Review: David Cook dazzles at World Cafe Live - WXPN | Vinyl At Heart
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David Cook | Photo by Katrina Murray

Despite not knowing what day it was, David Cook gave Philly a great show this week at World Cafe Live. The Houston singer-songwriter (and American Idol champ) didn’t waste any time diving in on Tuesday night as he blazed through “Paper Heart” and “The Last Goodbye” both from his latest release This Loud Morning. He let his softer side shine on a new ballad, “Carry You” before getting tossed a cell phone from an eager fan in the front row and calling one of her contacts. It’s not every day that you get a call from David Cook in the middle of his show, but the poor guy on the other end was very confused.

After the comic relief, Cook kept the momentum up with anthems from both of his albums that showcased his gritty vocal prowess (“Heroes”, “Circadian”, etc.). He even got a little frisky before playing a new uptempo track called “Eyes On You” during which he expected to see “a booty or two shakin'” in the crowd. Shifting to keyboard duty (an instrument he’s still new to), Cook performed an intense cover of Chris Isaak’s 1989 hit “Wicked Games” followed by an acoustic medley of “Fade Into Me” and his American Idol victory song, “Time of My Life”. Next, he gave an eleven year-old girl in the crowd the ultimate birthday gift: an on-stage serenade (and a free t-shirt!). Anyone with a heart could feel Cook’s sincerity. He treated the crowd to four new songs in a row before closing with a fan favorite “Come Back to Me”.

What happened next was pure genius. Cook returned to the stage alone with an electric guitar in tow to begin his encore with a phenomenal cover of Prince’s classic “Purple Rain”, just to remind you why he was able to win a singing competition. His arrangements are killer. The rest of his band soon emerged to complete the spectacle. Prince would be proud. Cook ended the night with his first hit single “Light On” and lastly on a bluesier note with his latest single “Laying Me Low” which may be an indicator of the rocker taking more musical risks with new material he plans to release next year.

Overall, Cook shined vocally and built rock arrangements around pop songs in tons of solid performances. ‘Twas a night well spent. Check out more photos below.

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