Fall in Love with Dan Cohen

Hello hello! For those of you who are returning visitors, you may have noticed a new addition to Life, Love, and Food: The Corner of Shameless Promotion. Most of this blog is devoted to good cookin’ and good eatin’ with occasional rants about bad behavior. But one of the great joys of cooking is the soundtrack. In addition to the hiss of sauteeing onions and the buzz of a food processor, I almost always listen to music while I cook. Cooking and music have a synergistic effect: instant relaxation! The type of music can be anything from classic to rock, acoustic to electronic, popular to obscure. Eclectic, no?

The latest addition to my cooking soundtrack is the self-titled debut album from Dan Cohen. In the interest of full disclosure, I will confess that a dear friend gave me the CD as a gift. There, I’ve said it. You can stop reading now if you think I’ve been bribed into writing this plug. But I promise, dear reader, if this CD made a better drink coaster than a music album, I would not waste your time telling you about it. Friendship will not earn anyone a spot in the Corner of Shameless Promotion! Fortunately, Dan Cohen has earned his spot. Put simply, Dan Cohen is TALENTED. And he LOVES WOMEN. Or at least he sings like he does! Dan Cohen the album is a collection of country tunes that range from the sassy to the sublime. The set is as eclectic as my taste in music: several country-rock numbers, a few beautiful instrumentals-only pieces, a dark melody about the depths of addiction, a love song or two, and finally “Even Us,” which is possibly the saddest song in the world about starting over after heartbreak.

My very favorite song on the album is a jazzy little number called “Hope You Don’t Change Your Mind.” Light-hearted and playful, this song is the one my heart will sing the next time I fall in love. Falling in love is a little like playing on a teeter-totter; it’s smoother and much more fun when each person takes a turn pushing love off the ground. And once you’ve fallen in love, there’s “Lullaby,” a tender ballad in which the narrator promises the world to his beloved only to reveal at the end that his intentions are more noble than his abilities. Fall in love with Dan Cohen and you will fall in love with an artist whose music traverses the mountains and valleys of hope and loss. Welcome to the soundtrack of life.