27 Nov Ed Cosens releases ‘The River’, the second single from his long-overdue debut solo album
Ed Cosens releases ‘The River’, the second single from his long-overdue debut solo album Fortunes Favour.
A long-time lynchpin of the Sheffield music scene, best known as the guitarist and co-songwriter in Reverend & The Makers, Ed waited to make his solo debut until the time felt right. Only when his storytelling songs naturally found their own sound did he finally step from the shadows. “It’s only taken 10 years or so for me to find the confidence!” says the self-depreciating singer, who shared stages with Arctic Monkeys members Matt Helders and Alex Turner before the Makers took off.
New single ‘The River’ follows the album’s lead single ‘If’ – three mesmerising minutes of tremolo-rich, strings-soaked melody that was described by the Sunday Times Culture as a “forlorn, jingle-jangle beauty, equal parts early Beatles and Richard Hawley.” Whilst ‘If’ was a love-lorn tale of the struggle between love’s true path and the path which you think you’re destined to follow ‘The River poses the question if this is the answer, do I want to know the question you’re asking?
“Sometimes it’s hard to see a situation for what it is when your mind and vision are clouded by love and the hurt love can cause” says Ed about ‘The River’. “Sometimes you simply need to allow your actions to speak louder than words and that if you wait long enough, you’ll find the right answer to the right question and you’ll find what you’re looking for.”
Both ‘If’ and ‘The River’ are tantalising glimpses of the established guitarist and first-time frontman’s majestic debut. Fortunes Favour casts a spell from the moment it opens; ten, timeless, strings-soaked songs are invitations to eavesdrop on life’s crossroads moments and the powerful emotions they evoke. Intimacy anchors expansive songs. Details are seductively spilled.
Both delving back decades through classic pop’s vaults and firmly fixed in the present, Fortunes Favour features languid guitars, brooding atmospherics and swooning strings. Ed’s sumptuous, soul-bearing vocals bewitch. His lyrics delve deep to capture complex emotions devoid of cliche.
Fortunes Favour took flight after Ed abandoned attempts to decide on a sound and instead let the songs lead the way. “After several attempts, it became the song that sent me in the right direction. With a lot of albums, it takes just one song to kick things off and If was that moment for me. It set out the stall for who I wanted to be as an artist with its strong sense of emotion and the journey that runs through it.”
