Adam Cohen - 'Bird On A Wire' on CD "Songs For My Father"

[sturgess66]

Adam Cohen is one of the artists on a CD entitled "A Song For My Father" Adam sings "Bird On A Wire."
It is being sold at Target stores (also available through Amazon) and was released on June 1, 2010, in time for Father's Day.

http://rockmusic.suite101.com/article.c ... ilation-cd

A Song For My Father Compilation CD



Jun 3, 2010 Michael Doherty
This compilation contains 14 famous songs, done by the children of the men who made them famous. It includes versions of "Evil Ways" and "Run To Me."

This is the perfect Father's Day album. It is a compilation of songs done by the children of the artists who made the songs famous.
"Evil Ways"

The album opens with "Evil Ways," as done by Salvador Santana, son of Carlos Santana. He starts off by saying, "Here we go," and indeed it's a great way to start this compilation. This is a fun, rocking version of the song. In addition to lead vocals, Salvador Santana does some amazing work on the keyboards. "Evil Ways" was written by Clarence Henry.
"Lover's Cross"

"Lover's Cross" is a really nice song written by Jim Croce, and an interesting choice for A.J. Croce (Jim Croce's son). Obviously there are other Jim Croce songs that are much more well known than this one (songs like "Time In A Bottle" and "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown"). But this is an excellent song, and A.J. does a great job with it, singing, "'Cause tables are meant for turning'/And people are bound to change/And bridges are meant for burnin'/When the people and memories they join aren't the same." The original version is included on Jim Croce's 1973 record "I Got A Name."
"Cat's In The Cradle"

"Cat's In The Cradle" is so beautiful and so sad. And there's something perfect in Jen Chapin's voice. it doesn't seem like she has much of a range, but it doesn't matter because the character of her voice is wonderful. This is an excellent version of this song.

This song stands out in this collection as the one song that is actually about a father-child relationship. The lyrics start, "My child arrived just the other day/Came to the world in the usual way/But there were planes to catch and bills to pay/He learned to walk while I was away." The original version was included on Harry Chapin's 1974 record, "Verities & Balderdash."

"Up On The Roof"

Louise Goffin certainly had a lot of songs to choose from. Her parents, Gerry Goffin and Carole King wrote a ridiculous amount of hits. "Up On The Roof" is a fun tune, originally recorded by The Drifters in 1962. Louise Goffin adds another dimension to the song, by adding something wistful in the tone. The song feels more personal than ever before.
James Taylor

"Bartender's Blues" is one of many sad and wonderful songs that James Taylor wrote. His son, Ben Taylor, has a great voice, as he sings, "But I need four walls around me to hold my life/To keep me from going a-stray/And a honky-tonk angel to hold me tight/To keep me from slipping away." Chris Thomas adds a nice touch on stand-up bass in this version.
Leonard Cohen

Adam Cohen does an interesting and beautiful rendition of one of his father's best and most famous songs, "Bird On A Wire." (Actually, the song is titled "Bird On The Wire," but on this compilation it's listed as "Bird On A Wire.")

The drums and piano give this version a different feel from Leonard Cohen's version. Also, Adam does some different things vocally. The lyrics to this song (like the lyrics to almost all of Leonard Cohen's work) are wonderful: "Like a bird on the wire/Like a drunk in a midnight choir/I have tried in my way to be free." The original version was included on Leonard Cohen's album "Songs From A Room."

The Beach Boys
"Warmth Of The Sun" is one of the prettiest Beach Boys songs. And here it's made even more beautiful by the soft feminine voices of Carnie and Wendy Wilson, daughters of Brian Wilson.

The original version was included on The Beach Boys' 1964 album "Shut Down Volume 2."
The Mamas & The Papas

The Mamas & The Papas were always about the great vocals. And here Chynna Phillips (daughter of John Phillips) holds her own on the excellent song "Got A Feeling." She definitely adds her own flair. It's a really beautiful version of the song.

The original version by was the flip side to The Mamas & The Papas' 1966 hit single "Monday, Monday."
"Run To Me" by The Bee Gees

"Run To Me" is one of The Bee Gees' best songs - a tough one to tackle. How is one to bring something new to this song without ruining it? Well, Spencer Gibb & 54 Seconds succeed admirably. What an incredible version. It's just perfect. "Run To Me" was written by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb and Robin Gibb, and includes these lyrics: "Run to me whenever you're lonely/Run to me if you need a shoulder/Now and then you need someone older/So darling, you run to me." Spencer Gibb is Robin Gibb's son.
"Coming In To Los Angeles"

"Coming In To Los Angeles" is one of Arlo Guthrie's most famous songs. This version by his daughter Sarah Lee Guthrie is incredible. It's mellow, beautiful. It benefits from some moody guitar work and some cool bass, plus the violin and the banjo. This is a slower version, and the slower pace works perfectly.
CD Track List

1. Evil Ways - Salvador Santana
2. Travelin' Man - Matthew & Gunnar Nelson
3. Lover's Cross - A.J. Croce
4. Cat's In The Cradle - Jen Chapin
5. Midnight Rider - Devon Allman's Honeytribe
6. Up On The Roof - Louise Goffin
7. Bartender's Blues - Ben Taylor
8. Soul Shake Down Party - Ky-mani Marley
9. Bird On A Wire - Adam Cohen
10. Yellow Moon - Ivan Neville
11. Warmth Of The Sun - Carnie & Wendy Wilson
12. Got A Feeling - Chynna Phillips
13. Run To Me - Spencer Gibb & 54 Seconds
14. Coming In To Los Angeles - Sarah Lee Guthrie

The liner notes include the lyrics as well as photos of the performers. There are also a few photos of the original performers with their children, including a photo of Harry and Jen Chapin. "A Song For My Father" was released in 2007. It was re-released on June 1, 2010, with a different cover, just in time for Father's Day.

Read more at Suite101: A Song For My Father Compilation CD http://rockmusic.suite101.com/article.c ... z0qXXRbpeb

Adam's MySpace -
http://www.myspace.com/adamcohenband

And I put his MySpace link here because you can listen to some of his music there - like from his 2009 album "Like A Man" - ("What Other Guy" "Like A Man" "Out of Bed" "Sweet Dominique" - nice. )

[sturgess66]

From NYDailyNews -

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainmen ... fathe.html

Kids of Carlos Santana, Bob Marley sing their dads' praises in 'A Song for My Father' compilation

BY Jim Farber
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sunday, June 20th 2010, 4:00 AM

It's the ultimate double-edged sword. Children of famous musicians have privilege, riches and connections at their disposal. But they're also doomed to wander forever in their parents' long shadows.

Sons and daughters of music-biz royalty - from Bob Dylan's kid Jakob to John Lennon's offspring Julian - have often held forth on the problems of being seen as little more than sonic knockoffs.

"It took a long time, and it was painful psychologically, for me to accept certain facets of not being accepted for my own identity," admits A.J. Croce, son of '70s smash singer-songwriter Jim Croce.

That didn't stop the younger Croce from taking part in a new project that strikes a truce in this age-old conflict, just in time for Father's Day. This week a compilation arrives called "A Song for My Father," in which - you guessed it - the musically favored children of famed song men sing pieces penned by their dads.

The 14-track CD features everyone from Salvador Santana (son of Carlos), who performs the 1969 hit "Evil Ways," to Louise Goffin (daughter of Gerry Goffin and Carole King), who sings their early-'60s touchstone "Up on the Roof." The disk also boasts performances from the children of James Taylor and Carly Simon, Bob Marley, Brian Wilson, Ricky Nelson and more.

While most of the "kids" chose to recorded a very well-known song, A.J. Croce made a statement by choosing something more obscure - "Lover's Cross." His choice serves as a metaphor for something all these offspring desire: the chance to be seen beyond the surface. To help him achieve that, Croce long ago elected to make his main instrument the piano, the better to differentiate him from his dad's prime vehicle, the guitar.

Croce's issue was complicated in some ways - and perhaps eased in others - by the fact that he has no conscious memory of his father, who died at 30 in a small-plane crash in 1973, when A.J. was just 2. He says he "got to know" his dad mainly through his music. Ten years ago, when the family was putting together a compilation of Jim Croce's work, A.J. went through hundreds of hours of demos. "You can hear him talking on the tapes to his friends and to the other musicians," he explains. "I learned about him through those tapes."

The process helped A.J. feel close to his dad as he recognized their similar influences. For the new disk, he even felt comfortable enough with his father's legacy to play the song on the elder Croce's chosen instrument.

Other offspring of the musically famous have reported similar struggles with their lineage. For years, Jakob Dylan refused to say a word about his ubiquitous father in interviews, and would cancel gigs if the promoters tried to make any reference to his dad. On the other side, Rufus Wainwright has talked about the jealousy his dad (Loudon Wainwright) experienced over his son's newfound success, which threatened to eclipse his own.

Rosanne Cash, a musical heiress who doesn't appear on the album, thinks she might never have escaped her dad Johnny's huge shadow had she been born a boy. "This way, there was just no way to compare our voices," she explains.

Other offspring claim the problem hasn't affected them at all. Adam Cohen, son of the legendary Leonard Cohen, performs his dad's "Bird on the Wire" on the CD and says his own work has benefited greatly from his having such a presence in his life. "No one can pay enough money to have Leonard Cohen stand over your shoulder and say, 'This is good work, this is not good work,' " he says. "I am the beneficiary of his taste and wisdom and experience."

In fact, Cohen says, other star spawn have tried to enlist him in their complaints - to no avail. "I've been present at commiserations between the 'Sons-of Club,' " he says. "And I've managed to refrain from commenting. I pride myself on that. It must be frustrating for them. They're always waiting for the sob story from the Cohen kid."

While A.J. Croce may report a greater struggle to avoid the inevitable comparisons, he says he has come to weigh his view in the direction of the positive. "[While] it's hard to find relationships where this isn't taken into consideration, it is a part of my life," he says. "And I've had one or two opportunities because of it. In the end, I think it's better to look at the good things."

Especially on Father's Day.