REVIEW: Hannah Cohen with mmeadows: Live at Aisle 5 - ATL
- Joe Chiarella
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
The singer's first show in Atlanta reminds fans what makes her music timeless
On the day of Hannah Cohen's first-ever show in Atlanta, I was asked by several people to describe her sound. I struggled with this at first, not because I lacked familiarity with her 2025 release, Earthstar Mountain. Although I'd only discovered the album recently, it was on steady rotation over the last few months. I kept drawing parallels to other artists, but those comparisons simply don't give Cohen enough credit. Instead, I spent the evening at Aisle 5 reflecting on what makes her music so deeply special.
The night opened with mmeadows, a unique duo featuring Kristin Slipp on vocals and keyboards alongside Cole Kamen-Green on trumpet and synth trumpet. Their synth-heavy, danceable grooves were perfectly complemented by Aisle 5's fog machines and atmospheric lighting.
When Hannah Cohen took the stage with her band, it provided a chance to witness the album's layers translated to a live setting. Cohen's nylon-string guitar created a foundation for the set, sounding harp-like at times. This acoustic warmth contrasted beautifully with Núria Graham's electric guitar, which added intricate layers above the rhythm section. Every member of the band is a standout musician, yet they played with a cool subtlety that served the songs in perfect balance.
The lights mounted to Aisle 5's low ceilings can be blinding, so at Cohen's request, they were turned down, resulting in a moody backlit performance for most of the evening. The swirling fog and vivid lighting evoked the mesmerizing aesthetic of a lava lamp, with the performers' silhouettes framed in the foreground. It wasn't what I pictured when I listened to the album at home, but here it fit perfectly, creating an almost ethereal, headphone-like experience in a live setting. Cohen asked, "Can I get some disco lights?" for the finale, and Aisle 5 delivered by mobilizing their disco ball in a display that lit up the entire room. This wasn't disco, yet it suited the moment flawlessly.
She performed a cover of "Me and My Shadow," but her own compositions sound so comfortable and familiar that they feel like classics. Cohen played a couple of new songs, to the excitement of fans who have been waiting a year for new music. Throughout the night, it became clearer to me what makes Hannah Cohen special. Her music is fresh and original, yet also timeless. Her songs could have been released in the 1960s, yet they are uniquely modern. So, the next time someone asks me to describe Hannah Cohen's music, I will finally have my answer: she sounds like the past, present, and future.
Article and photos by Joe Chiarella. Please credit @joe.takes.pictures or @art.seen.atl if reposting on social media.
