Often when buying something like an album or a book, it’s not unusual to think to yourself, I hope I enjoy this, because if I don’t I will have wasted my money. However, as I looked into the eyes of Leonard Cohen on the front cover of his first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, I knew without any doubt that if I bought it I would enjoy it. I have no idea why this was – I was not familiar with Leonard Cohen’s music at all, the only song of his I knew being the frequently-covered ‘Hallelujah’. I did know that he had recently passed away, and that I had been sad to hear of his death, again despite not knowing a thing about the man or his music. And yet here I was, buying his album, certain that I would enjoy it. Happily, I did.
Since then I
have learned that Leonard Cohen was already established as a poet and author
before embarking on his musical career; his poetic skill carried over into his
lyrics, which are filled with rich imagery and deft turns of phrase. His voice
is intense and deep and rarely rises above a whisper, forcing you to ignore whatever
else you are doing to devote all of your attention to the songs (this probably
isn’t the best album to listen to while driving). The instrumentation on the
album is also fantastic, and credit must go to producer John Simon for
garnishing Cohen’s vocals and superb acoustic guitar playing with minimalist
snatches of unusual instruments that perfectly compliment both the singer and
the songs.
Despite all
of that, it’s the songs that really make the album. The standard is
consistently high, but my favourites would have to be ‘So Long, Marianne’, with
its happy female backing vocals during the chorus; the austere ‘Master’s Song’;
and the lilting, lullaby-like ‘Sisters of Mercy’, which has a lovely melody of
the kind you might find yourself humming absent-mindedly days later.
I don’t know
what compelled me to pick up this album, but I am really glad I did; it’s
hypnotically beautiful. I am glad to have made Leonard Cohen’s acquaintance and
look forward to getting to know him more.
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