Amy Cook – The Sky Observer’s Guide

Talk about an appropriate title. The Sky Observer’s Guide is an ethereal wonderland where a “cavalry of birds pluck cannonballs from the sky,” dreamers “cover the moon with the top of [their] thumb,” and folks “listen to the thunder and let it take you under.” Amy Cook’s fixation on the cosmos makes sense. In 2005, the west coast native left smoggy Los Angeles for the endless firmament of Marfa, Texas, where she wrote these songs in a four-week burst. Perhaps that flurry of creativity, and the emotional rawness it captured, is what allows the album to flow so effortlessly. The opening trio “Coming Home (The Eclipse)”, “The Answer” and “The Reveler’s Goodbye” provide a foundation solid enough to support somewhat indulgent lapses such as “Where Do We Go?” and “Pearl”. Here’s a promise: Fans of Shawn Colvin or Garrison Starr will swoon repeatedly for the gorgeous “Sunshine” and “Feathers To A Crown”.