Marc Cohn – Marc Cohn (Numbered Gold CD)

Marc Cohn’s self-titled album for Atlantic Records earned him the 1992 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. But like so many others that won that prize, the Cleveland-born singer-songwriter was soon forgotten by the music industry due to the fact that his sophisticated adult-oriented songs didn’t fit with what they wanted to promote. No matter. Great music always finds an audience, and fans have been following Cohn ever since. There’s much more to Cohn’s debut than the album-opening smash “Walking in Memphis”—the memorable gospel-soaked paean to Elvis Presley, Stax Records, and Beale Street that stands as one of the most elegant singles released in decades.

Proof that Cohn was more than a one-hit wonder, this 1991 record remains a testament to the power of sublime craft. Rising above the cartoonish hard rock and grunge of the day, the album’s success owes to Cohn’s memorable songwriting, graceful arrangements, and understated elegance. The catchy “Silver Thunderbird” (an homage to Cohn’s father), organ-drenched “Ghost Train,” and wedding-song favorite “True Companion” speak to the singer’s depth. Taking inspiration from reflective classics from Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, and James Taylor (who provides backing vocals on “Perfect Love”), the 11-song set hasn’t lost a bit of its mellow charm or wistful appeal. Here is mature, involved, and meticulously sculpted pop that is built to last.

Filled with delicate piano-based arrangements and blue-eyed soul vocals, Marc Cohn is tailor-made to be savored on hi-fi equipment. Mastered from the original analog master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s exquisite remaster coaxes every last detail from the source material, and literally brings Cohn into your listening room. Nuanced, warm, clear, and a touch velvety, the new pressing turns the debut into an instant audiophile classic. Acoustic-based music has seldom sounded better, while every inflection of Cohn’s baritone comes to the fore with unsurpassed realism.

“…Mobile Fidelity has done a workmanlike job adding sonic improvements—particularly the striking piano dynamics, more tuneful and resonant bass extension, and highly focused central image. Cohn’s vocals no longer carry a sandpapery upper-frequency EQ, either.” –Neil Gader, The Absolute Sound, October 2008