Adam Cohen’s “Like A Man” and October 3 Toronto Show

As I write, Adam Cohen is performing his second Toronto show at the Drake Hotel.  I had the privilege of seeing him perform last night in a small (maybe 150 people) and intimate setting which was perfect to showcase the new songs from his album Like A Man.

Like the first single “What Other Guy”, the songs in Like A Man are mainly love letters to and about various women and relationships.  It’s a soft and romantic record for the most part, very unlike the songs from his self-titled debut or by his rock band Low Millions.  He really does embrace the intellectual and poetic style that surrounded him as growing up as the son of Leonard Cohen, and steps away from dad enough to make it his own.  

I didn’t even know about this album’s release until last Friday.  It’s a most unexpected and joyous surprise to hear what I would call one of the best records of the year in among all of the pop and electronic music I listen to and about which you usually read in these posts.  But I digress – really, I’ve been intrigued by Adam’s music since his first release in 1998.  

Carefully produced by Patrick Leonard (most noted for Madonna, but many others as well, including Elton John and Roger Waters – Leonard also plays on the record), these are apparently songs that could have gathered dust had family and friends not encouraged their release.  The first (and oldest) song, “Out Of Bed”, puts a smile on your face right away, and you can feel the warmth and humour that lay underneath many of the songs throughout the album.  The lyrical persuasion of “Sweet Dominique”, “Girls these Days”, and “Beautiful” are three more essential reasons to listen to Like A Man.  Adam’s lovely and gentle sing-speak, not unlike his father’s at times, suits every moment.  Having friends like Don Was (stand up bass) and Jennifer Warnes (who recorded his father’s songs on her seminal 1986 Famous Blue Raincoat album) in support adds to all of the precision.

Adam performed a generous set for about an hour last night.  It was full of camraderie and anecdotes that made it very special, especially the story about how Sir Paul McCartney spoke with him after a show and told him that he wished he wrote one of his songs – ultimate compliment!  The singer himself said he felt nervous performing despite “this is what I do”, but it really is a fresh start (not disregarding his past works) so that kind of excitement was deserved.  He led us through “Sweet Dominique” (and incorporated a verse of his father’s “Bird On A Wire”), “What Other Guy”, “Girls these Days”, “Beautiful” (which he dedicated to his 4 year old son Cassius and his son’s mother), a stripped down version of Low Millions’ “Eleanor”, plus covers of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” (for a first time performance that completely gripped the audience) and dad’s own “So Long Marianne” (the title is also referenced in “Beautiful”).  Adam’s set was complimented heavily by the talents of cellist/guitarist Mai Bloomfield and multi-instrumentalist (and Low Millions member) Michael Chaves.

Here’s an imaginary glass of Petrone to salute the release of Like A Man and what should be a successful Canadian, UK, and European tour for Adam Cohen, because I think he’s going to find a lot of new fans along the way.  Don’t be surprised if this album shows up on many year-end ‘Best Of’ lists.  Like A Man is available on iTunes or in hard copy CD format.