With Folk and Americana rampaging Britain, it’s a wonder Country has yet to reach full throttle, catching the breath and attention of its potential European fans. It’s certainly made a decent attempt: musicians have laced the genre into their material, and the state predominantly associated with the movement, Nashville, is producing some solid music at the moment. What’s really needed is a forerunner, a fresh face for a new initiative…

Step forward 38 year-old Elizabeth Cook. Hardly innocent to the business, the Florida born singer-songwriter released her debut The Blue Album at the turn of the millennium to moderate stateside success. She’s since collaborated with Rodney Crowell and hosts her own show, “Elizabeth Cook’s Apron Strings” on Sirius XM. Her fifth studio album to date, Welder, has already received rave reviews, with a notable commendation from The New York Times.

The release is named after her family’s profession, and relations are clearly close to her heart – many of these songs revolve around family trauma: ‘Heroin Addict Sister’ takes an enlightening look at the trials and tribulations of a wayward sibling, ‘Mama’s Funeral’ is a fitting ballad to a sombre affair, and the dizzying ‘I’m Beginning to Forget’ was penned by Cook’s mother. I’m not going to blur the truth, much of my perspective of the Southern Belt has been lifted from popular culture; the stereotypes cemented by My Name is Earl and True Blood shine through like the buckle of a polished Court Marshall badge on this record: snakes in the bed, an Elvis collection, home-baked pies, whisky and trips to the local mall, Cook’s got and references them all, perhaps to the album’s detriment – it can exclude those removed from such an environment, which makes it particularly hard for a British audience to swallow.

However, while Welder fails to engage in nostalgia, there are some outstanding moments here that demonstrate the true range of Cook’s abilities, and her potential as a new country stalwart. ‘Follow You Like Smoke’ and ‘Not California’ benefit from Don Was’ slow rock production, and the banshee shriek of ‘All the Time’ is endearingly approachable. Some tracks are clichéd and others mainstream enough to make me reconsider the sincerity of Cook’s motives, but the fun that pounces into action on second track ‘El Camino’ is reflected throughout and it’s hard not to fall in love with the musician’s trash’n’roll, even if you feel dirty in doing so.

Some have dismissed Welder as a contradiction, a directionless homage to things not traditionally paired. I say ignore the critics – if the reinvention of a genre is not crucial to its rebirth, then what is? Elizabeth Cook has tapped into a very open way of promoting the music she loves to the far corners of the world, and while she may be clinging to the walls, she’s moving the music forward never the less.