. Take Me As I Am

4. Right Here, With You

5. The Last Goodbye