Lance Cowan – The Air That You Breathe
(Patio / Lantzapalooza Muzik – 2026)
JIM CALIGIURI
AUG 10, 2026
I was enthralled with the new album by Lance Cowan, The Air That You Breathe. I’ve known Lance for more than 30 years. I would travel to Nashville in the early 90s and hang out with the folks at Vector Management. I became friends with Lance, who was the publicist there, as well as John Porter and Lyndsey McDonald (RIP), as we were all on the same page with our love of music that straddled the edges of country. Cowan has continued to work in publicity on his own over the years. I remember his work with Joe Ely and the Flatlanders. 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.
Renowned music writer Bill Bentley calls The Air That You Breathe the ‘best album 2026’! I don’t hear enough new music to get on that train, but I’ll say 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.
The cast of players and his song co-writers are equally impressive. Nashville sounds provided by Sam Bush, Dan Dugmore, Pat McGrath, and Phil Madera. Our pal Jimmie Dale Gilmore adds vocals on the Old West tale “William Cooper Smith.” Folk royalty David Mallett and Janis Ian get co-writes.
But Cowan is the star of the show. His songs, like the title track and “Where’d They Go,” can get under your skin in a good way, his voice presenting a subdued passion that is hard to resist.
Retired & living in Austin, Texas, Jim's writing appeared in the Austin Chronicle, No Depression, Tower Pulse, Houston Press, Paste, Texas Music, Newsday, CMJ New Music Report, and Amazon.com. Also active in non-commercial radio from 1972 until 2002.