Mac Cooper

About Mac Cooper

My name is Mac Cooper, and I am an a capella singer/songwriter who's recently relocated to San Diego, California from Washington link., although originally from Montgomery, Alabama. I have been writing songs and poetry for most of my life, but have been writing to record and perform since 2001. My writing portfolio has nearly 300 original songs, approximately 50 of which have been recorded.

A capella writer:
As an a capella writer, getting the right instrumentation, arrangement, and production can be quite a challenge (being that I don't play any instrument very well). Most of my song ideas start out as a hook, a story, an anecdote, or a turn of phrase. I flesh out the idea as conversationally as I can and try to get that conversation to fit into a song format. Once the conversation is complete, I try to imagine when and where that conversation might take place- indoors or outdoors, aloud or internally, day or night, etc. Once I can visualize the details surrounding the conversation, then I think about the melody. How should the conversation sound-happy, sad, angry, somber, etc. The tone of the conversation usually drives the kind of melody I create, because I'm trying to create harmony between the conversation and the scenario I've envisioned. Once I've settled in on a melody, I try to imagine what instruments will make this conversation come alive musically. How will the instrumentation aid in conveying this musical conversation? At this point, I usually need the help of a great instrumentalist, engineer, or producer. I know what I hear, but I need someone who can follow my audio-vision and make a song out of it. Fortunately, David Leonard (WriteSide Studios & Reveal Audio Services in Marietta, GA) and Steve Wells (Manning Hollow Music in Nashville, TN) have been two excellent collaborators on most of my recording projects.

My Musical Style:
I write mostly country music, because my distinctly southern roots and home culture make it the most natural style of music for me. Regardless of what I attempt to write, most songs come out a little bit country (they are the conversations I hear most often in my head). My granddaddy was a huge fan of country music, and he and I spent hours listening to it on his old leather radio when I was growing up. I also have deep roots in gospel musical traditions, so a number of my songs fall into the Country Christian genre of music as well. But the influences of rhythm and blues, gospel, and soul impact my songwriting as well, which is why several Nashville music executives described my music as "country, but.,.." I heard "country, but..." so many times over the years, that I decided to call my music "countrybut." I'm prone to add soulful licks, soaring choruses, frequent modulations into or out of the bridge, and gospel-style outros. These tendencies break the traditional country format, so I end up with Countrybut.

My Discography
Drive Talkin' (2004) -Internal conversations I had while driving
(1) This One's For Me
(2) Blink An Eye
(3) Goin' My Way
(4) Forever, A Dream?
(5) Not Yet!
(6) How Can I Be?
(7) On the Dance Floor
(8) It Was You, It Was Me
(9) Drive Time
(10) Too Fast
(11) Was It Ever Real To You?
(12) The Open Highway
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I Got To Praise You (2012) Conversations with God and about God
(1) I Got To Praise You
(2) It Ain't As Bad As All That
(3) Get Back Up
(4) Mystery of My Life
(5) Don't Let Me Down
(6) Hallelujah Anyhow!
(7) I Ain't Doin' It Cause I Want To
(8) Testify!
(9) This Livin' Is Bigger Than Me
(10) Just In Time!
(11) One of Twelve
(12) Ain't Keepin' Score
(13) I Got Praise You (Reprise)
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It Might Be Love, But... (2014) Conversations about falling in and out of love
(1) It Might Be Love, But...
(2) Cup O' Joe
(3) I Don't Like It (But I'll Like It For You)
(4) Can't Walk Away
(5) Didn't Wanna' Cause A Scene
(6) Sleepin' On Your Floor
(7) Bigger Fish To Fry
(8) There's No Use In Waiting
(9) Did You Get That?
(10) Long Way Home
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I have a smattering of other songs that were recorded as singles but not included on the projects, and many more that have yet to be recorded. I have the next recording project in mind and am working out the logistics to make it a reality.