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Personal. Introspective. Precise. Passionate. Soulful.
These are just a few qualities for which singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist Marc Cohn has built a reputation.
The Grammy-award winner is a natural storyteller, fusing universal truths with intimate personal experiences and observations. His hits include: “Walking in Memphis,” “Dig Down Deep” and “True Companion.”
But now he's taken a new turn with his latest release, “Listening Booth: 1970.” In it, he transforms hit songs from Cat Stevens, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Smokey Robinson, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bread and more. His interpretation makes them even more soulful, warm and easy-going, with a little sex appeal. His passion stems from some of his first memories of pop music:
He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, a mile or so from a record store, where he hung out.
“Even before I heard the music, there was a thrill in flipping through the racks of records, checking out the covers, and looking at the song titles and credits on the back,” Cohn said. “I wondered who these artists, players and producers — whatever that meant — were. They inhabited a world I couldn't even imagine, but I wanted in.”
He felt the soul and poetry in the music, believing these pieces of vinyl could change his life — and they did. He spent hours in the store's listening booth and found 1970 to be a pivotal year in music, at least as he looks back now. That year, the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel broke up.
“It was the beginning of a new decade, but it wasn't really ‘the '70s' yet,” he said. “1970, at least musically, still felt like the '60s somehow. It was not only the golden age of the single ... it was a window into the beginning of the golden age of the album, especially when it came to singer-songwriters.”
Four key albums paved the way on his musical path: “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “After the Gold Rush,” “Sweet Baby James” and “Moondance,” but, of course, more than those influenced him.
“Some of my favorites from that year were too intimidating or iconic to touch,” he said. “Some were impossible to reinterpret in a meaningful way.”
Until now.
He and producer John Leventhal set out to re-record the classics, as if listeners were hearing them for the first time.
“Marc and Leventhal took the magic of these classic songs and gave them a warm, new patina — wonderful, reverent and hip,” said Mike Jason, vice president of Saguaro Road (the album's label).
“In the end, this record is my humble attempt to repay a debt of gratitude to the artists that changed my life and to try and bring something fresh to their work, which, 40 years later, still sounds as vital and soulful as ever,” Cohn said.
And, apparently he has hit the mark. “Listening Booth: 1970” has reach No. 28 on the Billboard chart — the highest he's ever charted — and he just released it last month.
“After 20 years of making records, it's incredibly gratifying to have my new release debut so well,” Cohn said. “I'm singing in a different place in my voice on this record. It was ultimately extremely liberating to just be the singer, not the songwriter, and to try to find the most interesting, unforced way to approach what we already knew were such beautifully written songs.”
These are just a few qualities for which singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist Marc Cohn has built a reputation.
The Grammy-award winner is a natural storyteller, fusing universal truths with intimate personal experiences and observations. His hits include: “Walking in Memphis,” “Dig Down Deep” and “True Companion.”
But now he's taken a new turn with his latest release, “Listening Booth: 1970.” In it, he transforms hit songs from Cat Stevens, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Smokey Robinson, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bread and more. His interpretation makes them even more soulful, warm and easy-going, with a little sex appeal. His passion stems from some of his first memories of pop music:
He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, a mile or so from a record store, where he hung out.
“Even before I heard the music, there was a thrill in flipping through the racks of records, checking out the covers, and looking at the song titles and credits on the back,” Cohn said. “I wondered who these artists, players and producers — whatever that meant — were. They inhabited a world I couldn't even imagine, but I wanted in.”
He felt the soul and poetry in the music, believing these pieces of vinyl could change his life — and they did. He spent hours in the store's listening booth and found 1970 to be a pivotal year in music, at least as he looks back now. That year, the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel broke up.
“It was the beginning of a new decade, but it wasn't really ‘the '70s' yet,” he said. “1970, at least musically, still felt like the '60s somehow. It was not only the golden age of the single ... it was a window into the beginning of the golden age of the album, especially when it came to singer-songwriters.”
Four key albums paved the way on his musical path: “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “After the Gold Rush,” “Sweet Baby James” and “Moondance,” but, of course, more than those influenced him.
“Some of my favorites from that year were too intimidating or iconic to touch,” he said. “Some were impossible to reinterpret in a meaningful way.”
Until now.
He and producer John Leventhal set out to re-record the classics, as if listeners were hearing them for the first time.
“Marc and Leventhal took the magic of these classic songs and gave them a warm, new patina — wonderful, reverent and hip,” said Mike Jason, vice president of Saguaro Road (the album's label).
“In the end, this record is my humble attempt to repay a debt of gratitude to the artists that changed my life and to try and bring something fresh to their work, which, 40 years later, still sounds as vital and soulful as ever,” Cohn said.
And, apparently he has hit the mark. “Listening Booth: 1970” has reach No. 28 on the Billboard chart — the highest he's ever charted — and he just released it last month.
“After 20 years of making records, it's incredibly gratifying to have my new release debut so well,” Cohn said. “I'm singing in a different place in my voice on this record. It was ultimately extremely liberating to just be the singer, not the songwriter, and to try to find the most interesting, unforced way to approach what we already knew were such beautifully written songs.”
