When an album has such a high-quality, diverse set of influences (Dusty Springfield, Gal Costa, Minnie Riperton, Ennio Morricone, Neil Young and Sly & The Family Stone) and an individual way of realising them, it would require a complex mathematical formula to explain what has happened. It would not be fair to say that Hannah Cohen’s fourth album, ‘Earthstar Mountain’, is greater than the sum of its parts because those components are special. While there are moments where those influences are discernible, they never become carbon copies. Additionally, as the standard bearers are so disparate, the songs are far from uniform. However, what does weld them together is a sense of atmosphere. As the album is a tribute to Cohen’s time living in the Catskills and hiking through the woods with her rescue dog, it is magically informed by the outdoors, the changes in colours and season. It also reflects its home, Flying Cloud Productions, the mid-70s home and barn for Cohen and her partner Sam Owens (who records as Sam Evian) which they converted into a recording studio. The result coalesces with my own surroundings listening to ‘Earthstar Mountain’ with the sun streaming through the kitchen window and creating a sense of well-being.
Instantly casting its spell, the album begins with its finest four minutes, ‘Dusty’. In spite of its title, the style is more reminiscent of Riperton in the way its flutes and strings gently ripple and twirl bringing to mind her sublime ‘Come To My Garden’ album. Cohen’s voice, though, is devoid of her gymnastics with no ridiculously high notes and also does not have the command of Springfield’s voice. Instead, it is an attractive, dreamy instrument with a hint of vulnerability. There is a pleasing bossa nova lilt to her nylon guitar while the song grapples with the challenges of change from its opening gambit, “it’s not supposed to be this hard.”
While ‘Draggin’ also begins with a few seconds of lo-fi percussion, it is unlike its predecessor in most other ways. It is not dissimilar to Evian’s most recent album, ‘Plunge’, which had echoes of a more rootsy take on 1970s Paul McCartney. With its insistent “such a drag” chorus, it takes on the absurdities of family relationships with good cheer.
In effect, the album has two part title tracks, with the second word coming first. ‘Mountain’ has a 70s AOR vibe to it, there being moments where it feels poised to burst into the chorus from Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’. Cohen’s harmonies blend with Sufjan Steven’s backing vocals, capturing the grief caused by a close friend’s sudden death and their permanent place in her memories (“a love like that won’t ever end.”) Given a bubbling quality by the Dx7, mirroring the waves in the lyrics (undercurrents rather than crashing beasts), ‘Earthstar’ has an exquisite string arrangement and ponders the difficulties of ever fully knowing even those you love the most (“I think I know you well at least I think I do / a perfect stranger there sleeping in my bedroom.”)
A quiet gem, ‘Rag’ starts with Cohen’s guitar strum, weight being added by Evian’s piano and Matt Bauder’s flute entwined. It uses a discarded item and observations on the neighbours to produce reflections on the passing of time. Serving as a wonderful 105 second intermission, ‘Una Spiaggia’ is their version of Morricone’s piece for the film ‘Vergogna Schifosi’. Its only words are ‘ooo’ and Cohen is joined by Clairo on phonetic harmonies and clarinets, Steven’s on piano, recorders and samples for a light and airy tune.
Appropriately, ‘Summer Sweat’ has a steamy quality. There is a laidback funk intensity to its groove and Cohen’s voice performs acrobatics as she recalls, “how the chair stuck to the backs of your legs and neck.” With a sensuality that has echoes of Donna Summer’s ‘Love To Love You Baby’, it is another high watermark of ‘Earthstar Mountain’. ‘Shoe’ exemplifies the excellent way in which tension is built. Starting with an introverted intensity as Cohen describes a character for whom neither small town gossip nor the city fits, the introduction of fuzz guitar and strings masterfully ramps up the drama.
Starting as a piano ballad, ‘Baby You’re Lying’ has Cohen pausing to mirror the delays and tell-tale signs of a lover’s deceit before the sound expands to include bass, drums and flugelhorn. Rounding off with ‘Dog Years ‘which starts as a bossa nova saunter before being carried away on gorgeous strings and a particularly expressive vocal performance, ‘Earthstar Mountain’ has been quite a journey. While it has sampled several styles, it has a unifying coherence and sense of time and place. All told, an A star experience.
Hannah Cohen: Earthstar Mountain – Out 28 March 2025 (Bella Union)
I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
