ADAM COHEN
''MELANCOLISTA'
2004
43:26
1 Hey Jane 03:57
2 Embrasse-Moi 04:08
3 Sincerement 03:52
4 Metro Melancolie 04:09
5 Happiness 05:18
6 Macho Phalo 03:31
7 New York C'etait 03:28
8 Depuis Que T'es La 03:05
9 Ma Faiblesse 03:06
10 Couche-Moi Sur Tes Levres/Adam Cohen, Roger Tabra 03:23
11 J'en Ai Marre 05:24
Tracks By Cohen, Except 10
Dave Carpenter/Basse
Michael Chavez/Guitar (Electric)
Adam Cohen/Clavier, Guitar (Electric), Guitarelle, Percussion, Voices
Julian Coryell/Choeurs, Piano, Wah Wah Guitar
Mike Fonte/Guitar (Electric)
Jason Hann/Drums, Percussion
Larry Klein/Basse
Virginie Ledoyen/Voices
John Leftwich/Contrabass
John Nau/Basse, Clavier, Fender Rhodes, Organ, Piano, Programming, Synthesizer
Dean Parks/Guitar (Electric)
Greg Poree/Guitarelle
Gavin Taylor/Musical Direction, Pochette
Joey Waronker/Drums, Percussion
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine/AMG
Following in the footsteps of your father is a difficult task, particularly if your father is someone as darkly gifted and idiosyncratic as Leonard Cohen. Adam Cohen, however, is sharp enough to avoid being pegged as a "new Leonard Cohen." That doesn't mean he establishes himself as an individual musical talent on his eponymous debut. Cohen does occasionally flirt with the somber poetry his father made famous, but his music is altogether more polished, sounding like smooth adult contemporary instead of haunted folk. That would have been forgivable if the songs actually said something. Instead, Cohen wallows in sophomoric poetry and insights that are far removed not only from his father's work, but most of his late-'90s peers. There is some promise in his melodies, as in "Tell Me Everything," but for the most part, Adam Cohen delivered his debut album before his talent had truly gestated.
ABOUT
BY JOSEPH TAYLOR
Because of their parents’ connections, the children of famous musicians have advantages over the rest of us, including a better shot at becoming artists themselves. Sometimes, though, expectations are so high it is hard for them to establish a career that is not in the shadow of their parents. Jakob Dylan has been treated well by critics, but there is still a suspicion that while he may be a good songwriter, he is just not his dad.
Adam Cohen and Jakob Dylan probably have a lot to talk about. Few songwriters have a reputation as formidable as Bob Dylan’s, but Leonard Cohen surely is one of them. Adam Cohen does not really sound like his dad, but there is an intimate quality to his new disc, We Go Home, that makes them kindred spirits. Cohen had recorded a follow-up to his previous, well-received disc, Like a Man (2012), but was unhappy with the results and started again from scratch. He returned to two childhood haunts to take another shot at it: houses in Greece and Montreal where he had grown up.
We Go Home has the relaxed atmosphere of musicians playing in a comfortable room. The wordless vocal in the chorus of the title track sounds like a sing-along around a campfire, and throughout the disc Cohen keeps things casual enough to make We Go Home feel like a living room concert. That is not to suggest it is too basic; the arrangements flesh out the songs with wit and intelligence, and a three-piece string section adds richness to several tracks. The vocal harmonies are an especially enjoyable part of the songs, and they are delivered with beauty and restraint.
Cohen is a more direct lyricist than his father, but he often strikes as deeply. He acknowledges his father’s reputation with affection and respect on “Fall Apart,” and he finds that he has come to terms with it and established his own identity. He also writes about his own responsibilities as a father, but his overriding theme is the complexity and exhilaration of love. “What Kind of Woman” is one of the best tunes on We Go Home, and contains some of his wittiest lines, including this one: “For Abraham Lincoln, it says ‘Free the Slaves’/ For you, I see right here it says, ‘Get him laid.’”
At 42, and with almost 20 years of performing and recording under his belt, Cohen is a mature songwriter whose good advice might at times be about the struggle to establish his own identity, but his wisdom on “Put Your Bags Down” is reassuring to all of us: “On this so-called ride, when things get heavy just put your bags down.”
Cohen is a good singer, although if you heard him on NPR’s World Café, what would grab you are his strong melodic sense and his ability to write a memorable hook rather than his voice. He makes the right choices, such as the effortless segue from piano balladry into funkiness on “What Kind of Woman,” that bring you back for more. Add to that an unfussy recording that takes you close to the musicians and We Go Home is the second straight disc that proves Adam Cohen has plenty to say on his own.
BIOGRAPHY
by Charlotte Dillon
Singer/songwriter and guitarist Adam Cohen gained plenty of practice performing as a member of a number of rock groups in New York during the early '90s. By the mid-'90s, he had moved to Los Angeles, and ended up signing a solo contract with Columbia Records in 1997. One year later, he released his debut album, a self-titled offering that carried 12 impressive adult contemporary tracks. It was quickly followed by the EP Tell Me Everything.
Cohen was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1972. The son of acclaimed songwriter Leonard Cohen, he spent his childhood living all over the world, spending time in Canada, France, the United States, and Greece. Early piano lessons didn't have as much of an influence on him as his exceptional home life did, which exposed him to not only his father's music and writing, but to all forms of art and music brought in by family friends and acquaintances.
As a young adult, Adam Cohen moved to New York and started college. He also began his professional musical career there, joining up with several rock bands where he tried out his skills at both singing and songwriting, and later even guitar playing. After moving to Los Angeles near the end of the '90s, he was offered a chance to sign with Columbia Records, the label his father worked with for many years.
When the time came for a debut album, Cohen teamed up with producer Steve Lindsey. They brought in a number of strong collaborators, such as Brock Walsh, Phil Roy, and Dillon O'Brian. Adam Cohen gave fans and music critics something to chew on. The album hit the market in July of 1998, the same year Bette Midler released her version of Cohen's "Lullaby in Blue" for her album Bathhouse Betty. Several years later, Cohen recorded a French-language album, released on Capitol in 2004 as Mélancolista. He also formed a band, Low Millions, whose debut album, Ex-Girlfriends, appeared the same year. In 2009, a cover of his father's "Take This Waltz" appeared on the charity compilation War Child Presents Heroes, but by then he had begun a long recess from music.
Cohen finally returned in 2011 with his fourth album, Like a Man, which contained more of his father's influences than he had ever displayed; it also performed better commercially than any of his previous work. After a long tour, he began work on a follow-up. Recorded largely in a house on the Greek island of Hydra where Cohen spent much of his youth, We Go Home appeared in September of 2014.
WEBSITE
''MELANCOLISTA'
2004
43:26
1 Hey Jane 03:57
2 Embrasse-Moi 04:08
3 Sincerement 03:52
4 Metro Melancolie 04:09
5 Happiness 05:18
6 Macho Phalo 03:31
7 New York C'etait 03:28
8 Depuis Que T'es La 03:05
9 Ma Faiblesse 03:06
10 Couche-Moi Sur Tes Levres/Adam Cohen, Roger Tabra 03:23
11 J'en Ai Marre 05:24
Tracks By Cohen, Except 10
Dave Carpenter/Basse
Michael Chavez/Guitar (Electric)
Adam Cohen/Clavier, Guitar (Electric), Guitarelle, Percussion, Voices
Julian Coryell/Choeurs, Piano, Wah Wah Guitar
Mike Fonte/Guitar (Electric)
Jason Hann/Drums, Percussion
Larry Klein/Basse
Virginie Ledoyen/Voices
John Leftwich/Contrabass
John Nau/Basse, Clavier, Fender Rhodes, Organ, Piano, Programming, Synthesizer
Dean Parks/Guitar (Electric)
Greg Poree/Guitarelle
Gavin Taylor/Musical Direction, Pochette
Joey Waronker/Drums, Percussion
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine/AMG
Following in the footsteps of your father is a difficult task, particularly if your father is someone as darkly gifted and idiosyncratic as Leonard Cohen. Adam Cohen, however, is sharp enough to avoid being pegged as a "new Leonard Cohen." That doesn't mean he establishes himself as an individual musical talent on his eponymous debut. Cohen does occasionally flirt with the somber poetry his father made famous, but his music is altogether more polished, sounding like smooth adult contemporary instead of haunted folk. That would have been forgivable if the songs actually said something. Instead, Cohen wallows in sophomoric poetry and insights that are far removed not only from his father's work, but most of his late-'90s peers. There is some promise in his melodies, as in "Tell Me Everything," but for the most part, Adam Cohen delivered his debut album before his talent had truly gestated.
ABOUT
BY JOSEPH TAYLOR
Because of their parents’ connections, the children of famous musicians have advantages over the rest of us, including a better shot at becoming artists themselves. Sometimes, though, expectations are so high it is hard for them to establish a career that is not in the shadow of their parents. Jakob Dylan has been treated well by critics, but there is still a suspicion that while he may be a good songwriter, he is just not his dad.
Adam Cohen and Jakob Dylan probably have a lot to talk about. Few songwriters have a reputation as formidable as Bob Dylan’s, but Leonard Cohen surely is one of them. Adam Cohen does not really sound like his dad, but there is an intimate quality to his new disc, We Go Home, that makes them kindred spirits. Cohen had recorded a follow-up to his previous, well-received disc, Like a Man (2012), but was unhappy with the results and started again from scratch. He returned to two childhood haunts to take another shot at it: houses in Greece and Montreal where he had grown up.
We Go Home has the relaxed atmosphere of musicians playing in a comfortable room. The wordless vocal in the chorus of the title track sounds like a sing-along around a campfire, and throughout the disc Cohen keeps things casual enough to make We Go Home feel like a living room concert. That is not to suggest it is too basic; the arrangements flesh out the songs with wit and intelligence, and a three-piece string section adds richness to several tracks. The vocal harmonies are an especially enjoyable part of the songs, and they are delivered with beauty and restraint.
Cohen is a more direct lyricist than his father, but he often strikes as deeply. He acknowledges his father’s reputation with affection and respect on “Fall Apart,” and he finds that he has come to terms with it and established his own identity. He also writes about his own responsibilities as a father, but his overriding theme is the complexity and exhilaration of love. “What Kind of Woman” is one of the best tunes on We Go Home, and contains some of his wittiest lines, including this one: “For Abraham Lincoln, it says ‘Free the Slaves’/ For you, I see right here it says, ‘Get him laid.’”
At 42, and with almost 20 years of performing and recording under his belt, Cohen is a mature songwriter whose good advice might at times be about the struggle to establish his own identity, but his wisdom on “Put Your Bags Down” is reassuring to all of us: “On this so-called ride, when things get heavy just put your bags down.”
Cohen is a good singer, although if you heard him on NPR’s World Café, what would grab you are his strong melodic sense and his ability to write a memorable hook rather than his voice. He makes the right choices, such as the effortless segue from piano balladry into funkiness on “What Kind of Woman,” that bring you back for more. Add to that an unfussy recording that takes you close to the musicians and We Go Home is the second straight disc that proves Adam Cohen has plenty to say on his own.
BIOGRAPHY
by Charlotte Dillon
Singer/songwriter and guitarist Adam Cohen gained plenty of practice performing as a member of a number of rock groups in New York during the early '90s. By the mid-'90s, he had moved to Los Angeles, and ended up signing a solo contract with Columbia Records in 1997. One year later, he released his debut album, a self-titled offering that carried 12 impressive adult contemporary tracks. It was quickly followed by the EP Tell Me Everything.
Cohen was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1972. The son of acclaimed songwriter Leonard Cohen, he spent his childhood living all over the world, spending time in Canada, France, the United States, and Greece. Early piano lessons didn't have as much of an influence on him as his exceptional home life did, which exposed him to not only his father's music and writing, but to all forms of art and music brought in by family friends and acquaintances.
As a young adult, Adam Cohen moved to New York and started college. He also began his professional musical career there, joining up with several rock bands where he tried out his skills at both singing and songwriting, and later even guitar playing. After moving to Los Angeles near the end of the '90s, he was offered a chance to sign with Columbia Records, the label his father worked with for many years.
When the time came for a debut album, Cohen teamed up with producer Steve Lindsey. They brought in a number of strong collaborators, such as Brock Walsh, Phil Roy, and Dillon O'Brian. Adam Cohen gave fans and music critics something to chew on. The album hit the market in July of 1998, the same year Bette Midler released her version of Cohen's "Lullaby in Blue" for her album Bathhouse Betty. Several years later, Cohen recorded a French-language album, released on Capitol in 2004 as Mélancolista. He also formed a band, Low Millions, whose debut album, Ex-Girlfriends, appeared the same year. In 2009, a cover of his father's "Take This Waltz" appeared on the charity compilation War Child Presents Heroes, but by then he had begun a long recess from music.
Cohen finally returned in 2011 with his fourth album, Like a Man, which contained more of his father's influences than he had ever displayed; it also performed better commercially than any of his previous work. After a long tour, he began work on a follow-up. Recorded largely in a house on the Greek island of Hydra where Cohen spent much of his youth, We Go Home appeared in September of 2014.
WEBSITE
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