Review: “Roadkill” by Jordan Cohan
During my time as a student at SUNY Fredonia, I’ve met and gotten to know a lot of amazing and talented artists, but few have captured my attention quite like Jordan Cohan. He always delivers when it comes to new singles, and his latest, “Roadkill,” is no exception.
Cohan’s past releases are acoustic songs that have been therapeutic for me when I need to relax. “Hello December,” “It Wouldn’t Be So Hard,” and “It’s Me, It’s You” are great examples. “Roadkill” is something completely different. This time around, in addition to his trusty acoustic guitar, Cohan uses electric guitars, an organ, bass, and drums (played by Max Gucinski and Lucas Rinaldi) to create a rock ‘n’ roll song that could be played by a full band.
When I asked Jordan what “Roadkill” was about, he had this to say: “It was originally inspired by a quote a friend of mine posted with a selfie: ‘Looking like a deer in headlights.’” I saw it and knew there was a song there. And from there, everything else was just drawing on personal experiences and using a bit of my imagination to put myself in the shoes of someone being blindsided in a romantic/sexual way.”
As someone who’s been in plenty of situations like this, I can relate all too well. I’ll be out on the town with some friends, and an attractive girl catches my eye. I approach her, we start talking, I buy her a drink or two, and just when I think it’s going somewhere… boom, she’s gone. So I get the feeling in lines like, “This ain’t the first time I’ve been down this line. I know how it ends, but I’m still taking a chance. So I ask for your name, I ask for a dance, I just need a little bit of romance” and “This ain’t the first time you left me alone with a bottle of wine. Drunk text, hope for the best, and reach for another glass.”
As for the music, what really jumped out at me was the use of a slide guitar and the lead tones. The latter give this song somewhat of a ’50s rock vibe. Gucinski and Rinaldi are both talented guitarists who make the riffs in this song great.
My overall verdict: 10/10, would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good rock ‘n’ roll song.
