Where has Leonard Cohen been for the past nine years? The legendary songwriter’s mostly been in a Zen monastery, it turns out, obsessively rewriting and polishing the oblique, lapidary lyrics for this austere collection. Ten New Songs is arguably Sharon Robinson’s record as much as Cohen’s–she cowrote all the songs, plays most of the instruments (primarily a synth that seems to have freshly emerged from a chintzy 1984 power ballad), and accompanies Cohen’s gloomy croak with her [Read More...]
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Stripped down to its essentials, this album of “Ten New Songs” shows Leonard Cohen at his most austere and brilliant, with work that shines brightly as poems set to simple melodies, but which do not always succeed as music.
Overall, however, there is little not to like here. Although I loved the background vocals of Perla Batella on Cohen’s earlier records, Sharon Robinson does a great job of crooning harmonies with the monotoned artist, and her production of these tunes is nothing short of magnificent. The whole thing has a rich, full, disciplined yet leisurely sound that manages to seem precise and somehow loose at the same time.
Some have criticized the instrumentation and singing on this album, but such carping really is unjustified. After all, no one listens to Bob Dylan or Townes Van Zandt for the quality of their croaking out lyrics or the tunes they play. It is the words that matter, and on “Ten New Songs” Cohen proves that he is easily in their league as a writer. And it is oddly appropriate that these tracks are very different from the almost weird optimism of “Closing Time” and “Democracy” on “The Future” when it was released in 1992. Nine years later and into the 21st century, Cohen appears to be in a more reflective mood. The change is indeed welcome. Especially under the current circumstances, with the nation now at war and in a recession, a bit of thoughtful perspective is not only instructive but a relief as well. As the man says, “May the lights in the land of plenty shine on the truth someday.”
For what it’s worth, I believe that the best tracks on this record are “Alexandra Leaving,” “In My Secret Life,” “That Don’t Make It Junk,” “You Have Loved Enough,” and of course the tune quoted above. “Love Itself” is good, too. On the other hand, “A Thousand Kisses Deep” came across as a retread of “Waiting For A Miracle To Come,” and “Boogie Street” and “By The Rivers Dark” strained for originality as they tried to capture the alternately buoyant and depressed beat in their creator’s apparent heart of darkness.
Those are minor complaints, however. In general, these “Ten New Songs” were worth waiting almost a decade for, and 20 or 30 years from now, when no one can remember Britney Spears or J-Lo, this is the music that people will play as an archive of how they could find contentment and peace even in an autumn of fear. For that reason alone, you should give the new Leonard Cohen album a spin. As long as you do not expect a toe-tapping series of catchy pop tunes, there should be something here that you will enjoy. Yes, maybe it is a little too serious in places, but it also combines a cynical dry, world-weary sense of humor with a soothing tenderness that is all too rare in this strange day and age. Relax, and grok the fullness. …