Michael Cohen is already so familiar to me, so listening to his new album, “Living in Dadeland” was a pleasure. I loved the melodies and the care he puts into his songwriting here. With 11 tracks in total, this album works well from start to end.
Cohen brings a guitar-led pop-rock sound to a personal story. The songs follow a relationship through happier days, heartbreak, and the difficult work of looking back and finding a way forward. That gives the album a clear thread and it’s full of rich moments. There are good melodies here and the lyrics are honest and give the stories something to say without explaining every detail.
I really enjoyed Cohen’s vocal delivery. He sings in a direct and unshowy way that suits the writing and I found myself drawn to the melodies as the album moved along. The instrumentation is rich and deserves credit, too. The guitars here really support the songs well, giving the record a warm atmosphere without crowding the sound. There is enough variety across the tracklist to keep things moving but the album still sounds like one complete piece.
It’s pleasing to hear an artist put so much into bringing his songs to life. Cohen has so much on his mind and he gives those thoughts room to become songs rather than simply telling us what happened. This album is a rewarding listen from a talented songwriter. I loved spending time with it very much and its melodies and thoughtful writing stayed with me.
