Blues firebrand guitarist and singer Eli Cook is scheduled to appear in concert at the Sunflower Theatre on Oct. 13, having completed his new album, “High-Dollar Gospel.”
The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. at the theater, at 8 E. Main St. Doors and cash bar open at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $12 at www.sunflower.org or $15 at the door.
Cook explains his album title as an attempt to “evoke the imagery of the American South.”
“The phrase ‘high-dollar’ is an old one, and ‘gospel’ is the Southern church music that brought us Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and countless other iconic musicians,” he said. “The two phrases together can have several connotations, but the one I think of is the feeling of disillusionment that seems to be more and more pervasive. I think a lot of young people feel a sense of apathy and a loss in direction, generally speaking. People need inspiration, and it seems like that is becoming harder to come by.”
“High-Dollar Gospel,” self-produced at Full Moon Recording Studios in Virginia, opens up with a slow bang with “Trouble Maker” – taunting and questioning his muse to join him. Acoustic picking and slide drive the classic hoedown and cautionary tale “The Devil Finds Work.” The haunting “Mixing My Medicine” contains the cavernous sound of a detuned custom 12-string guitar, an instrument played famously by Leadbelly and Blind Willie McTell. Cook slows down Muddy Waters’ melancholy “Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had” into a terrifying, heart of darkness lament, his voice reaching a bottomless depth of sorrow. The orchestral 12-string guitar underscores the metaphoric boast of “King of the Mountain,” which shows off Cook’s huge growl of a voice. With its anthem-like chorus, it’s a showstopper.
For more information, visit www.sunflower.org. Sunflower shows are produced by and for the benefit of the nonprofit KSJD Radio.