Vocal Masterclass Evaluation Of David Cook`s Analog Heart CD

July 17, 2008 by Masterclass Lady 11 Comments


It’s kind of quiet now – the Idols have been enjoying a well-deserved two day rest, but, many of them are busy with contractual and recording obligations. So, it never really stops for these singers.

Therefore, when I was kindly asked by one of my readers, AgainstTheDyingOfTheLight to have a listen to David’s pre-Idol CD, Analog Heart, I thought that this “down time” would be a perfect opportunity to do so.

So, here is my take on a couple of David’s songs.

I hope you enjoy my synopsis and, as always, your comments are most welcome.

David Cook`s Pre-Idol CD, Analog Heart
Written, arranged, produced and performed by David Cook.

The Truth”: Click to watch

I love the a cappella beginning of this song; it exposes the distinct timbre of David`s pure and natural voice. And, as I listen, I have to say that the mix of this recording is very good. The vocals are not overwhelmed by the instrumentation. Hopefully, David can make sure that the production of his post -Idol CD will enjoy the same clean and pristine sound.

And, as always, David`s articulation of the words are crystal clear and precise and his full-bodied voice sounds beautifully focused indeed!
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He sings with a great deal of head voice throughout his vocal range – just perfect! And , when he reaches the final stages of this song, his upper voice sounds gorgeous. He sustains the “aye” diphthong in the word “way” on the pure vowel – “eh” – and the result is a beautifully projected and centered vocal sound.

Additionally he moves with vocal freedom when he manoeuvres the sustained note on the word “way” through ascending and descending notes, always maintaining an even, full and ringing timbre throughout this powerful section of the song. This is a vocally impressive point in the song and he sounds absolutely outstanding.

This is an impressive recording and a stellar composition – extremely sophisticated and refined, yet full of the raw passion that is so inherent in David’s distinct artistry. If this is a glimpse of what David has to offer the music world as a singer-songwriter, his success will be a healthy, rewarding and inspiring experience for the artist and the listener.

Amazing! Absolutely amazing!

“Silver”: Click to watch

I love the piano at the beginning of this song – two alternating notes a semitone apart , creating a crescendo as introduction to David’s vocals. Very eerie and, actually, very creative!

Then, with the implementation of further instrumentation, the song gains additional power and dimension. David adopts a more rustic sound when singing this song in keeping with the extreme passion of the lyrical content. It is edgier than “The Truth” and the vocals sound more frenzied, but, at the heart of it all, is David’s strong technical skills. It is an audible presence in every song he performs.

And, again, it ends with the piano, this time with a three-note pattern creating a decrescendo. Very lovely indeed.! And the fact that he bookends the raw passion of this song with just the sound of the piano indicates to me that he is such an intelligent and sophisticated songwriter. He obviously puts so much thought and attention into his music – there is real depth and focus to his song writing abilities.

Excellent work, David. Bravo!

Stay tuned -in the coming days – for reviews of studio recordings of David Archuleta and Jason Castro that were made available to me through the generous donation of their fans
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American Idol, Entertainment, Masterclass Lady, Music, Rosanne Simunovic, Vocal Masterclass Articles

About Masterclass Lady

Rosanne (Giallonardo) Simunovic began her musical career in Timmins, Ontario. She studied piano with Anne Pizzale and later, at an advanced level, with Soeur Anita Vaugeois (Sister Cecile of Les Soeurs De L’Assomption in Timmins). Her vocal and accompaniment skills were nurtured by her aunt, the late Dorothea Mascioli. When Rosanne graduated from O’Gorman High School, she moved on to the University of Toronto where she continued her piano and vocal studies while attaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She was hired as a piano accompanist for several musical companies, most notably, the National Ballet Of Canada. She presently holds an A.R.C.T. Teacher’s Diploma in Voice from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Rosanne has studied choral conducting with numerous well known Canadian Conductors, including Wayne Riddell of Montreal, Quebec and the internationally renowned Dr. Elmer Iseler. She has been a founding member of numerous community-based arts organizations: the Timmins Arts Council, later known as Arts & Culture Timmins, the Timmins Symphony Orchestra, and, the Timmins Youth Singers…as well as the TYS Alumnus choir, the Timmins Concert Singers. In 1987, she was also selected to be the conductor of the Timmins Board Of Education Choir, comprised of talented students from Grades 5 to 8. In 1988, she was elected to the Board Of Directors of the Ontario Choral Federation (now known as Choirs Ontario), where she served as Chair of the Festivals Committee for six consecutive seasons. In 1996, in honour of the Ontario Choral Federation’s 25th Anniversary, Rosanne was selected as one of 25 recipients of the OCF’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contribution to the choral art. The ceremony was presided by Lieutenant Governor, Hal Jackman. In November 1997, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Rotary Club Of Timmins to receive the prestigious Paul Harris Award for her years of dedication to the artistic development of young musical talent in Timmins. In August of 2002, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Board Of Directors of Choirs Ontario to serve as Conductor of both the Provincial Junior and Teen Choir Camps, now renamed in honour of the Camp Benefactors, Don and Lillian Wright. In November 2002, Rosanne was the one of the recipients of the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, honouring her work in the development of the arts in Timmins. Under Rosanne Simunovic’s direction, the Timmins Youth Singers and the Timmins Concert Singers have been featured in numerous choral festivals and performing opportunities outside of Timmins. In 1985, they were selected to partici
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11 Responses to “Vocal Masterclass Evaluation Of David Cook`s Analog Heart CD”

  1. idolina July 17, 2008 at 8:01 pm

    Hey MCL. Nice review!

    The Truth is a very good song and all of the lyrics on the album are fantastic.
    Silver is such a haunting song…it gives me goose bumps. Cook is definitely daring with the album….One of the lines in Silver “Taking pills for solemn motive”…definitely gives me the chills.

    It’s very impressive that he wrote and produced this album himself. I believe it also won an Idie award in Tulsa.

    It was great that he was able to show these skills while on Idol with some of his astounding arrangements. You are right in pointing out his intelligence and knowing what works for him. I always thought that the songs that he performed with violins were the most haunting: Perfect for his type of voice. He definitely knows what works for his voice.

    Gosh I miss the last season of Idol. My fave winner ever, my fave top 2 ever, and my fave top 10 ever. And the 2 Davids together during and after the finale: Priceless.

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  2. masterclasslady July 17, 2008 at 8:05 pm

    Thanks Idolina. I miss AI 7 as well. I hope to write something about the TOP 9 singers on Canadian Idol, but am really behind with my AI commitments. It’s hard to fit in all this writing during the course of a normal day and next week is a busy one for me. I shall do my best. 🙂

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  3. klarocque July 18, 2008 at 1:58 am

    Hey Masterclasslady! It’s me, finally writing on your site. It must be the pic of DC that finally inspired me. Did you know that your review is on his site? I thought that was pretty cool. I really loved what you had to say. I also read your Canadian Idol article and agree with you although I am wondering if Seb can actually sing? I like him and seem to be drawn to his performances but I can’t really tell what kind of voice he has??? I also thought it was funny that the guy kicked off (Castelli??? I Can’t even remember his name) was in total shock that he was the one going. He even told Ben that he wasn’t prepared to play that night and as Ben was talking it looked like he was practicing his guitar fingering. I’m not sure if you saw that but it was priceless. I wonder how far he thought he was going to go? Ha. Well I’ll write again,
    KL

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  4. masterclasslady July 18, 2008 at 10:42 am

    Hey there KL! Nice to see you on this site.

    But, where are the rest of the Cookies? (Sigh)

    I shall check David’s site (can you provide the correct link?) and see what the fans are up to! Nice of them to post my review there, however.

    You know, I didn’t watch the Results show – now I wish I had. It sounds like a Kodak moment! haha

    And, to make matters worse, one of my students was at the show (she’s in T.O. this summer auditioning for gigs ) and, apparently, was on camera. She emailed me though and said she had a blast at the show.

    Thanks for stopping by. Come again and bring more Cookies! haha

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  5. thetomboy July 18, 2008 at 1:05 pm

    Thanks for the links and the reviews, MCL! I listened to the songs and they’re really good – I especially like Silver. Mesmerizing.

    There will be a lot of albums by AI alumni coming out over the next several months:

    http://idolforums.com/index.php?showtopic=569349

    I’m especially looking forward to Kelly Clarkson’s next album – this folk-sounding single sounds awesome:

    I also like Jennifer Hudson’s new single:

    I’m not asking you to write masterclass articles on these demos – I just wanted you to hear them! Have a great weekend.

    Like

  6. masterclasslady July 18, 2008 at 1:46 pm

    Hey there Tomboy!

    Thanks for the links and I will definitely have a look and listen at this information and these songs.

    Looking forward to a relaxing weekend, but will probably do more writing over the next couple of days.

    Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

    Like

  7. kariann1 July 19, 2008 at 6:38 am

    Hi MCL!

    Your review of David Cook’s CD shows how professional and polished he really is. I am wondering how much control he will have over his debut album?

    Always good to read your opinion!

    Like

  8. fuzzr14 July 19, 2008 at 4:55 pm

    Hi MCL!

    (strange, that is the same place that Cookie hurt his knee!)

    Just wanted to say thanks for the glowing review of these 2 songs-can’t wait to read more! I have 2 teenagers that are very much into music at their high school, and whenever they try to explain music theory to me, I just zone out. But whenever David Cook mentions anything related to it, or I’m reading your reviews, it just piques my interest! I got my son to explain things in your write up that I didn’t quite understand! Leave it to DC to enlighten another musically-challenged fan! And thanks to you!!

    Like

  9. masterclasslady July 19, 2008 at 9:14 pm

    Hi Fuzzr!

    Nice to see you here. Aren’t you lucky to be blessed with two talented musicians in family? You must be very proud of them.

    I am glad that David Cook has inspired you to take an interest in the theoretical side of music and, in the process, you have established a further musical connection to your sons.:)

    Thank YOU for sharing this great story. Please drop by again.

    Like

  10. masterclasslady July 19, 2008 at 9:16 pm

    KariAnn – thanks so much for your comments. I was so impressed with David’s Analog CD. If I have time, I will review the other songs on the album.

    Like

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  1. Finally, A Genuine Rockstar Is Born From The Womb Of American Idol « MASTERCLASSLADY.COM - August 9, 2008

    […] on this first CD. In fact, it would be an absolute shame were this idea not achieve full fruition. Have a listen to some of his own material from Analog Heart and you will wholeheartedly agree that David’s […]

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