AMANDA COOK

RR-DEER CREEK BOYS AMANDA COOK
DEEP WATER

Mountain Fever
MFR171103

Move over and make some room for Amanda Cook. It’s a name bluegrass fans are going to be hearing a lot in the coming years. Anyone with satellite radio will be hard-pressed not to have heard “Midnight 402,” the opening song on Deep Water. There is so much to like about this album, it’s hard to know where to start. The vocals are clean and sweet in what might be a Golden Era of emerging female artists.

“Banks Of Big Bend” is a nice tune, and Cook’s take on the Gillian Welch & David Rawlings classic “Caleb Meyer” is nicely done. She also gets the most from Ronnie Bowman’s “Til I’m Too Old” and “Magnolia Wind” from Guy Clark & Shawn Camp. While these names and others help the album, the self-penned title-track is not to be overlooked and will hopefully get some radio play. It’s too good to get lost. The album ends with “Leaving Louisville,” leaving the listener wanting more and speaks to the strength of the work when a piece by “Midnight 402” co-writer Thomm Jutz along with Terry Herd and master writer Milan Miller is at #12. The backing of banjo player/writer Carolyne VanLierop, guitarist Scotty French, fiddler George Mason, mandolin player Aaron Ramsey, and bassist/resonator guitar player Jeff Partin is clean and allows Cook’s vocals to stand out. This is an album not to missed. (Mountain Fever, 1177 Alum Ridge Rd. NW, Willis, VA 24380, www.mountainfever.com.)MB