Since the Amanda Cook Band’s 2013 debut, each new album has received more attention than the last. They continue that positive trend with their seventh release, Love Through Time, out now on Mountain Fever Records.
The latest album has already had an impressive run of successful singles, earning radio play for Ghost Town, Out Of My Bones, Odd One Out (written by Red Camel Collective’s Heather Berry Mabe), Down in the Quarter (also recorded by Charlie Sizemore), and the title track.
It wouldn’t be at all surprising if a lot more of the collection sees chart action, as it’s filled with strong material. A great next choice might be Good at Losing You, written by Jennifer Strickland and Craig Market. As throughout the album, the lyrics to that song are inventive and fresh, set to a chord progression that sounds modern, yet easy on the ears.
The album’s sound is built around Amanda’s powerful and pretty voice, supported by virtuosic picking and smooth harmony backup. Amanda handles lead vocals on all but the beautiful Matter of Time, where she shares the singing with Backline’s Katelyn Ingardia, who co-wrote the song with Caroline Owens. Chevy Watson guests on guitar on that track, but is now a member of the Amanda Cook Band, while Justin Alexander plays guitar on the rest of the tracks.
The album’s strong lineup also includes Carolyne Van Lierop Boone on banjo, Troy Boone on mandolin, George Mason on fiddle, and Joshua Faul on bass, with guest Gaven Largent on Dobro. Dennis Cook provides percussion on the title track.
Together they make up a polished ensemble with great dynamic range, always producing just the right setting for each song. The beat is driving on uptempo numbers, with rhythmic shifts that sometimes push beyond traditional bluegrass, but always in a way that enhances the individual song and its mood.
Love Through Time is not just the title, but also the overarching theme of the album, which explores relationships in many forms—primarily love lost (Good at Losing You, Ghost Town, Out of My Bones, Let You Go), but also love found (Love Through Time). There are stops along the way for songs about a relationship to a beloved place (Mohegan Moon, Down in the Quarter), finding one’s relationship to the world (Odd One Out), and a moving message of spiritual faith and trust (Safe and Sound).
The album was nicely produced by the Amanda Cook Band and Aaron Ramsey, and engineered, mixed, and mastered by Ramsey at Mountain Fever Studios in Willis, Virginia.
Amanda Cook and her band continue to craft some of the most polished and accessible contemporary bluegrass around. Love Through Time is not only a deeply enjoyable listen for longtime fans, but also would be an ideal album to introduce a newcomer to the genre.
