b. 5 April 1968, Rockport, Massachusetts, USA. Singer-songwriter Cole launched her career with the spirited, persuasive Harbinger set for Imago Records in July 1994. Among several notable tracks was the high-impact single, ‘I Am So Ordinary’, which forcefully dealt with Cole’s low self-esteem problems. However, its potential impact was scuppered when Imago lost its distribution contract with BMG - the same problem befalling fellow label artists Henry Rollins and Aimee Mann. Eventually she moved to a new contract with Warner Brothers Records, though the Imago imprint remained on future releases. Harbinger was re-released by Warners in July 1995, but the sales returns remained modest.
Speaking of her first full effort for her new home, 1996’s This Fire, Cole told the music press: ‘I think this album is an emergence of self. Harbinger was written with an adolescent point of view. But now I don’t have to be so gentle.’ Much of the material was written while on the road, Cole touring as a member of Peter Gabriel’s Secret World Live band, and appearing as support act to Melissa Etheridge, Sarah McLachlan and Counting Crows. Gabriel repaid the compliment by contributing backing vocals to the ballad, ‘Hush, Hush, Hush’, on This Fire. An obvious contrast to her earlier material, the pleading, vulnerable ‘Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?’ served as the album’s first single. Providing her commercial breakthrough, the song climbed to number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1997. ‘I Don’t Want To Wait’ reached US number 11 the following January, buoyed by its inclusion in the popular television series Dawson’s Creek.
After a brief hiatus to concentrate on raising her young baby, Cole returned in 1999 with her third album, Amen. Despite receiving good reviews, the album’s commercial failure caused a conflict between the singer and her record label. A fourth album was recorded but never released as relations broke down, leaving Cole a free agent. A number of low-key online releases leaked out over the next five years before Cole resumed her mainstream recording career with 2007’s Courage. The album marked a move away from pop rock into jazzier territory, with Herbie Hancock making a guest appearance on ‘Lonelytown’.
