STEPHEN COCHRAN - Keep On - Label 22

Working with the brave men and women who have served our country as part of the US Military is something that Marine combat veteran Steven Cochran has made a clear mission of his life and the core basis of his music career, using his catalog of songs as a platform toward helping others understand the struggles that our Veteran Community faces.

With a biopic of his incredible life story readied with Hallmark Movies, Cochren has delivered a taste of the film’s soundtrack with his first official release in six years, “Keep On.”

There’s something to be said for the positive effect that the wide array of songs tackling mental health can have on those struggling, but it extends to a whole other level when its coming from the voice of a veteran who has experienced similar up and down battles that come with PTSD and trying to push through the negative noise to rediscover who you are when everything has changed you.

The simple strum of the acoustic guitar wraps into a soft melody to perfectly accent the heartfelt emotions embedded into Cochran’s vocals as he pushes raw honesty into lyrics that play out like a letter of unbridled understanding that’s directly written to the veterans who are in the middle of their battles, while also facing a mirror of truth as he examines his own life.

Lamenting through each the verses that he knows who he was even though its not who he is anymore, while holding tightly to the regret of his unkept promises and confessing that he keeps lying to himself to get through the day to day, he reaches a strong crescendo moment as he kicks up the tempo to strike the chorus with a dynamic shift in his vocal, moving it into painful territory as he cries out:

“I keep lying, but don’t you see

That I’m not the man you thought I was

When I was not supposed to be

Who I am, just understand

Yeah, this is me”

Delivering the hard truth that our veterans have been taken for granted by many, but embracing pure appreciation for those who still truly love him even though they can clearly see that he’s hurting, Cochran poignantly grip’s every facet of the up and down feels within the daily battles of trying to help others understand what you’re dealing with, while simultaneously trying to make sense of it yourself as you “keep on” pushing through.

With plans already in the works for a Veterans Musician Tour alongside the Global War on Terror Wall of Remembrance as part of the Romans Warrior Foundation/ Stop22Tour collaboration, Stephen Cochran is continuing his admirable work with our veterans in many different collaborations with this song becoming the catalyst for his next chapter.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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