By age 30, singer-songwriter Paula Cole had achieved heights she hadn’t even dreamed of: a platinum album, two huge hit singles and a Grammy for best new artist.
But composing songs of love, struggle and loss didn’t prepare her for what came next: The album her record company rejected. A decision to leave the music industry. A failed marriage. Her daughter’s asthma attacks.
“I’ve been through a lot,” Cole says.
Now, after a roughly eight-year hiatus from touring and recording, the chanteuse is back. Her first album of new material in nearly a decade, “Courage,” just hit shelves.
“I was going through such a hard time when I made this album,” Cole says. “What I’m proud of is, it’s not bitter – it’s not angry. It’s tender. It’s examining.” “Courage” showcases a stronger, more mature Cole, who is willing to give up some creative control and embrace input from outsiders.
In the mid-’90s, the Massachusetts native wrote parts for nearly every instrument on her sophomore album, “This Fire.” Released in 1996, the CD contained Cole’s biggest hits: “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone” and “I Don’t Want to Wait,” which became the theme song for the teen drama “Dawson’s Creek.”
“This Fire” went platinum and made Cole a star. Listeners latched on to Cole’s lush pop melodies, emotional lyrics and breathy voice. But commercial success was fleeting and bittersweet. A self-professed introvert, she found the increasing public attention awkward.
“I needed to be a hermit,” Cole says. “It was like I was a plant in shock, and I needed to go back down to the roots. I couldn’t flower. I needed a long hibernating winter that turned into seven, eight years.”
Cole married and, about five years ago, gave birth to her daughter, Sky. When Sky was an infant, Cole went back into the studio and recorded about 20 more songs for a new album. But Warner, her record label, refused to release them and they parted ways.
Cole moved to Los Angeles and focused on being a mother, which was more demanding than she expected. As a toddler, Sky had severe asthma attacks.
It would be years before Cole felt comfortable enough to return to a recording studio. The spark came when she connected with Bobby Colomby, a renowned producer and the drummer from Blood, Sweat and Tears. The two went into Capitol Studios to work on “Courage.” For the first time, Cole was able to let go creatively. She co-wrote songs and let Colomby and the musicians criticize her.
“It had this spirit of unattachment to it,” Cole said. “I was in the moment, and it was fun. I wasn’t thinking about my past. I wasn’t thinking about my future. I was just enjoying the process.”
Part of that process is returning to the stage. Cole’s performances reveal a confident, captivating woman with a versatile voice. Still, Cole keeps her distance from the mechanics of the record business. She is more cautious now – more careful not to micromanage as she once did.
“I felt a little battered by the first round, and here I am in the second,” she said.
