(Loud Country) Wake Up marks Cooder Graw's first new studio release since 2001's acclaimed Shifting Gears. It also marks the first release of new music since the band underwent a couple of personnel changes. Still at the helm is Matt Martindale (lead vocals, acoustic guitar and chief songwriter) along with Paul Barker (bass, piano) and Kelly Turner (lead guitars). Original drummer Joe Ammons left the band and Kelly Test takes over (also contributing backing vocals). Since the release of Shifting Gears, Cooder Graw has welcomed aboard their newest addition, Nick Worley on fiddle and mandolin.

Cooder Graw, who describes their sound as 'loud country,' self produced their latest outing and are joined in the studio by Cindy Cashdollar on dobro, steel & slide guitar, Andy Langham on keyboards and Keith Sykes on harmonica. While the band can still wear the banner of 'loud country,' Wake Up finds them shifting gears in a real sense and the album has an edgier sound to it than their previous releases. A little of that sound started rearing it's head on Shifting Gears by way of songs like "Better Days" and the dark "Junior's In The Yard." As Matt's evolved as a songwriter, Wake Up brags no sing-along barroom anthems or lighthearted honky tonkers, but more introspective fare that examines a darker, more painful side of life.

The album's strong lead off single, "Lifetime Stand," currently sitting in the top 5 on the Texas Music chart, is a shuffling, mid-tempo tear-in-your-beer lament about the difficulties of trying to find that one permanent relationship. In an interesting and well done twist, "He Ain't Ever Gonna Leave Her" is told from the perspective of 'the other woman' and revolves around her thoughts and feelings in this shuffling, laid back honky tonker. The fiddle driven heartbreaker, "Next To The Truth (Chiclets)" reveals a man struggling to face the painful reality of life after losing of the woman he loves. The mid-tempo "Tomorrow's Milk" is an upbeat, uplifting tale of hope about having dreams but doing what you need to do in the meantime, while "I Got Kids" celebrates a man who quit his lowdown ways and changed his life and outlook once his kids came into his life. 

Cooder Graw gets loud with the absolutely killer "Clarksdale," a blazing, frenzied outlaw style rocker which combines searing fiddle licks with blistering guitars that adds an almost gothic feel to it, in a song that revolves around temptation, sinners and the search for salvation. In an exuberant ode to love, they combine a Tex-Mex beat with roots rock on "The End Of The Road." The catchy title track "Wake Up," is a quirky, driving roots-rocker that flirts with a punk beat and bouncy Brit-rock. Dark and brooding, the outstanding "That Girl Crystal" is an edgy look at drug abuse. 

Cooder Graw also has has their quieter moments and those songs are also some of the album's strongest and most amazing ones. A highlight is "Dirty And Sober" and Matt delivers some chillingly desperate and aching vocals on this desolate song about a break up- but instead of with a woman, this one's with the bottle. Likewise he shines on "Ugly Angel," where he nails a man's disillusionment, bitterness and sense of betrayal in this tale of a love gone wrong. The positively mesmerizing "Afraid Of The Dark" is a soulful, torchy and moody ballad of a man's quiet desperation, on which Cindy Cashdollar turns in a stellar performance that gives the song an almost retro feel. "Many Moons" is a terrific mid-tempo ballad that gains in soaring intensity as the song progresses that follows the lyrics, which pays homage to a relationship that started slowly and gained in intensity over 15 years. The album's hidden track, "Come Pick Me Up" is another standout that also builds in soaring intensity, as do Matt's vocals as he brilliantly conveys the fierce pain of a man so desperate to have back the woman he loves- he doesn't care on what terms. "How Can I Sleep" isn't quite as quiet and the band delivers a standout by going into first-rate blues mode on this tale of a man struggling with the ruins after the collapse of a long term relationship.

Wake Up takes Cooder Graw in a slightly different direction. There's still plenty here that keeps them tied to their traditional country roots and will fill up the dance floor, but there's more emphasis on the lyrics. As a Cooder Graw fan from the beginning, I have to admit it was songs like "Junior's In The Yard" off Shifting Gears that stopped me in my tracks and really made me sit up and listen to them in a light I never had before. Matt's expanded on that style of songwriting and has written some of the most edgy, intriguing and thought provoking songs I've heard in some time. He's taken time honored themes and deftly avoided cliché by presenting them in a whole new way with a whole new light. Vocally, he's upped the ante and delivers some of his finest vocals ever. Kelly proves once again he's one of the finest guitarists around, and the addition of Nick has really solidified their sound. While Wake Up is a slight departure from previous Cooder Graw releases, the band still maintains it's core sound while managing to successfully grow, expand on their sound and stay fresh. With Wake Up, they deliver their strongest, most fully realized album to date.   

Standout Tracks: "Clarksdale," "Lifetime Stand," "That Girl Crystal," "He Ain't Ever Gonna Leave Her," "Ugly Angel," "Next To The Truth (Chiclets)," "Afraid Of The Dark," "How Can I Sleep," "Dirty Sober," "Many Moons," "Come Pick Me Up"

On The Net: www.coodergraw.com

AnnMarie Harrington TakeCountryBack November 2004

Read TCB's previous review of Cooder Graw:

http://www.takecountryback.com/reviews/cgrev0402.htm