Lance Cowan

“Best Album 2026! There is no reason to hide the headline. Or hide the surprise. The  singer-songwriter Lance Cowan steps into a spotlight that he surely deserves. So many intriguing originals and heart-moving vocals make up this new mountain of an achievement. There’s big song lines and intricate stories that move in and out of 11 songs that clearly will be one that touches all who listen for many years to come. And Cowan’s voice has grown into one that can only be his own, as he sings in and out of different emotions like an artist in a class of his own. Producer Scott Paschall is the perfect person to fill that job. He is a master of originality and insight into what music is meant to do. By the end of THE AIR THAT YOU BREATHE the real result of feeling breathlessness is what’s just been experienced. Unreal but true.”

— Bill Bentley / Bentley’s Bandstand / Americana Highways

 

"...However you categorize it-- folk / country / Americana / whatever -- it's inarguably wonderful. Lance's songs are literate, melodically memorable, and poignant on subjects both contemporary and historical (like "William Cooper Smith," an old West saga that touches a remarkable number of bases). And as I've noted before they're sung by him in a deeply affecting Bruised Everyman voice that I'd kill to have.”

– Steve Simels / PowerPop

 

“(Lance) has now issued three excellent albums in as many years, and the latest is arguably his best. Called The Air That You Breathe, it cements his reputation as an affecting singer and a writer of memorable, understated songs that exude warmth and humanity. The lyrics are expertly crafted and evocative.”

– Jeff Burger / The Aquarian

 

“I was enthralled with the new album by Lance Cowan, The Air That You Breathe. It’s only since 2024 that he’s been putting out records on his own, with this new one his third in three years. It’s not a vanity project either. Cowan is the real deal….It’s a stunner. Sure, folk music, acoustic music, but not easy to pigeonhole either. Its success is in its gentleness, never bitter, always alluring. At a time when my head hurts with the day-to-day ravaging of our country, Cowan has composed eleven songs that may be his private feelings, yet they possess universal thoughts

offering relief in a way only good music can. His songs can get under your skin in a good way, his voice presenting a subdued passion that is hard to resist.”

– Jim Caligiuri / Only A Fool Would Say That

 

“(The Air That You Breathe) is an album that packs a wallop so gently, you don’t feel it until it is too late.....and then you are stunned.  Especially powerful is 'Where'd They Go.’ In any event, you are a Songwriter, sir. Somewhere, John Prine and Steve Goodman are smiling.

– Michael Jaworek / The Birchmere 

 

“What stands out in the songs is Cowan’s ability to weave a story and keep your attention. The music is no-frills Americana, occasionally bordering on country and with one track dipping more than a toe in the easy-listening pool. Cowan has put together another fine collection of songs covering subjects old and new in different ways. His third release in three years once again hits the mark and is a strong set of eleven cuts!”

–Andy Short / Americana UK

 

“This prolific songwriter has once again crafted a record steeped in storytelling, drawing deep inspiration from the contemporary American human condition. Cowan excels at exploring the human condition, demonstrating an intimate understanding of it throughout the project. The Air That You Breathe is a warm, earthy collection of songs. Its gentle, Americana-based melodies perfectly breathe life into Cowan’s evocative lyrics, conjuring rich, vivid imagery in the mind of the listener to deliver a contemporary Americana masterpiece with a classic twist.”

– Gerry McNally / Folk-Tumble (Northern Ireland)

 

“Sensitive, engrossing and intimate. This touching world portrait is the title tune of the new album by this folkie Americana artist. The entire acoustic collection is gentle audio seduction.”

– Robert K. Oermann / Music Row DisClaimer, review of the title track

 

“…a very cool and heartfelt collection of songs. This project is another great example of how we should not limit ourselves to one path in life and follow our hearts desire, wherever it leads.”

– Roy Montana / The Nashville Musician

 

“…a classy album – eleven songs, smooth Americana, beautifully played, arranged and produced. …songwriting at its best.”

– Mike Wistow / Folking.com. 

 

“(Lance Cowan) has become one of the most talked-about new voices in Americana and singer-songwriter music.. (and is) one of the genre’s most authentic storytellers.”

– Peter Schavemaker / Grolloo Radio Podcast (Norway)

 

“All of us who create radio programs thank you, Lance, for creating pieces of art that communicate so beautifully to our audience.”

– Marilyn Rea Beyer, Host / WFMT’s Folkstage and The Midnight Special 

 

"Breathe is a better album than many veteran acts have pulled off over decades’ long careers.  At a time when much of the nation is at the throats of the rest of the nation and vice versa, Lance Cowan is an antidote to all the bitter vitriol.  He’s the flesh and blood evidence that staying true to your values can overcome the life obstacles we all long to bitch slap into submission.  He’s not just one of the best stories in Country Music. He’s one of the best stories in the whole Country.”

– Chris Rodell / 8 Days To Amish & Award-winning Author

 

“Another commanding record of class and beauty from Lance Cowan. This third album… is a collection of sweet and intimate songs that have the immediacy of a pencil sketch and the depth of a mural. The entire record is rich with the atmosphere of a private sonic diary of a caring human being. Lance emerges as a sharp, succinct, inventive and insightful songwriter, one who can convey complex ideas with just a few words.  Cowan is a talented artist who is adept at creating compassionate music that speaks for itself. In this batch of songs, he embraces and acknowledges the struggles, pleasures, heartbreaks and hopes of life in today’s crazy, mixed-up world.”

— Alan Cackett / Esteemed UK Music Critic

 

“Through eleven carefully curated songs, Lance Cowan continues to emerge from the shadows as a songwriter of substance. THE AIR THAT YOU BREATHE is a gifted collection threaded by a desire to make sense of some of life’s basics. (It) brims with nuggets casting Lance Cowan as a wily observer and smart investor in words. This album of sumptuous effect will feed the fix of any songwriting junkie.” 

– Three Chords & The Truth UK

 

“(Lance Cowan) spent decades working behind the scenes in Nashville as a high-profile publicist for legends like Guy Clark and Nanci Griffith. He kept his own songwriting completely separate for years, mostly out of pure integrity. He didn’t want anyone thinking he was building a career of the backs of his famous clients.  But lately he’s stepped into the spotlight, releasing a string of incredibly poignant albums that prove he belongs in the conversation.”

– Jason English / The Curious Goldfish podcast

 

“That reminded me of Don Schlitz!”

– Annie  Ney / WSM Mornings  (Nashville)

 

“Lance’s tonality is conversational. It’s as if he talks to you personally & relates the story through song.” 

– John Apice / Americana Highways