Performing Songwriter (Issue 78)

Pancho's Lament
Leaving Town Alive
Produced by Jeff Cohen and Various Co-Producers

"Hold me like a hometown / Sway me 'til I close my eyes / Rest me gently against your skin." With lyrics like this from "Love Me Like a Child" and a fierce, hungry delivery worthy of Hollywood Town Hall-era Jayhawks, the New York duo Pancho's Lament have hit on a gorgeous little gem with Leaving Town Alive.

This is rock that isn't afraid to be smart. It's also not so self-conscious as to incessantly try to prove how smart it is. Instead, it breezes its way through poignant lines without dallying for preciousness. Singer and songwriter Jeff Cohen has already proven he can write a hit song, having done so for Evan and Jaron, Mandy Moore and others. But here, his lyrics and hooks and arrangements are allowed to stretch themselves out and luxuriate. Reminiscent of Petty, Son Volt, Farmer Not So John and Jeff Black, but with a metropolitan edge.

-Clay Steakley