Search - Marc Cohn :: Burning the Daze (Mcup)

Roland M. from BERKELEY, CA
Reviewed on 12/7/2006...

Great music, soulful ballads. I actually have two copies, so am trading this one.

"It took a while to find my way back to something true.."

spiral_mind | Pennsylvania | 07/01/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Seven years on from from "Walking in Memphis" Marc has firmly established himself in the true-roots musician camp with Leonard Cohen, Leo Kottke and Tom Waits; he shares their same melancholy sound, soulful songcrafting, and smoky singing as well as their tendency (for the most part) to take five years between albums. Fortunately for us, Marc's works are strong and consistent enough to last through the wait until the next one (if the constant dose of manic depression doesn't get to be too much first). Burning the Daze, while unquestionably his saddest release to date, shows a growth in writing and performing that his self-titled debut only hinted at. If it seems like I'm glossing over his second album The Rainy Season as a lesser release than the others.. well, that's more or less what it is. But I digress.Marc's sound is an easy blend of pop, jazz and Memphis soul, married to a rich unmistakable voice and poetry that could move the soul even without the music. "Already Home" sets the tone right from the start with its gliding horn groove; it's one soft mood after another from there on out. Some influences may come out stronger at some times than others - I hear traces of the Band in "Saints Preserve Us," a lot of Nick Drake in "Girl of Mysterious Sorrow," a touch of Clapton through "Lost You in the Canyon" - but Marc's overall sound is all his own. It always seems that he gets a little too sappy for my taste at times, which is why I normally stop the disc before the Nilsson cover "Turn On Your Radio" and the ill-fitting "Ellis Island." (The whole thing is personal and universal; why take a sideways leap into someone else's story with the last track? Nevermind.) If you've got a taste for Southern blues and like a good sad tune when the mood hits, Burning the Daze deserves a spot on your shelf - though not at the expense of Marc's self-titled disc. This is more moody, more melancholy, but ultimately more touching."

Didn't understand before, now I do.

jamminn | Cleveland, Ohio | 05/16/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a Marc Cohn fan since the first time I heard his first album. The second album, I liked just as much especially 'Paper Walls' which reminds me of '29 Ways'. The first time I heard 'Burning Daze' I didn't understand the songs and why it sounded so .... sad. I'm now currently going through the divorce of my first (and only?) marriage and can now see a new side to the music. He deftly tells of his pains and hurts without bashing the woman he loved. I find that this sends a strong message about the man and his vast talents. I recommend this CD to any Marc Cohn fan, but listen to it with a little thought and a lot of heart."