Adam Cohen’s awakening rewarded with Juno nomination

Adam Cohen has finally stopped running from what he refers to as the family business.

He’s marked this change of heart with his most honest album to date, Like a Man, and that acceptance, that awakening has garnered him his first Juno nomination.

A chip off the old block, Adam is the eldest offspring of the legendary Leonard Cohen, also being honored with nominations at this year’s Juno celebration.

Like father like son, Adam has songwriting in his blood, but didn’t always embrace his father’s legacy.

Adam spent a decade trying to find his own voice, which meant avoiding comparisons to his old man at all costs.

The songwriter’s first attempt of self-discovery was his 1998 pop rock self-titled debut.

Despite considerable mainstream airplay and placement on the soundtracks of Dawson’s Creek and the blockbuster I Know What You Did Last Summer, the radio-chummy album and its main single, “Cry Ophelia,” didn’t top any charts or leave a lasting impression.

Another forgettable album later, two if you count Adam’s stint as frontman of the Low Millions and their record Ex-Girlfriends, he released Like a Man, a homage of sorts to daddy Cohen.

Think of it as a collection of acoustic and simplistic love songs reminiscent of Leonard’s offerings from the late 60s, nothing like Adam’s back catalogue. And though Adam’s taken a new direction with this forth album, he explains that his songwriting process hasn’t changed.

“The music for a song is almost always more complete than the lyrics for me,” Adam says. “At the inception, the music is accompanied with mumbles and utterances that are being formed along with the music.”

The songs that make up Like a Man weren’t conceived over night. This album was years in the making, some songs are even a decade old.

In his defense, Adam insists that it has nothing to do with lack of inspiration.

“When things are just peachy in my life, it’s much harder to sit down, concentrate and write,” Adam explains, hinting at the family he’s started. “I’m just too busy having a good time and enjoying the good stuff.”

Adam has finally accepted his destiny, his identity crisis behind him. Adam is a Cohen and the heir of a family business. He is his father’s son, the offspring of a man who Adam remembers inspired him as a child.

“And he still does,” Adam says. “But it puts in question just what exactly do I have to contribute to songwriting? I’m still looking for the exact answer to that question.”

Adam, you’re one big step closer to figuring it out.

Adam’s album Like a Man is nominated for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year at the 2013 Juno Awards. See all the nominees here. The Juno Awards air Sunday, April 21 on CTV.

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Posted by Marc Andrew on Feb 26 2013. Filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.