So much of Cohen's music is near-recitation; this swell album is full of SONGS, and good ones. It's nice to hear him actually sing. "In My Secret Life" is my favorite of several faves. I get it up in my head and can't get it out, like a mantra.
Probably my favorite among Cohen's recent albums (although "The Future" comes close) – the darkly seductive "Thousand Kisses Deep"; the life-affirming in the midst of shit beauty of "Here it is"; and the sublime, uncanny transcription of Cavafy's "The God Abandons Antony" in "Alexandra Leaving." Pure Cohen for the core of the soul.
The mantle of poet is too often bestowed on any musician with a flair for the polysyllabic, but in Leonard Cohen's case, it's merely a statement of fact. Before he made his debut on record in 1967, Cohen published several volumes of poetry and a brace of novels, which helps explain the density and rich detail of even his earliest songs. Although he's widened his range in recent years, Cohen's voice has always been a… more »
