Recently, this community has had a debate about the best country singer. DBT fancies themselves as a rock-n-roll outfit, but I submit that Mike Cooley’s contributions are pure country. As of today, Mike Cooley has to be one of the top five contemporary country singers.
His singing on “The Weakest Man” is much better than country stars today and rivals any of the country greats.
The songwriting on “Pulaski” is top notch. The line “She smiled when the airlock opened
and the Pacific breeze blew through her hair” paints a vivid picture. Can’t you feel the wind on your face and smell the salty ocean? This is my definition of solid country songwriting. It’s also a great story song with a great ending. Unfortunately, there are no good quality videos to post of this song, so you’ll have to go buy the album to hear it.
Finally, Cartoon Gold is a simple solid country song. Out here in the Pacific Northwest, you don’t hear songs like this on the radio (except for Thursday evenings on KEXP’s Swingin’ Doors).
He of course has other great songs, but I found these three to be pure country and a basis to nominate him for best contemporary country singer
