BENEATH THE QUEENSLAND MOON   Ashley Cook   

 Thangool, Queensland is home to this modern day bush balladeer and this album, his second, is a tribute in song to his home state. Ashley was awarded the Stan Coster Memorial Awards Barry Thornton Encouragement gong in 2006 and he’s taken that accolade into the studio with him to come up with an album that shows a marked improvement over number one and this comes down to the choice of songs – many co-written by Ashley – and a noticable show of a more comfortable persona in the studio. The title track is a cover of the classic Buddy Williams song, but there are other songs here that could quiet easily earn the “classic” mantle as well – given some airplay and live performances. Trains, Drover’s Lament, A Bushman’s Life (written by Dennis Evans and Shaza Leigh), I’m A Dragline (by Ashley and Keith Jamieson) and Wally Brummell’s Another Day Another Load stand out. But bush ballad fans will be pleased with all 12 tracks. The whole album is definitely worth a listen for its warmth and its honesty. Producer Lindsay Butler has again assembled a fine cast of musicians who bring the songs to life in the distinctly Australian way we call real Australain Country Music. If you haven’t caught up with Ashley and his music, this is a great start – so don’t say you weren’t told.  - Jon Wolf

BENEATH THE QUEENSLAND MOON                                    ASHLEY COOK  LBS  Music

Down-to-earth unpretentious Queensland bush balladeer ASHLEY COOK returns with a follow up to his 2005 album Cattle Dust & Leather with an even better collection of great bush and story songs Beneath The Queensland Moon. The title track, written by the legend BUDDY WILLIAMS is one of Ashley’s particular favourites, and this is a worthy and heartfelt rendition of the great song. Ashley co-wrote six of the twelve tracks, Big Cod Fishing Hole, The Road To Kakadu, Drover’s Lament, The Dam On The Dawson, I’m A Dragline and The Gympie Horse Stampede. Each song is a great story full of vivid imagery and together they are a little tour around Australia – and especially Ashley’s home state Queensland. Other excellent tracks, Trains, Happy Birthday Mate, Memories and the truck ballad Another Day Another Load complete a fine collection from Ashley Cook and the first-rate production of the LBS Music team.  

Review from Deborah Minter – Capital News.

                                  Ashley cooks up second release

                    Ashley Cook is heading back to Tamworth for the launch of his second album 

                                     BENEATH THE QUEENSLAND MOON.

                    The album will be launched at LBS Studio’s Open Day Concert at Moonbi, on Sunday, January 21.

                     Ashley says the selection of songs for his second album is different to his last album CATTLE DUST AND LEATHER.

                 The title track was written and recorded by the late Buddy Williams - one of our great pioneer Bush Balladeers - and two other         

                  songs were written by local writers Wilf Elliott of Biloela and Trevor Shaw of Thangool.

                 The other songs are from songwriters as far as Western Australia, Victoria and North Queensland.As well as the

                 launch, Ashley says that another highlight of his trip to Tamworth will be as a special guest artist at at the

                 Tamworth Songwriters Association Awards with Anne Kirkpatrick, Lee Kernaghan, Reg Poole and