He has since performed on other artists' recordings, including Del Amitri, Texas, the Hot Rod Cadets,[2] the Kevin McDermott Orchestra, and Alisdair Robertson. His collaboration with Robertson resulted in the album Confessions of a Justified Singer. He plays piano, keyboards, accordion, and melodica. In the 1990s, Cowan was a member and co-producer of Paul Quinn and the Independent Group on the revived Postcard Records.
In 2007, Cowan played in Kevin McDermott's album, Wise to the Fade.[3]