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Leonard Cohen - Dear Heather Audio CD

A fair review of the Leonard Cohen "Dear Heather" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Leonard Cohen reviews here, or go back to the Leonard Cohen tabs.

Leonard Cohen Band: Leonard Cohen
Title: Dear Heather
Rating:
Release Date: 2004-10-26
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Go No More A-Roving 2: Because Of 3: The Letters 4: Undertow 5: Morning Glory 6: On That Day 7: Villanelle For Our Time 8: There For You 9: Dear Heather 10: Nightingale 11: To A Teacher 12: The Faith 13: Tennessee Waltz- Live

Beguiling album, one that grows on you over time...
I find myself breaking it out a lot more than some of his other, better known works. Many have written that this album is minor Leonard Cohen, but the more I listen to it, the more it grows in depth, sadness, poetry, and beauty.

There are many pleasures in this thirteen song set. The songs are much shorter than the previous albums, but it works well here. The opener, Go No More A-Roving, is a wonderful way to start off the album. Cohen puts a Lord Bryon poem to music! Then it just gets better. The beauty of the song "Because Of" is quite beguiling and tender. I love the song Villanelle For Out Time. It started out a capella, but goes into a beautiful arrangement. Nightingale is adorable, with a beautiful musical arrangement with a Jew's harp (and wonderfully sad, moving lyrics), and the song The Faith (based on a Quebec folk song) is deeply moving and majestic. The extra live track, an arrangement of Tennessee Waltz, is enthusiastically performed. This isn't the first time Cohen has covered a standard. His version of Irving Berlin's Always off The Future is wonderful, too.

All Cohen fans should pick this one up, but don't expect to be blown away by it. It will grow on you very gradually, but you'll adore it. .


Dear Heather
Cohen was 70 at the time and his vocal skills have certainly not suffered. Dear Heather being Cohens 2004 recording is a splendid record. He sings with the same strength and vigor as he did in days of yore. The lyrics are as good as ever. The book-let is a really strange one. There are numerous drawings that make no sense whatsoever but I guess I am not that smart that I can figure out what they mean. Sharon Robinson and Cohen have once again collaborated on some of the songs, The Letters, There for you and Go No More A-roving. Cohen is definitely not on a decline as many other reviewers have written. Cohen is as good as he ever was!
.


Ah- the old days...
He CAN still sing as he showed in London- but doesn't even try in this album. From a tragic LC fan- just saw LC live in London and he was awesome- brought the wisdom and power of age to the old and even older lyrics! But this album lacks any sort of spark at all and is inconsistent in style.
But then to expect continued creativity at 70+ is maybe too much!
Reading poetry in an album just pisses me off. And actually, that was the one moment when he didn't get rapturous applause at the gig- when he recited poetry for a few minutes.
Still I'll get it out now and then probably. . . it's not awful, not kinda average. His worst I think.


Intriguing, But Certainly Not Classic
Until now, however, any excursion into Cohen's shadowy world has always been worth the ride. Leonard Cohen's dense, sometimes morbid work can be an acquired taste, whether you're reading his two novels, perusing his several books of poetry, or listening to his albums of mournful, hyper-literate songs. Cohen is too meticulous a craftsman ever to release a truly mediocre album, but "Dear Heather" suffers from a distinct absence of heft. Although they are undeniably well-made, the songs and poems presented here seem to lack importance; none force you, as listener, to live more vividly in the world; none enrich your experience, in the way that early songs such as "Suzanne" and "Famous Blue Raincoat" did. Which is not to say that this album is bad, by any means. But I have been a Cohen fan for nearly thirty years, and this is the only Leonard Cohen record that I have ever found to be--quite frankly--somewhat forgetable. Neophytes would do better to begin with The Songs of Leonard Cohen, or with his bizzare-but-magnificent second novel, Beautiful Losers.


The Slow Demise of the Ladies' Man
Cohen's voice, which has never been strong, seems to have faded to raspy whisper. It took me quite a few listens to warm up to this CD. The backup singers take on a much larger role than any other CD and seem to be required to carry the melody on some songs, while others are spoken word poems. The CD is filled the typical Cohen somberness, but this time delivered with a lack energy. The addition of the live version of "The Tennessee Waltz" with its steel guitars seems out of place compared to the subdued tone of the rest of the album. Highlights of the CD include "Go No More A-Roving," "Because Of," "The Letters," and "Villanelle For Our Time. " All-in-all, a mildly disappointing effort from this cultural icon.

Those new to Cohen are better off starting with one of his first four albums-- the "Songs" trilogy and "New Skin for the Old Ceremony. ".


You can see a complete list of all Leonard Cohen discography, or go back to the Leonard Cohen tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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