 Elizabeth Cook Explores America’s Hidden Stories on New Album Great Television release date: august 14, 2026 For more than two decades, Elizabeth Cook has forged her own path outside mainstream country, establishing herself as one of American music’s most compelling storytellers. On her eighth studio album, Great Television, the Florida-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter explores overlooked corners of the American experience, blending personal revelations with stories drawn from history. Produced by Shooter Jennings and recorded with Cook’s live band at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, Great Television follows 2020’s Aftermath and adds another ambitious chapter to a catalog that includes acclaimed albums such as 2007’s Balls, 2010’s Welder, and 2016’s Billboard-charting Exodus of Venus. Cook describes the new record as an exploration of both personal experiences and historical events, with concise songs designed to reveal deeper layers with repeated listens. Musically, Great Television is rooted in a compelling combination of country and rock & roll. The album takes its title from the opening track “Sunset Promenade,” which reflects on friendship, isolation and the overwhelming influence of modern media. The song also introduces one of the album’s central themes: Cook’s complicated relationship with fame and the way media attention can sometimes distract from the music itself. Following “Sunset Promenade,” “Girls of Atomic City” turns the spotlight on women who worked on the Manhattan Project. Cook was fascinated by the way the project changed the lives of women who left home for the first time and gained financial independence. Another historically inspired track, “Thiokol Tripwire,” recounts the 1971 explosion at a Georgia chemical plant where many Black women worked because few other local employers would hire them. Great Television also becomes deeply personal on “The Easy Kind,” a slow-burning duet with Wynonna Judd. Inspired by a difficult period marked by personal loss and rehabilitation, the song examines autonomy, vulnerability and the challenges of maintaining independence. It also serves as the title track for The Easy Kind, a new hybrid documentary and narrative film about Cook’s life and career. Elsewhere, “Okeechobee Mud” looks back at Cook’s upbringing in Wildwood, Florida, drawing on her longing for the culture and people of the Deep South. “Razorwire Wall” features Turnpike Troubadours frontman Evan Felker on a fiery love song inspired by an encounter involving Cook’s former boyfriend, while “Lightly” closes the album with a deeply emotional reflection on family, protection and finding peace. The accompanying film The Easy Kind, directed by award-winning filmmaker Katy Chevigny, combines documentary footage, scripted sequences and archival material from Cook’s childhood and early career. The film traces her journey from performing with her parents’ band at just four years old to establishing herself as an uncompromising artist. It also features appearances by David Letterman and Susie Essman, alongside footage of Cook performing at the Grand Ole Opry. Together, Great Television and The Easy Kind offer an intimate portrait of an artist who has consistently refused to compromise her vision. Whether exploring forgotten chapters of American history or revisiting her own experiences, Cook remains focused on finding the humanity beneath every story she tells. As she explains, the songs allow her to express her own truth while giving a voice to stories beyond her own. Track Listing: Sunset Promenade Girls of Atomic City Thiokol Tripwire Okeechobee Mud Razorwire Wall (feat. Evan Felker) The Easy Kind (feat. Wynonna) Caldonia and the Love Convoy In Your Veins 19th Nervous Breakdown Feverfew Lightly Website: elizabeth-cook.com Opmerkingen zijn gesloten.
|