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Ashley Cooke is opening up “my heart in 9 tracks,” in a “deeply personal” project that bridges her breakout debut album with her upcoming sophomore era.
The Florida-born singer-songwriter, 28, released ace on Friday (November 14). The Dann Huff-produced collection includes “baby blues,” “the f word,” “the hell you are,” “swear words” and more. Cooke shared in a statement that “this 9-song project means more to me than anything I've done thus far. It's not my sophomore record quite yet… it's more of a bridge to it. A chronological story, a concept record about the deeply personal parts of the last 2.5 years (since my debut record). It's conversations with my friends/favorite co-writers about very real topics during a chapter that changed me to my core. Here is my heart in 9 tracks. Handle with care. Welcome to ace.”
ace Tracklist
- gettin' old (Ashley Cooke / Johnny Clawson / Kyle Sturrock)
- baby blues (Ashley Cooke / Johnny Clawson / Kyle Sturrock / Seth Ennis / Joe Fox)
- the f word (Emily Weisband / Lori McKenna / Gordie Sampson)
- talk about (Ashley Cooke / Emily Weisband / Chase McGill / Chris LaCorte)
- the hell you are (Ashley Cooke / Emily Weisband / Chase McGill / Seth Ennis / Joe Fox)
- swear words (Ashley Cooke / Johnny Clawson / Kyle Sturrock / Seth Ennis / Madeline Merlo / Joe Fox)
- excuses (Ashley Cooke / Johnny Clawson / Kyle Sturrock)
- tin foil hat (panic attack version) (Emily Weisband / Seth Ennis / Mike Robinson)
- (my worst fear) (Ashley Cooke / Emily Weisband / Johnny Clawson / Kyle Sturrock / Seth Ennis / Joe Fox)
The powerhouse, award-winning artist explained when she announced ace last month that she selected the title because “growing up, my dad gave me this nickname: Ace. I'm not sure if it was his love of blackjack or because it's kind of my initials, but nonetheless, it just stuck. It makes me think of the person that I am, truly, to my core, behind closed doors.”
“It's been about two and a half years since my debut record was released,” Cooke said, referring to her 24-track album, shot in the dark, which arrived in July 2023. “So many incredible, bucket-list things filled the days after with the best people I could ever imagine getting to share them with. But life has a funny way of spitting rain when you think it's gonna be a sunny day. I swear, one thing hit after another. I lost some of the most important people in my life, and health issues in my family piled up left and right. Love came, and love went.
“This music is derived from those real situations,” she continued. “It's brutal honesty. It's a story in chronological order. And it's a collection of songs welcoming you to the next chapter. This is ace. Make yourself at home.”