Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Back in March, when David Cook played a show at Penn State York, the 1,000-plus seat Pullo Performing Arts Center sold out in a week.

His debut album had recently gone platinum; his tour of college campuses was well under way.

Six months later, the season seven American Idol is still on tour and preparing for a Friday night show at a considerably larger venue, the Toyota Grandstand at the York Fair. (Go here for ticket information.)

That debut album is still on the Billboard 200, 42 weeks after its release. And David’s latest single, “Come Back To Me,” is number 17 on the adult contemporary singles chart; it previously cracked the top 10 on the Billboard’s adult top 40.

Idol Chatter interviewed David Tuesday, the same day someone discovered 30-second snippets of 11 unreleased songs on the Internet. Those “weren’t meant for public consumption,” David said. Here’s a link to that portion of the interview.

The good news for David Cook fans: He’s already working on music for album number two. Here’s what David had to say about his music, his next album, the upcoming show in York and a variety of other topics.

Make sure to check back late Friday night for a review and photos from the York Fair show.

Idol Chatter: Lots of fans who heard those song snippets the other day kept saying on Twitter: “Please give us a deluxe version of the first album.” Are there any plans for anything along those lines?

David Cook: “We’ve kind of had some casual talk about it, but so far, nothing firm has come up. I’m not opposed to it. I just want to make sure if it’s done, it’s done the right way. I imagine if it’s going to happen, the ball should be rolling in the next couple of weeks.”

Chatter: You did the college tour. You passed your 100th show last month. You’ve got events scheduled through mid-November. How long do you plan to stay on tour?

David: “The goal right now is to stay on tour until the end of the year, then get into the studio to work on another record. I think the goal is to not stop working. I figure if I’m keeping busy, then I have a reason to stay busy.”

Chatter: I know you’re less than a year removed from the release of your first album. But have you started thinking about that second album?

David: “Absolutely. We’ve started writing for another record already. We really don’t have anything prepared to start playing in public yet. That’s another thing we’re kind of up in the air about. Do we play it now and get a gauge on it? Do we try to hold onto it until it’s time for the record? There’s all sorts of options out there.”

Chatter: There are songs on your set lists that aren’t on the first album. So those aren’t songs up for consideration for the second album?

David: “Not necessarily. I wanted this tour to be about showing people that we were more than just the last year and a half. So some of the songs that we play live are songs that I put on (the independent album) Analog Heart in 2006, songs that I played with the band back in Tulsa. I just wanted to show more of the spectrum, a little bit. So as far as those songs making the record, it really hasn’t been discussed. But I wouldn’t take that as a no or a yes.”

Chatter: And what’s the timetable for the new album? Did I hear you say you’d like to get back in the studio at the start of the year?

David: “We’re going to try to get in, I want to say February and try to get a new record out by the summer.”

Chatter: “Come Back To Me” is your current single. Any plans to release another single anytime soon?

David: “That’s another thing that’s been casually talked about. I think right now “Come Back To Me” is still doing what we want it to do. When and if that changes, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But right now, I’m really enjoying seeing the kind of longevity “Come Back To Me” has had.

Chatter: You were here for a college show back in March. I think we were something like show number 27 on the long list. Have you changed your set since then, or will York Fair fans essentially see the same show?

David: “We play different set lists every night. I think since show 27 we’ve worked up new covers and switched some stuff around. And some songs have sort of evolved as the tour has gone on that have really kind of taken on a different vibe. I think the people who came to our last show in York, I don’t think they’d be disappointed if they came out again.”

Chatter: You were on Good Morning America this summer and performed a very rocked-out version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Little Lies” with Kris Allen and Adam Lambert. Any reason you selected that song for that particular occasion?

David: “It’s a cover we’ve played for a while. If we didn’t play it in York, I’m pretty sure we played it around York. We’d been working on it for a while, and it was something we thought Adam and Kris would sound great on. Kudos to them. They’ve got a ton of stuff going on, and they came in and got it done. It’s a fun song for us. We’ve done enough to it to where I don’t think people necessarily expect it the first time they hear it.”

Chatter: You had a lot of success with different interpretations of popular songs on Idol. As a recording artist, what’s your philosophy about putting cover songs on your albums?

David: “My philosophy is, right now I’m really trying to establish my music and myself as an artist. I don’t know that putting a cover on a record would be the right move right now. Down the line, if we can get some longevity out of this, I don’t think I’d be opposed to it. It’s just a wait-and-see attitude. But I’m really proud of the original music we’ve put out and humbled by the reaction it’s received.”

Chatter: Now, you’re a big sports fan, and you got to perform at the All-Star game Home Run derby. Tell me what that was like.

David: “That was like a pinch-me moment. I just remember walking up on stage and seeing a lot of the ball players sitting out in foul territory and thinking, ‘Oh, Lord.’ I did get a chance to meet some of them. I actually got to meet a lot of the guys from Baseball Tonight. I got to meet John Kruk and David Winfield, which was huge for me, and Peter Gammons. I got to meet Hank Aaron while I was there. It was just kid-in-the-candy-store stuff.”

Chatter: You’re raising money for cancer research in honor of your brother through Race for Hope, correct?

David: “Absolutely. I’ve got a great relationship with ABC Squared (ABC2, The Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure Organization). I think, especially with Patrick Swayze passing away the other day, and Sen. Kennedy, plus my brother, it’s just … I hate watching people go from it. The sooner we can get a cure, the better.”

(Chatter Note: David’s Team in Race for Hope, D.C., 2009 has raised more than $135,000 compared to a goal of $75,000. Go here for more information.)

Chatter: Judging from some of the Tweets I was reading last week, it sounded as though some of your former Idol colleagues were trying to organize a season seven reunion around your show at the Fonda Theater (in Los Angeles, Calif.). Did that work out?

David: “They came, yeah. I have to say that was one of the nicest things. I think it speaks volumes about the relationship we all had when we were on the show. I’ve been really bummed … that’s the one bad thing about being on the road as much as we have — family and friends, I don’t get to see them nearly as much as I’d like. So to get to catch up with everybody for that evening was really, really cool. It sounds like everybody’s doing great things. I’m a fan of every one of them.”

(Chatter Note: Among those who showed were Ramiele Malubay, Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, Brooke White, Jason Castro, Syesha Mercado.)

Now for a couple of questions sent me by David Cook fans, who apparently still had the Video Music Awards on their minds Tuesday.

Chatter: Pro-Kanye or Pro-Taylor?

David: Pro-Taylor.

Chatter: Favorite Lady Gaga song?

David: (Laughter) “I don’t like to dance, so it’s not ‘Just Dance.’ Wow, man, I don’t know. I always think that lyric about the disco stick is funny, so whichever song that is.” (“LoveGames,” just for the record.)

Chatter: What was your nickname growing up?

David: “Cookie. Just because of my last name. People weren’t trying too hard, I don’t think.”

I had more questions from fans to ask, but David also had other interviews to do.

Want more? Here’s a link to the interview Idol Chatter ran prior to the March show.

And, like I said, check back Friday for a concert review and photos.