Welder is the fifth studio album by American country musician Elizabeth Cook. It was produced by Don Was and released on May 11, 2010 on 31 Tigers Records. The album's title is a reference to Cook's father's former occupation as a welder. Artists performing on the album include Dwight Yoakam, Rodney Crowell, Bones Hillman, and Cook's husband Tim Carroll. Welder was Cook's final album before she was forced to attend rehab for drug addiction and an eating disorder following the collapse of her marriage and death of six family members. Cook would not release another studio album until 2017.
Contents
Critical reception
Welder received mainly favorable reviews from critics, and was ranked the 23rd best album of 2010 (out of 30) by Rolling Stone.
Welder was nominated for the Album of the Year award and Song of the Year (for El Camino) at the 2011 Americana Awards and Elizabeth Cook was also nominated for Artist of the Year because of the album.
The Washington Post described the album as Cook's best yet, because it was "rawer [than her previous four albums] in all the best senses of that word."
Personnel
Elizabeth Cook – vocals, acoustic guitars
Tim Atwood – keyboards, backing vocals (2, 5)
Tim Carroll – electric guitars, slide guitar, banjo, harmonica, backing vocals
Gary Maurer – acoustic guitars (3)
Tony Paoletta – steel guitar, backing vocals (2, 5)
Matt Combs – mandolin, fiddle, strings, backing vocals (2, 5)
Bones Hillman – bass, backing vocals (2, 5)
Marco Giovino – drums, backing vocals (2, 5)
Buddy Miller – backing vocals (1)
Rodney Crowell – backing vocals (3, 10)
The Carol Lee Singers – backing vocals (7, 10)
Dwight Yoakam – backing vocals (13)
Production
Don Was – producer
Krish Sharma – recording, mixing
Heather Strum – assistant engineer
Ted Wheeler – assistant engineer
Tom Spaulding – additional engineer
Yes Master (Nashville, Tennessee) – mastering location
Kristin Barlowe – photography
Theo Antoniadis – design
Veta Cicolello – design
Suzy Kipp – stylist
Brady Wardlaw – hair, make-up