Corinne Cook isn’t one to wallow. Oh, she’s spent her time coping with heartbreak – but these days, she’s not dwelling on past mistakes. Instead, she’s giving herself a week to get over her break-ups, and after that, she’s on to more important stuff. “One Box of Tissues” is all she’s allowing herself – because life is too short to be spent crying on the sofa. Once she’s done, she’s done; over it, and ready for the next adventure.
That sort of self-possession is apparent all over Yes I Can, the latest album from the Nashville Industry Music Award winner. Cook took that prize for the forthright “I Don’t” from her 2015 set Dressed Up for Goodbye, and she’s followed up that victory with songs that are even more candid, gutsy, and plainspoken than her prior successes were. The motivational title track celebrates female achievers – women who triumphed in the face of great adversity and long odds. A cover of Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” radiates self-respect. “Seven White Stars” tells the story of a war widow and “Devil’s Heaven” centers on a worker in a strip club, and it’s a testament to the flexibility and compassion of Cook that she demands the same dignity for both of these characters.
