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FYI

Jesse Cook: Number 5

Fluent acoustic guitar and violin mesh appealingly.

Jesse Cook: Number 5

By Kerry Doole

Jesse Cook - Number 5 ( Coach House/Outside): The internationally-popular Toronto guitarist/composer has just released a new album, Libre (his 11th), accompanied by this single.


The full-length features Cook’s distinctive Spanish guitar stylings alongside contributions from Algerian multi-instrumentalist Fethi Nadjem, modern trap rhythms and 808 beats. He explains in a label press release that "I wrote and recorded Libre during the pandemic when, like most people, I was longing for freedom. My music was my escape from the four walls that surrounded me, and the storm that was swirling outside.”

A long summer-day drive with his 14-year old helped spawn the album's style, Cook reveals. “My daughter entertained me with her favourite playlists, much of which were trap and 808-inspired. I loved them too, and a question was planted in my mind: ‘what would my music sound like mixed with those sounds?’”

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The beats on Number Five aren't as prominent as on some other album cuts, but the interplay between guitar and violin is both imaginative and appealing. Cook has long been known for his ability to mix different genres and elements into his sound, and Libre offers further evidence of that.

Over a recording career now spanning more than 25 years, he has released gold and platinum albums with a combined sales of two+ million copies, five-concert DVDs and live discs, five PBS specials, and multiple awards — a Juno win (from 11 nominations), a Gemini, and an Acoustic Guitar Magazine Player’s Choice Silver Award.

His streaming stats are also impressive, with Spotify plays surpassing 55 million, and Pandora with over 300 million plays.

Cook recently announced the first leg of his 2022 Tempest II tour, one originally set to take place in 2020 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his breakthrough debut album, Tempest. Launching in Spokane, WA on January 19, and spanning 43-dates, the trek will take Cook and his band across both Canada and the US. Canadian dates begin Feb. 23 at PAC in Vernon, BC. See his itinerary here.

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Links

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Publicity: Eric Alper

Management: Richard Mills, NIkki Shibou

Agent (Canada): Tom Kemp, The Feldman Agency

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EMPIRE's Tina Davis (left) and Girl Connected's Lola Plaku at Conversations with the Pros at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto on March 28, 2025.
Courtesy of Girl Connected

EMPIRE's Tina Davis (left) and Girl Connected's Lola Plaku at Conversations with the Pros at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto on March 28, 2025.

Record Labels

EMPIRE President Tina Davis Gives Strategic Advice to Women in Music at Girl Connected's New Speaker Series

On Friday (March 28), the president of EMPIRE, the Bay Area-independent label and music company, came to Toronto for Conversation with the Pros offering tangible advice to the mentorship program's community. Davis also spoke to Billboard Canada about her impressive journey in the industry.

Girl Connected has launched a new series that connects the next generation of women in Canadian music with powerhouse executives for the global industry.

On Friday (March 28), Tina Davis, president of EMPIRE, sat down with Girl Connected founder and music industry veteran Lola Plaku at Toronto Metropolitan University for the first in-person Canadian edition of Conversations with the Pros (Billboard Canada was a supporting partner). The series brings in inspiring music industry figures from Girl Connected's international network to talk about their journeys and offer actionable information and advice to help the budding music professionals develop their skills and reach the next level of their careers.

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