MARC COHN
"BURNING DAZE"
ATLANTIC RECORDS

What do you do when your first record contains an arguable classic? What in the world do you do, when the record company, fans and critics all invade your space and virtually push you out of the way, all to see if you can do it again?

If you’re many artists, you struggle to find that muse again, and that’s what Marc Cohn does on "Daze," his second solo recording since the astounding "Walking in Memphis," a track from his first album, that had a richness, mood and feeling that made listeners stop in their tracks.

Anyone trying to recreate that kind of tune is doomed to failure, and Cohn’s second recording, 1996’s "The Rainy Season," did not capture that magic, grinding itself down and ultimately succumbing to the all but impossible task of creating a sequel to "Memphis," which is all but improbable to begin with.

This third album, far enough away from "Memphis" to be free from the bounds that shackled "Rainy Season," once again contains Cohn’s gift for writing detail at glance, and, standing its own ground without comparing it to anything else, has a number of top notch songs that showcase his fine style.

Cohn may never again match the beauty of "Memphis," but, freed from its shadow, he stills constructs detailed songs that bear our attention.

- Mark T. Gould

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