Guitarist and songwriter Roger Cook’s latest album is a collection of original songs that are at times quirky, heartfelt and even thought provoking. Roger has been a member of a small songwriting community in Albuquerque and has been growing and learning more and more since his first album from a few years ago that had delightful songs like Wonder Bread Elvis.
This time around, Cook is bringing more songs from his somewhat skewed point of view including the title track, the song Mutt, Bumper Stickers and Garbage Day Pickup. He also has a sweet side. Cook writes a love song for his wife every year on their anniversary and for St. Valentines Day and some of those songs are here including You’re the One I Love, One Week at a Time, and 10,000 Hours. His sentimental side eeks through as well on the songs Hello Mama and Be Strong and he takes us along with him on his journey through Red Rock Canyon and a canyon of a different kind, Piano Alley.
Roger Cooks voice and guitar playing are rough and he often struggles to get the instrumentation right, but he is also an experimental guitarist, using alternate tunings to give us new sounds. Despite a few missed notes, his vocals are always sincere and emotional and his performance is a testament to how hard he works to create his music. There are 13 cuts on the album, all under five minutes and you can find the album streaming on most services and is available for download at https://rogercook.bandcamp.com