Digital Vein

Digital Vein is the third major-label studio album by American singer-songwriter David Cook. It was released on September 18, 2015, through Cook's Analog Heart Music. The album features tracks co-written by Cook along with well-known songwriters such as Blair Daly, Zac Maloy, Kevin Griffin, Chad Carlson and David Hodges. Digital Vein is Cook's first studio album since he parted ways with RCA Records in 2012. The album will be distributed through a deal with INgrooves Music Group. Digital Vein is the third major-label studio album by American singer-songwriter David Cook. It was released on September 18, 2015, through Cook's Analog Heart Music. The album features tracks co-written by Cook along with well-known songwriters such as Blair Daly, Zac Maloy, Kevin Griffin, Chad Carlson and David Hodges. Digital Vein is Cook's first studio album since he parted ways with RCA Records in 2012. The album will be distributed through a deal with INgrooves Music Group. Cook began work on his third post-American Idol album in 2012 after parting ways with RCA and relocating to Nashville, Tennessee. Cook stated that working in Nashville opened him up creatively to trying different things and was unsure about whether he would make another record but he decided to write songs, have fun and to see what happens. Digital Vein was recorded in Cook's home studio, where he worked with his longtime friend Andy Skib, who engineered, and the rhythm section from his touring band, playing the bulk of the parts himself. Cook stated that “The whole thing was an experiment to see if (A) I could make a record this way, and (B) if I could enjoy doing it this way. I’m a control freak, and to have this level of control has been empowering. It was definitely a different process for me, but I can’t recall ever having more fun making a record.” On October 25, 2014, Cook tweeted a photo of himself in the studio and on October 27, 2014, Cook tweeted 'So stoked to be sharing this new music with you. Here we go!' along with a link to a new song snippet with the words coming soon. On May 20, 2015, Cook announced that his upcoming studio album would be made available for pre-order on PledgeMusic. Cook stated that he was 'beyond excited' to be working with PledgeMusic and was 'intrigued by the opportunity that Pledge offers in bringing fans into the process and partnering with them to bring this record to life.' On June 23, 2015, the album's title, Digital Vein, was announced along with the track list for the standard edition. On June 26, 2015, the track list for the deluxe edition was released. The album initially had the working title, Mirror Mirror. On the decision to name the album Digital Vein, Cook said, 'My last independent record, back in 2006, was Analog Heart, and after my major-label journey, with circumstances being what they are, this record is certainly a progression. I don’t think it’s very much like Analog Heart at all, but the process of putting it together was similar in the sense that I worked with a very small team, and I put a lot of myself into every aspect of it. It felt like a throwback in that regard, so I wanted the two records to be connected, if only in name.” Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars stating that 'if it's unlikely Cook could bring this brand of mid-2000s mainstream rock into the Top 40 in 2015, he at least delivers an album that satisfies.' Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal gave the album an 'A' rating, stating that 'he is able to convey a wide spectrum of raw emotions with ease through his sincere storytelling.' The album debuted at No. 35 on Billboard 200, No. 22 on Top Album Sales, No. 8 on Independent Albums and No. 7 on Internet Albums, with 11,000 sold on its debut week. To promote the album, Cook posted video updates, sneak peaks of the new music, photos and other things on his PledgeMusic page.