I began listening to Leonard Cohen in late May. He's one of my favorite artists and probably the only artist whom I enjoy most in his later years.
Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967): A-
Songs from a Room (1969): B-
Songs of Love and Hate (1971): A-
Live Songs (1973): B-
New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974): B+
Death of a Ladies' Man (1977): C+
Recent Songs (1979): B
Various Positions (1984): B+
I'm Your Man (1988): A-
The Future (1992): B+
Ten New Songs (2001): A
Dear Heather (2004): C+
Live in London (2009): B+
Old Ideas (2012): B
Popular Problems (2014): A-
You Want It Darker (2016): B+
Thanks for the Dance (2019): B-
Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967):
Having already been a professional poet for ten years, Cohen has no problem writing ten lyrical masterpieces--the least of which is better than anything Pete Townshend has ever put to paper. Cohen, unlike Dylan, is very meticulous in his words, with "Suzanne" and "Master Song"--perhaps the two best lyrics--being carefully constructed with precise imagery. Although he's essentially perfected his writing and well on his way to becoming one of my favorite lyricists, he can still make improvements on the music side of things, which is why I'm fairly certain this won't be his best. A-
Songs from a Room (1969):
Cohen's lyrics are still remarkable--all the poems are impressive and thoughtful--but other than "Bird on a Wire" and "Story of Isaac," nothing knocks my socks off. The melodies are also a step down compared to his debut though they do improve with listening. Because Cohen was upset with the production on his debut, the production here seems to be a response to that but he's gone to far to the other extreme. Probably all of the vocal performances could have improved, the Jews Harp ruins any song it touches, and Bob Johnston's string arrangements are poorly executed. B-
Songs of Love and Hate (1971):
A depressed and dejected masterpiece. Where he was still holding back a little vocally on his debut and his sophomore record didn't have much of a punch musically, his third record shows a full blossoming of Cohen's performance of his lyrics. His voice is gruff and deep and the string arrangements, now taken care of by Paul Buckmaster instead of Johnston, add both beauty and menace to Cohen's poetic and twisted lyrics, which officially put him in the top tier of songwriters. Some of his debut still hits me harder but there's no doubt Cohen has brought forth a more consistent batch of songs this time. A-
Live Songs (1973):
As you might expect, I don't see much use for this but since Songs from a Room was always too stark, most of those songs see improvement here. B-
New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974):
While still having the depressive flair of Songs of Love and Hate, Cohen fleshes out his arrangements more and minimizes the range he has to take on vocally. Though the melodies sometimes aren't as strong as I'd want, Cohen's expansion of sound usually serves wonders for him--it's certainly his most impressive album from a musical perspective--and offer an enticing album that draws you in but only after you reluctantly pick it. B+
Death of a Ladies' Man (1977):
Like the song Spector did with John Prine, Cohen's collaboration with the famed producer turns a natural wordsmith into an uncharacteristically straightforward songwriter. Besides the title track, Cohen barely gets twenty word into a verse before breaking into some over-the-top chorus with female singers galore. For an occasional laugh (and I mean, a really hard laugh), it works: the opener, "Paper Thin Hotel," "Iodine," and "Fingerprints" (okay, maybe the album isn’t so bad)--are all so disorienting, strange, and bad that many hardcore Cohen fans will lose their minds but I love 'em. Elsewhere, this match made in heaven, which pairs horny lyrics with aggravating production, varies between almost funny to downright unlistenable. C+
Recent Songs (1979):
With a similarly inviting atmosphere--created by thoughtful production and warm female backing vocals--to New Skin, Cohen's Recent Songs represent a return to form both lyrically and musically. But a slow pace and ten songs at an average of five minutes long, it could be easier to swallow. B
Various Positions (1984):
Look, I take Mr. Cohen as seriously as the next guy but at least half of my favorite Cohen songs make me fall down laughing and this album may be his funniest (and most consumable) batch yet. Adding synthesizers to the mix, Cohen's ever deeper voice sounds particularly at odds with the production--similar to Death of a Ladies' Man but not so ridiculous it's completely unlistenable--giving the album a special giggly quality reminiscent of one of my favorite Dylan songs "Brownsville Girl." Other than "Night Comes On," I love every second of side one and side two kicks off very nicely with "Hallelujah," one of the greatest songs ever written although I hate that it’s the default cover for any mopey and horny teen at an open mic. B+
I'm Your Man (1988):
I've made it no secret that I usually enjoy the bizarre production choices of Mr. Cohen but at first the production here seemed too strange to be enjoyable or funny. But Cohen's strongest melodies have changed my mind and now I think this is close to his best album yet. Other than "Everybody Knows," Cohen's rich poetry is never of the depressive and pessimistic nature that makes Songs of Love and Hate so difficult to pick up. Instead, we get fun songs like "Take this Waltz," "First We Take Manhattan," and, oh yeah, "Tower of Song." There’s even a very special pedal steel guitar solo by Sneaky Pete Kleinow on "I Can’t Forget." A-
The Future (1992):
Continuing in the growing musical sophistication of I'm Your Man, this is Cohen's most literate album musically--guitar licks galore on the title track, slide guitar on "Always," and even a six-minute instrumental to close the album. Though it documents the first time Cohen's deep voice has ever sounded sinister--"give me Stalin" indeed--he's still the old rascal we've long known: "I don't give a damn about the truth baby, except for... the naked truth." B+
Ten New Songs (2001):
Cohen has always had the knack for hiring outstanding female vocalists--Jennifer Warnes was integral to his records for years--but Sharon Robinson outdoes them all by co-writing, producing, and singing on every track. Every single song is as thoughtfully constructed musically as it is lyrically and Cohen's most recent collection of lyrics is not without a few for the ages--"In My Secret Life," "Love Itself," "By the Rivers Dark," and a modern American anthem "Land of Plenty." And it's official, I prefer Mr. Cohen in his old age. A
Dear Heather (2004):
Along with Songs from a Room, this is Cohen's starkest album and though I like his voice quite a bit, thin music usually means a lot of spoken word. Cohen also hasn't been the greatest melody writer historically so letting Robinson write all the music on Ten New Songs was probably one of the most brilliant moves in his career. Now, he's back to writing most of the music and although that turned out fine on Various Positions, I'm Your Man, and The Future, the melodies are either pretty bland or nonexistent. Even with the album including three outtakes from his previous LP, only "Nightingale" is worthwhile. C+
Live in London (2009):
After most of his fortune was stolen by his manager, Cohen set out on this somewhat necessary tour in 2008. Despite the circumstances, Cohen's charm, wit, and humor--say, did he just introduce the Webb Sisters for a fourth time?--are on full display throughout this two and a half hour performance. Preferring the elder Cohen, I enjoy nearly all of his early songs as much here as their original counterparts and his more recent songs are as solid as anyone could hope. B+
Old Ideas (2012):
Like Dear Heather, this is a bit too slow and a bit too much spoken-word for my taste--not to mention his voice is quite shot. But Cohen's gravely genius is impossible to miss and I came around to Rough and Rowdy Ways, didn't I? Well, I'm still not fully into this project. Despite great lyrics like "Amen," "Darkness," "Come Healing," and "Different Sides," there's not a lot of musical satisfaction on the record outside of "Come Healing" and "Banjo," the latter of which has one hell of a slide performance. Maybe if there was a presidential epic to close the album, it'd all make a bit more sense. B
Popular Problems (2014):
Popular Problems got positive reviews upon release just like most of his albums but its reception was comparably muted and there was complaints galore about the production, particularly the "bouncy country" sound on "Did I Ever Love You." What? Complaints about production? We're talking about Leonard Cohen, right? When has proper production ever been a dealbreaker for Leonard Cohen’s studio recordings? What about the production on Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs from a Room, Songs of Love and Hate, New Skin for the Old Ceremony, Death of a Ladies' Man, and Recent Songs? I could go on. Mr. Cohen has hardly released an album with "good" production--that's part of his unceasing charm. Production on a Leonard Cohen album should be weird, out of step with the times, and make you smirk. I, for one, think "Did I Ever Love You" is great, very funny, and very charming. Same for "Almost like the Blues," "My Oh My," and the damn good opener "Slow." Once again, Cohen continues to solidify his reputation as having one of the greatest late careers of any artist. A-
You Want It Darker (2016):
One of the reasons Songs of Love and Hate has somewhat fallen out of my favor (though it's still undoubtedly one of his top five albums) is because it's so dark and difficult to pick up. With the opening track packing a similar darkness, I was worried I would soon feel the same way about this record. But now it's safe to say I love everything about the title track and it's probably the greatest send-off track the world has ever seen. However, considering all the praise this album gets, the rest of the album's lyrics fall a little short and the music isn't as melodic as I would like. And where most of Cohen's later albums have made up for such shortcomings by packing a nice bit of humor--even if that humor was unintentional--the lyrical focus and the scary production by Cohen’s son mostly keeps his humor at bay. B+
Thanks for the Dance (2019):
With Cohen's condition worsening during the You Want It Darker sessions, he and his son recorded vocals for a few leftover lyrics with the understanding that instrumentation would have to be added after Cohen has passed. Unfortunately, this process is very apparent in the final product. The album has very in little melody and, despite the minimal instrumentation and a bold voice in the front, the lyrics probably would have been more engrossing without accompaniment. If not for "The Night of Santiago" and the return of Jennifer Warnes on the title track, this and Dear Heather would be the only two Cohen albums from the 21st century without a song worth returning to. B-
