Lance Cowan

“If he’d never made another album, he’d already be something like the Shohei Ohtani of music—a two-way player in a game in which being a one-way player is hard enough. Besides, the phenomenon known as the “sophomore slump” is real. Or as an old saying goes, “You’ve got your whole life to make your first album but only a year to make your second.” It’s a way to explain why albums that come right after successful debuts are rarely as potent. But just one year after So Far, So Good, Cowan has made another album. It’s called Against the Grain. And not only does it avoid the sophomore slump, but it’s even better than what came before. The mid-’70s country-rock instrumentation and vocal harmonies remain. And now they’re put at the service of hooks that would’ve embedded themselves in the top 40 back when millions were checking into the Hotel California.”
– Arsenio Orteza / WORLD Radio

“These songs are straight up great. Cowan’s songs and vocals are some of the strongest of this decade. His voice is pure gold, the kind that comes along every decade if we’re lucky. The man’s
phrasing and sensitivity to feel are beyond beatable. Really.”
– Bill Bentley / Bentley’s Bandstand

“So much for the fabled sophomore slump. If Lance Cowan’s debut album, So Far So Good (a Deep Roots Album of the Year last year), came out of the blue to be one of 2024’s most pleasant surprises, then his new long player, Against the Grain, tells us its predecessor was no fluke. You may call him a dreamer, but he’s not the only one. Whatever else he is, Lance Cowan sounds like a major singer-songwriter whose art is our blessing.”
– David McGee / Deep Roots

“This is Americana music at it’s most appealing. Without pretension, the singer-songwriter offers a new album filled with musical delights you’ll want to experience again and again.”
– Paul Freeman / Pop Culture Classics

"The Lance Cowan story isn’t just one of the best stories in country music. It’s one of the best stories in the country itself. It’s a story of devotion, patience, self-belief, humility and a recognition so long overdue it seems like a cultural crime. It’s gentle and so well-crafted it sounds like an echo of a Nashville that used to be but is no more. ...Cowan’s music is a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup. It has a hardy flavor, clears your head and there’s just something about it that feels therapeutic. You can go ahead and feel dismayed we were denied access to his talents for 30 years. Or just take it as a hopeful sign that at long this long-overlooked talent is back for seconds.”
– Chris Rodell/Eight Days To Amish

“I mean this as the greatest compliment, but if you’d told me
John Prine wrote and played guitar on that, I’d have believed it.”
– Bill Cody, WSM-AM Coffee Country & Cody, Hall of Fame DJ Commenting on “Love Anyway”

“Lance Cowan has delivered a masterpiece, a guided tour through a rootsy tapestry of sound that will make any listener feel totally at home. A beautiful collection of intimate songs, the mixture of light
and shade makes each an engrossing, riveting listening experience.”
– Alan Cackett/noted UK Music Critic

“Lance Cowan is a singular talent, but his skills intersect several realms. A skilled promoter and publicist, he’s been responsible for bringing any number of artists the recognition they so decidedly deserve. However, it’s his abilities as a singer and songwriter that find him making a belated bow. He released his debut album, aptly titled So Far So Good, last year, garnering widespread kudos. His follow-up, Against the Grain, makes it clear it wasn’t a one-shot effort, further evidence that his artistic abilities have floated about in the ethos for some time. Cowan’s supple vocals frequently recall those of Jackson Browne or the late Glen Frey given their soothing and assuring sensibility, but it’s the songs themselves — “Once More Chance,” “I Can’t Send the Winter,” “Old King Coal,” and “More Or Less” in particular — that underscore the music’s full emotional impact.
(Against The Grain) is something akin to an album for the ages."
– Lee Zimmerman / Goldmine

“Last year’s So Far So Good is still in my rotation, and
Against The Grain is likely to end up right next to it."
– Charles Hughes / No Fences

“Music Row publicist Lance Cowan is also a terrific singer-songwriter. His second album, Against the Grain, drops next month. Its advance single addresses the political divisiveness that’s so pervasive today. “If there’s ever hope for change, love anyway,” he sings in his tender tenor while acoustic piano and
guitar notes ripple around him. Innocent, touching and gently folkie.”
– Robert K. Oermann/Music Row DISClaimer

“If there were any lingering doubts from Cowan’s debut, on Against the Grain he’s
clearly stamped himself as a convincing and talented songsmith.”
– Jim Hynes / Making A Scene

“This late-blooming folk/Americana singer/songwriter has a second album, and it evidences no sophomore slump; in fact, Against the Grain is at least as likable as its excellent predecessor. (These are) songs you’ll likely want to return to predominate on this gently delivered album, much of which has a Laurel-Canyon-in-the-’70s feel. “One More Chance” and “I Can’t Stand the Winter” are among several selections
that sound like ones the Eagles might have recorded.”
– Jeff Burger / The Aquarian

"After years as an influential Nashville publicist for the likes of Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Michael Martin Murphey, Lance Cowan’s second album proves that his talent is the equal of any of his clients. Against the Grain is a master class of songwriting, where every word illuminates the story and not a note is wasted. With its rich harmonies and soulful lyric, the heartfelt 'Prayer for a Child' could be a song that Jackson Browne forgot to record. Likewise, the tragic 'Will Belinda' continues the grand tradition of outlaw songs like Townes Van Zandt’s 'Pancho and Lefty' or Warren Zevon’s 'Frank and Jesse James.’ Cowan can also turn a phrase with the best. In the poignant 'I Can’t Stand the Winter,' the heartbroken hero tells us 'I sweater up my heart / by remembering the parts / of the burning fire that I once knew.’ The droll title track describes a sea-loving dreamer who 'quoted Melville, hated Faulkner' as he builds a ship in his wheat field. And the closing ballad “Love Anyway” is a moving plea for sanity in a turbulent world. All in all, Cowan’s economy with words and visceral emotions makes Against the Grain required listening (along with his 2024 debut, So Far, So Good) for anyone
who’s interested in songwriting that tugs at your heart.”
– Bob Cannon / Music Critic

“(Lance Cowan’s) work on his own stamp on the music business continues to grow with the release of Against the Grain; a sophomore effort ripe for the acoustic Roots world, a breezy wink to California-inspired Country Rock. He keeps solid company on the release. Pat Flynn from New Grass Revival (among many others) give solid support to tunes that lyrically dig into love and loneliness, chasing fortune and raising family.
This is a record about life and all its grit and glory.”
– Bryant Liggett / The Alternate Root

“What grabs the listener first is Cowan’s smooth voice set against masterful melodic tunes.”
– Elaine McAfee Bender / Buddy Magazine