The Girl Who Ate Herself is the debut album by American-born singer-songwriter Betsy Cook. It was released on February 17, 1992, by EastWest Records.[1]
Background
Prior to the release of the album, Cook was a songwriter, session musician, and backing vocalist for other artists, and had worked with Paul Young, George Michael, Marc Almond, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Seal and Gerry Rafferty.[2] Cook had actually started recording her own material as early as 1984,[3] when she recorded and co-produced versions of her songs "Nothing Ventured" and "Wonderland" with her then-husband Hugh Murphy (who had been Gerry Rafferty's producer). "Wonderland" was then recorded by Paul Young in 1986, with Cook on backing vocals, and became a Top 30 hit.[4]
Cook was eventually offered a recording deal of her own through her friend Max Hole, who at the time was the managing director of East West Records in the UK.[5] She recorded several new tracks and also re-recorded elements of the two songs that she had originally recorded with her husband in the mid-1980s.[3] Speaking of her experience recording the album, Cook told the Manchester Evening News in 1991, "Frankly, the remotest chance that I might become famous just freaks me out. But I just had to do it. And I'm very, very glad that I've done it. To be honest it was a bit of a test for me."[6]
Although the album (and its singles) failed to make any commercial impact, the material gained enough prominence to be covered by more established artists in later years. "Docklands" was recorded by Stevie Nicks for her 1994 album Street Angel.[7] The track "Love Is the Groove" was recorded by Cher for her 1998 album Believe.[8]
The album's cover portrait was taken by Cook herself, with inner portraits taken by photographer Kate Garner (former singer with the band Haysi Fantayzee).[3] Cook explained that the album's title was inspired by "this thing artists do, emotional catastrophe, you get upset, things haven't come right, fortunately though you find the nice bit, and another, then transformation into a good lyric or poem begins".[6]
Following the album's release, Cook did not release any further recordings of her own but continued to work with producers Horn, Lipson, and Woolley as a writer and session musician on other projects.
Critical reception
Upon its release, the Fife Free Press praised The Girl Who Ate Herself as a "quality LP, both in terms of the performance and the material", which suggests Cook "has a glittering future ahead of her".[9] The Paisley Daily Express believed that the "mature collection of songs should capture the thirty-something album market".[10] Pan-European magazine Music & Media considered Cook to be "an interesting female singer/songwriter" who is "focused on MOR material". They continued, "It sounds like Sarah McLachlan meets Alan Parsons in his I Robot period."[11]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Betsy Cook except where noted
