Leonard Cohen

Like many people, I came to Leonard Cohen's work by way of cover versions – in my case,
Judy Collins' rendition of "Dress Rehearsal Rag." The lyric is one of Cohen's most searing –
razor in hand, a man faces down "the horror" in his bathroom mirror–but the studied
melodrama of Collins' treatment made the song sound too complete, almost comfortable. I
didn't understand why until I heard Cohen's own version. Collins' recording, in r... More >

Cohen's arrangements are even more detailed and surprising than John Lissauer's, and Jennifer Warnes is the most valuable backup singer since Emmylou Harris. "The Traitor" is a minor masterpiece. And in general this record's take on courtly love in the swingers' era packs more ironic intelligence than you would have thought possible. Or necessary, unfortunately. Cohen's gift for elementary hummables seems to deteriorate as his writing evolves from the conversational toward the allegorical. Irony or no irony, "rages of fragrance" and "rags of remorse" sound suspiciously like bad poetry even when they're sung, and that's not now it's supposed to work. (Grade: B)