"Dan Cohen's first cd gave me pleasure from beginning to end. The key for me is the way Cohen finds musical equivalents for very specific situations and emotions. Nothing here is generic or contrived; everything seems an immediate response to a particular human situation. "When You Don't Come Home" plays off an insistent, almost jaunty, rhythm against a lyric evoking the bitterness and false bravado of a lover anticipating rejection. Then, in the next number, "Hope You Don't Change Your mind," he gives a comic turn to a similar situation, in this case a man fearing his lover will discover that the two of them are really a mismatched pair. In the strange and haunting ballad "Waiting at the Bottom" he offers ambiguous consolation ("Take comfort in where you are/Down here you can't fall too far/When you do, I'll be waiting for you") to a fellow down-and-outer destined, it seems, to join him "at the bottom." But there's no ambiguity in the final number "Even Us," a soothing meditation on the theme of "This too shall pass." Elsewhere there are bracing upbeat numbers, lyrical love ballads, and some wonderful instrumentals from Cohen, as remarkable a guitarist as he is a singer.
The bottom line: don't miss this one.
"
Real American music!
J. D. Earnest | 10/27/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm living in Germany, and friends here are always asking me what's happening in American music. I've begun recommending Dan Cohen's CD as an example of a fresh voice (and a fine guitar) coming unexpectedly from a very tired Nashville. The variety of songs on this CD is mind-boggling. Every one of them is a true original--every one comes as a surprise--but on this CD they bring together the best traditions in American music."
Intelligent Country
M. K. Woodall | Bend, OR United States | 11/04/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Mid 60's and not especially a CW fan, I'm glad to find intelligent music to feed my inner country persona. The lyrics are witty and intelligent, and Dan's vocals articulate them so that they can be understood! "...she quoted Keats, I quoted Collins..." in "Hope You Don't Change Your Mind" is a wonderful gesture to the literate--hey, the poetic--side. This eclectic CD is a treat."
For every playlist!
Mel McSweeney | CA, USA | 11/14/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Dan bravely asserts his identity and lays down his soul out there for every inch of what it is on this album, letting no one face a "stripped-down heart" to "say cover it up and hide the broken parts," as he resonates in "Rabbit's foot." With that opening salvo, the album takes off and wanders through fields of growth, heart, and Southern attitude. "You Can't Break My Heart the Way I Want You To" is smooth, gentle, and yet at once satirically assertive with lyrics like "I wish that I could hate you/ Why can't you do me wrong/ The thing that's getting to me is the way we get along." The purely instrumental tracks are no less sweet yet strong, subtle yet insightful; "Pete and Elizabeth" and "Matt and Bridget" both bring the lights down to self-reflect through gorgeous melodies and charming tones."