But let’s back track to learn more about this Florida girl: She moved to Nashville as a solo artist and enrolled at Belmont University as a corporates communicators major. However, Ashley’s “breakthrough” came when she won Belmont’s 2019 Country Music Showcase (the exact same showcase that helped launch similar careers for artists Brad Paisley & Florida Georgia Line). From there, she caught the music industry’s attention with her original song “never til’ now” (in which later turned into a duet with Brett Young).
Among Country music artists from the Florida state, such as Pam Tillis, Brian Kelley, or Chase Rice — to name a few — this golden-haired songstress is a special addition to her hometown of Country peers. I’ve been a fan of Ashley Cooke ever since I first heard “never til’ now” on The Highway radio station months prior. With a similar sound to that of Kelsea Ballerini, yes, this girl still brings her own unique artistry to the honky-took genre, which brings me to her debut album shot in the dark.
Ashley’s debut LP shot in the dark was released across music platforms on July 21st. One of the most highly-anticipated records of the Summer. Ashley Cooke is signed to major label Big Loud Records/Back Blocks Music (Jake Owen, Hailey Whitters, Morgan Wallen). Prior to the big release of her debut album, Cooke shared three songs off the forthcoming LP, “mean girl” (duet feat. Colbie Callait), “tastes like”, and the title track “shot in the dark”. In an interview with music article American Songwriter, Cooke shares, “The last year of my life has been crazy and wonderful in so many ways, but I think the next year might be even better…”. “It’s been full of bucket list moments for me… I made my Opry debut, signed my first deals, went on tours with my heroes, and lived a lot of life in the moments in between”. She adds, “This album is about all of that — and it’s about the magic that can come if you really take risks in life and love”.
Other collaborations on the album, next to Colbie Callait, include Country peers Jackson Dean (“what are you on fire about”), Brett Young (“never ‘til now”), and newcomer Nate Smith (“see you around”). Her debut LP was produced by Nashville producer Jimmy Robbins. The album is a good representation of love, heartbreak, and all of the moments in between. Ashley quotes, also, in an interview with PEOPLE, “What I’ve really tried to do with this project specifically is just write what I would want to hear and what I’ve been through because, you know, obviously people relate to it, which is a really special thing.” She adds, “I’ve always just loved writing music about where you’re at in life and really just being genuine with that”.
In a recent interview with the Bobby Bones Show in Nashville, Ashley quotes of the album process and her past year, “You know, my word for this year was balance, because all of last year I spend my head down grinding, so I think it’s important to have times where this year’s gonna be crazy, but yeah, it’s important to make sure that I balance things…”.
The record has a total of 24 amazing songs on it, so I’m still working my way through the entire album, but my favorite songs, so far, off shot in the dark are as follows: “enough to leave”, “what are you on fire about?”, “it’s been a year”, “say no more”, “dirt on ‘em”, “running back”, amongst countless other ones. You can download, stream, or purchase shot in the dark however you consume your music.
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