Marc Cohn - Listening Booth: 1970

Marc Cohn was only twelve years old in 1970 but for the Grammy-winning songwriter of the big hit "Walking in Memphis" that particular year has significant meaning. For his new album, Listening Booth: 1970 (July 20, Saguaro Road), the storyteller becomes interpretive singer as he dives back into his childhood musical influences and surfaces with new versions of songs from what Cohn says "was one of the greatest years in music." He adds: "...Not only because it was still the golden age of the single but it was also one of the most pivotal (and remarkable) years in the history of the Album."

Cohn worked for weeks with producer John Leventhal (Rosanne Cash, Shawn Colvin) to come up with songs "that we could not only do justice to, but could also put our own personal stamp on." From an extensive list (it was a good year, after all), the tracks began to take shape: Simon & Garfunkel's "The Only Living Boy in New York", Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed", Cat Stevens' "Wild World", Bread's "Make It With You" -- a slinky duet with India.Arie -- and Badfinger's "No Matter What" with guest Aimee Mann. "To be honest” Cohn explains, "I don’t even view this as a ‘covers’ record in the traditional sense. Records like Nick of Time by Bonnie Raitt, or Raising Sand by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant were more the templates for me in the way these songs were arranged and performed. What those records taught me was that just because the singer didn’t write the songs, the record itself didn’t need to be any less of an original statement." Highly recommended. Watch the EPK after the jump...

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Marc Cohn - "The Letter" (Boxtops Cover) (from the album Listening Booth: 1970)