Ace, Jack, & King: Simply Thrilling!

Eli Cooks new album takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of the Blues. The young Blues Master performs Skip James, Charles Brown, Reverend Gary Davis, and gives a nod to Nick Drake. His nine original compositions fit seamlessly into the vintage material. Cooks music is authentic, and the historical currents in its bloodstream are beautifully transfused.. He so deeply understands the nature of Country Blues that he brings it from its earliest rambles into its own, then artfully extends beyond, to the dazzling edges of the genre.  With all the cards on the table Ace, Jack & King is a winning hand, dealt from a 12-Bar deck, sometimes spare and rudimentary, and  other times volcanic when Cook launches musically to the far reaches of the Blues.

     Brian Boogie Thomas (bass), Wade Warfield (Drums) and Wavorly Milor (Harmonica) provide outstanding studio back-up. 

     Largely performed on acoustic guitar, Cooks slide technique belongs to the best. In fact, with this fifth album one may ask:  Who is Eric Clapton, Chris Rea, or Johnny Winters?  The CD is simply thrilling!   The sequence of songs in the track list has been chosen with purpose and cunning.  The opening song,

Death Rattle, is a loose, steamy, rocking display of but one side of Cooks talents.  In the background Milors harp howls to the rumbling rhythm of Warfields driving drums and Cooks psychedelic guitar, whilst Cook sings its story.  The album concludes with a different version of the same song, Death Rattle (Slight Return).  Longer than the Opener, Cook discards the bottleneck slide, abandons the Blues Rock sound, relies on the heat of a razor sharp Wah Wah , and becomes a wizard of the creative modern electric guitar.

       Skip James Catfish Blues gets more a Melodic treatment.  Played on the acoustic guitar, Warfields bass drum and clamp ring add dynamics.  The piece has atmosphere!  For Crow Jane, the second James composition, Cook shoulders a Strat loaded with distortion, Warfield lets loose on a full cannonade of drums, and Milors harp returns to the fray, producing Elis signature Grunge Blues sound.  Highlight!

     Cooks original compositions are beautifully interwoven into the list of cover songs.  Of the two Groove-pieces, Suicide King and  Better Man, the latter is superior.  The low gutteral timbre of Cooks voice sounds as if the twenty-five year old has traveled the world of Blues for decades.  Afrossippi Breakdown is a piece of solo Americana , and it's always wonderful to hear how well he, even without a slide, can play guitar.  Oh man, there is yet another number that gives me goose bumps when I hear it: Driftin.

 

Every track on Ace, Jack & King is a trump, because no other Blues artist today can match Eli Cooks hand.  The booklet is as economical as its Country Blues and contains only the most important information.  The album is in every way a 12-Bar. Premium Product.--Joachim Joe Brookes, Rocktimes, Germany
                                                                                     http://www.rocktimes.de/gesamt/c/eli_cook/ace_jack_and_king.html

Ace, Jack, & King--Track by track Review!

While Eli Cook is billed essentially as a blues artist, his music goes a lot further than just the blues. You are likely to hear stoner rock here along with psychedelia and other forms of music. Of course, it’s all delivered with a real foot in the blues.

Track by Track Review

Death Rattle As this comes in, it feels like a cross between a slide blues sound and space rock. It drops back after the introduction, though, to a percussion dominated old-school blues jam that’s quite tasty and rather unique. As it continues it somehow wanders closer to a modern rock territory while still retaining the blues.

Better Man This is a fairly short cut that s closer to a pure old school blues approach. It is a good tune, but not as interesting or adventurous as the opener.

Please, Please Coming in stripped down with just guitar serving as the backdrop for the vocals, this is seriously an old-time blues treatment.

Snake Charm Here’s a real change of pace. Imagine Clutch jamming with some serious blues artist. You’ll have a good idea of what this number sounds like. It’s definitely in a modern hard rock (almost stoner metal) genre, but the real blues is not forsaken by any means.

Catfish Blues There’s definitely a down home texture to this blues number. It has got modern production concepts and some modern elements in play, but overall really feels old school.

Draggin  My Dogs Bouncy and fun, this combines an old school blues sound with a modern alternative rock element. It’s a lot of fun.

Afrossippi Breakdown Acoustic guitar and vocals make up the concept of this old school blues tune.

Sugar and Rain There’s definitely more of a modern alternative rock texture to this piece, but it still retains plenty of blues.

Driftin Slow moving, hard-edged blues is on hand here. There’s a lot of rock in the mix, too, but this overall a fairly mellow tune.

Cocaine Blues This cut is delivered in a real back porch, old time blues arrangement.

Crowjane Here is another that calls to mind Clutch just a bit. It’s also rather like some of the really bluesy hard edged tunes Led Zeppelin used to do. It’s a killer track.

Suicide King The comparisons to Led Zeppelin are even more appropriate here with this feeling like something from the third album on the early sections. It works out from there into an almost space rock meets jam band approach at points. It still returns to the mellower modes as it continues. The chorus section feels a bit repetitive.

Black Eyed Dog There is really not a lot of blues here. This is sort like a mellow psychedelic jam that feels like something Jefferson Airplane would have done. It gets turned into an energized jam from there and Led Zeppelin (or more specifically Page and Plant) become more the order of the day. But it makes it back to the mellower section that at times also makes me think of The Doors The End.

Death Rattle (Slight Return) The opening cut is given a real rock treatment on a version that’s part Clutch and part Stone Temple Pilots. Review by Gary Hill  http://www.musicstreetjournal.com/index_cdreviews_display.cfm?id=103164 Music Street Journal

Ace, Jack, & King, Take a Listen!

Some heavy heavy blues adorn this enticing cd from American artist Eli Cook. The opener  Death Rattle kicks in with a mighty force and some splendidly filthy harmonica courtesy of the wonderfully named Wavorly Milor, and following, Better Man with its Bo Diddly Rhythm shows off Cook s masterful slide guitar playing.

The frantic pace subsides with Please, Please and Cook s baritone voice sounds deeper than Keb Mo! A pleasing, soothing blues ballad that will charm you as it catches you off guard.

So a mixture of beguiling acoustic blues through to Muddy Water heaviness adorn this album-- a combination of poignancy and toughness using the blues idiom as a positive moral force, take a listen!
                                                                                                                ---Emrys Baird,

                                                                                                                    Blues and Soul Magazine, UK

http://www.bluesandsoul.com/review/1604/eli_cook_ace_jack_and_king/

Eli Cook: A Man Whose Blues Are His Own

Eli Cook

We remember all those souls that carefully watched over us in our formative years. For Eli Cook, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin Wolf, Lightnin  Hopkins and Mississippi John Hurt were the gatekeepers for the riffs that ran through a young Eli s blues soaked head. He began playing at fourteen, performing at blues/gospel shows and revivals in his native Virginia. Eli Cook has grown up, evolving from the blues phenomenom dub of youth into a man whose blues are his own. On Ace, Jack & King he shows the cards are marked for a full frontal assault on the brain. Hair raising guitar sonics open the album with Death Rattle and set the pace/stage/bar for crunchy, swamp crawling distorted blues.  Acoustic finger play and simple rhythms hold down one side of the Eli Cook coin with Catifish Blues, Black Eyed Dog and Suicide King. Push the needle hard in the other direction to find paint peeling, metal teasing electric blues on cuts such as Snake Charm and Crow Jane.

 http://www.thealternateroot.com/alternate-root-weekly-features/alternate-root-artists-of-the-week

"Ace, Jack, & King": A Staggering Piece of Work

Eli Cook wades through dark waters on this splendid blues offering, a staggering piece of work.  Rarely before has blues tradition been so thoroughly soaked up, only to be reworked and authentically and effectively channeled through numerous shades of rock,  never tampering with the authoritative menacing personality of the genre.   Ace, Jack & King takes us through different motions-- a mixed bag of moods and emotions, sometimes catchy and accessible, unlike the aloof, noticeably bad tempered adaptations of pre war blues. And it works like hell!  Eli Cook is constantly experimenting through his playing, and his scattered expeditions into uncharted territories constantly push the boundaries of the blues.

This is ramblin’ in the truest sense of the word. Excitement starts brewing as soon as Death Rattle gets loose, and you suddenly spot the devil bite you arse. Talk about blues with razor sharp fangs, whose intensity is fuelled with outbursts of rudimentary hard rock. Snake Charm freely expands on the devils statement, blending cumbersome riffing and menacing vocals, liberated of even the slightest hint of harmonious likeability. The majority of the album, however, is firmly rooted in the field of acoustic guitar; therefore it remains strained over more or less recognizable musical frame, but nevertheless tends to impress with  an equal amount of originality. Songs like good old Driftin, the mind resting Black Eyed Dog and the Gallagher like Cocaine Blues are trusty couriers of peppery acoustic blues raised in authentic pre war environment. True blues orphans, lost souls with attitude!   Driftin is particularly impressive, due to Cook s slide guitar work and grave vocals which create the song s mournful appeal.

Eli Cook bows to blues great Skip James with a unique rendition of Catfish Blues and the lesser known number Crow Jane. Certainly Cook s distinctive interpretation of the latter may seem odd to orthodox blues followers, still there is no denying the refreshment injected by the gloomy, almost grungy approach. Gutsy maneuver indeed, the one that definitely underlined Eli Cook s exceptional breadth in understanding the blues.
                      --Daniel Pavlick
                        The Rocktologist
www.therocktologist.com/cook-eli---ace-jack--king.html

Half Notes: Eli Cook – Ace, Jack and King (2011

http://somethingelsereviews.com/2011/08/26/half-notes-eli-cook-ace-jack-and-king-2011/Half Notes: Eli Cook – Ace, Jack and King (2011)

An album that starts with this sparks-flying slide, on a song called “Death Rattle,” isn’t fooling around. This, friends, will never be confused with fern-bar blues. That’s obvious, even before Cook opens his mouth to sing — in a voice that’s one part gravel, one part Jack Black and one part shot-gun rows of deep-south dust. Particularly intriguing were a pair of covers of old Skip James tunes, beginning with “Catfish Blues,” a desperate escapist plea. Cook brilliantly downshifts, upping the ante on the original lyric’s slow-burning insistence. Later, he plugs back in for a reverb-soaked take on James’ murder ballad “Crow Jane,” but approaches it with the ominous stomping rhythm of a Zeppelin blues. It invites a similar, almost primitive dread, too.   --Nick DeRiso

5 Star Review from Sea of Tranquility

www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id...
Here we have a young man who, by the age of only eighteen, released his first album called Miss Blues'es Child. Eli is back in 2011 with the fifth output in his career; an awesome fifty minutes disc, Ace, Jack, and King.
Some albums are a grower; others instantly hit the spot . Well, you have another category, not often found, that do both at once, and this new Eli Cook is exactly one of those rare birds-- I could be a very happy reviewer simply concentrating my writing on this type of music alone, even though I enjoy black metal and progressive music, too.  This is down to earth music right from the soul!  True, I have really been into blues for the last couple years, and mostly concentrate my acoustic playing around the bluesy/country/ folk-rock side, but, hell, did I like this album!  You have nine original compositions and five covers on this CD.  Many tracks are of the acoustic-blues style (my favorite), and you have five heavier numbers, too.  For some reason harmonica player Wavorly Milor  makes his appearances only in the heavier songs.
      Eli Cook is an excellent guitar player who can handle the electric as well as the acoustic axe (6-12 strings & resonator), not to mention the mandolin.  His voice is deep and downright bluesy and appears coming from a different era; a definite plus for this young man. Needless to say, I found myself impressed by his acoustic playing, and had the urge to pick up my own guitar after listening this cool disc.  His playing is as bluesy as it can be, whenever handling the acoustic by fingerpicking or the resonator and twelve strings with the slide. Man, this is the stuff; real down and dirty music right from the guts!  Inspiration from the Delta men, early Rolling Stones, and the Allman Brothers abound here, but Eli Cook has come up with his own brew to ease our souls. There are some nice rendition of a couple Skip James' tunes, namely: "Catfish Blues" and "Crow Jane".  He used some studio trick to give "Cocaine Blues" a vintage sound.  But where he really shines is on his own material like: "Better Man" (an irresistible composition I tried to play); the laid back "Please, Please", Afrossippi Breakdown", and the Led Zeppish "Black Eyed Dog" (Nick Drake). Actually, what you will not find on this album is a slightly bad track, just freakin good stuff!
So folks, get your soul & guitar and play those down and dirty blues with Eli Cook!

Added: August 15th 2011
Reviewer: Denis Brunelle
Score:

This Is the Real Deal: "Ace, Jack, & King"

Cook, Eli: Ace, Jack & King

 Cook, Eli: Ace, Jack & King

Blues Rock 5.0/5.0Independent/Unsigned
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by Craig Hartranft,  08.08.2011

Blues music is something difficult to explain, yet immediately recognizable. Guitar skill is certainly required, but feel is equally as importance as substance. You feel the blues in your in your heart and soul, down to the bone. I remember getting my first BB King LP, and then later my Willie Dixon and Robert Johnson box sets. Real American blues, folk, rock, country or otherwise. If you don't know the blues, you probably don't know how to play rock.
Eli Cook knows real American blues, something easily understood on his fifth album Ace, Jack & King. The soul of Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Mississippi John Hurt is channeled through his own music and interpretations of the lesser known Skip James, Charles Brown, Rev. Gary Davis and Nick Drake. This music is unembellished, stripped down, and gritty. Driftin', Death Rattle, Better Man, and Snake Charm, to name a few, drip the blood of blues authenticity and soul. But isn't that the essence of American blues, unpretentious and uncomplicated, tearing at the fabric of your life?  You can hear it in Cook's vocals, a mixture of whiskey and winter, and his original fret interpretations. Add Waverly Miller's gritty and anguished harmonica, and Cocaine Blues and Crow Jane will rattle your bones.
On Ace, Jack & King, guitarist Eli Cook offers authentic American blues, pure, simple and entertaining. This is the real deal, and harkens back to the Sixties and Seventies when blues and rock began to converge. Recommended.http://www.dangerdog.com/2011-music-reviews/eli-cook-ace-jack-king-review.php

Eli Cook - Ace, Jack & King

Eli Cook - Ace, Jack & King
Sultry bluesy masculine rock with plenty of loose coolness. Eli Cook was heavily influenced by artists like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Mississippi John Hurt...and it shows. Listening to Ace, Jack & King is kinda like taking a trip back in time to the 1970s when this style of music was really expanding to a much larger audience... Now that the album is released Eli is traveling around to support it. Our guess is that this guy shines brightest in concert. He's got a super slick slide guitar sound and a husky masculine voice that is sexy and heartfelt. Loose bluesy rockers include "Death Rattle," "Suicide King," and "Black Eyed Dog." Cool stuff...

                                                                                                               -www.babysue.com

Eli Cook Has Arrived with "Ace, Jack & King"

Eli Cook's music is imbued with the influences of the great blues pioneers, such as Mississippi Fred McDowell, Son House, and Lightnin ' Hopkins. But don’t expectf this guy from Virginia to play low-key acoustic purist retrostuff. On the contrary, some tracks will blow you over played at full throttle: "Snake Charm" goes far beyond blues rock,  borders on metalblues, and Eli, with his power trio behind him. sounds rather like Rage Against The Machine.

  

Seven years ago, as early as the age of 18,  Eli had already released his first cd  "Moonshine Mojo" which consisted of a mix of covers of blues classics and his own work .  Ace, Jack, & King, his fifth release, mirrors the same composition with two covers of Skip James and even a cover of Nick Drake's "Black Eyed Dog." The cd opens and ends with two different versions of Cook’s own  "Death Rattle".  The first version, a rugged, barren rendition,  would be taken for a field holler recorded by Alan Lomax during his trips to American cotton plantations were it not for the ripping harmonica in the background and the reverberant drums. The second version of the same song, at the end of the cd, resembles something  you would  expect on a live recording of Led Zeppellin in the early 1970s.

Eli’s voice is not what you expect  from a 25-year-old.  It is full of grit, warm and powerful, and nowhere sounds forced. One of my favorite tracks, "Driftin", is a cover of West Coast blues pianist Charles Brown’s best known song.  Eli's arrangement is wonderful and a far cry from the original version, with sharp slide passages and lingering percussion. The song with the most traditional approach is the Western swing "Cocaine",  primarily known from Jackson Browne's recording.   Here, it sounds as though it is an old 78 made many years ago.

There’s no tedium listening to this cd.  Following  “Cocaine Blues” is the traditional “Crow Jane”, the second Skip James cover, in a  very contemporary arrangement and production.  With plenty of fuzz and distortion, it’s 100% Blues 2011.  Finally,  Nick Drake’s "Black Dog" deserves admiration. The fragility of the original stays beautiful preserved, while Eli’s  powerful guitar playing draws the blues content  of the song forth.

In short, Eli Cook has arrived with "Ace, Jack & King".  He has fulfilled the promise shown in his previous releases, and claimed his place amongst those who give us the reassuring certainty that the future of blues is safe. 

(RON)

(RON)

http://www.rootstime.be/

www.rootstime.be

Singled Out: Eli Cook's 'Deathrattle'

Today Blues rock guitarist Eli Cook tells us about "Deathrattle" from his brand new album "Ace, Jack and King". Here is the story:

 

"Deathrattle", the first song on my new album, Ace, Jack and King, is one of the most interesting tracks. The lyrics and music are all original, but, if I were to sing the song with just hand claps backing me and add a chorus of male singers with a single mic, it would become indistinguishable from all the great old field hollers and work songs recorded in the early 20th century. The earthy, vital feel of that music is what I try to capture in my own.

At the end of the album, my electric rock version of the same tune is exemplary of a style I have been developing over the years--taking very old sounding blues-based lyrics and melodies and arranging them in contemporary and usually heavy ways...without compromising the authentic feel and soul of the original music that is the inspiration for my own song.

http://www.antimusic.com/news/11/june/16Singled_Out-_Eli_Cooks_Deathrattle.shtml

5 Star Review for "Ace, Jack, & King"

Eli Cook Ace, Jack & King

Blues lovers, get ready to have your socks knocked off. Blues rock guitarist Eli Cook has surpassed even the highest expectations on his latest album Ace, Jack and King. With all the cards on the table, Cook takes on acoustic bits, blues rock, and everything in between. The album is evenly split between originals and covers, indistinguishable to listeners who are not familiar with blues greats Skip James, Charles Brown and Rev. Gary Davis.

Ace, Jack and King starts out with one of Cook’s originals, “Deathrattle.” Grungy, gritty, and rhythm-driven, the heavily blues-rock piece is a weighty start to the album, making an impressive statement. Harmonica interludes breathe life and levity into the otherwise overly intense song. “Better Man,” another original track that might be most aptly described as soul boogie, boasts a wide selection of instrumentalists, including slide guitars and even clapping hands. “Please Please,” a slow, romantic piece, evokes images of a country summer, sultry and simple. Drawing attention to and truly showcasing Cook’s impressive baritone, the song is overwhelming in its sparseness. “Snake Charm” is the odd man out in this collection of masterpieces. Musically successful in its own way, the only connection it really demonstrates to this particular environment is the occasional harmonica appearance.

The star of the show is without a doubt Cook’s take on Nick Drake’s “Black-eyed Dog.” A melancholic song about depression and its hold on Drake, it was written soon before the English singer-songwriter’s suicide around three decades ago. A fresh, creative and mesmerizing take on the song, it seems to pay homage to Nick Drake and his musical and almost spiritual legacy. Cook uses his voice to the utmost effect, and supports the vocals with dexterous and virtuosic finger work on the guitar, his sole accompaniment.

Almost every track on this album could be the subject of its own rave review, which goes to show that the praise belongs to Cook and his raw talent. True tribute to blues greats and to the music itself, Ace, Jack and King is Cook’s best offering yet and seeing him go all in is a joy to the listener.

Key Tracks: Please Please, Catfish Blues, Black Eyed Dog

Nivedita Gunturi – Muzikreviews.com Contributor

June 30, 2011

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