MUSIC REVIEW: LEONARD COHEN - 'OLD IDEAS'

The Legendary Voice Returns with Familiar Concepts on a Genuine Classic

By: Andrew Shaw

January 30, 2012

(Columbia Records) This week sees the release of Leonard Cohen's album, Old Ideas. In a fifty-year career, the man who began life as an award-winning poet and novelist has now released 12 studio albums, a handful of live albums, a couple of live performance movies, and has inspired a number of tribute albums. He has won accolades across every mode of artistic expression, from the Canadian Governor’s Award for Literary Recognition to a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Where other artists dabble with spirituality and what-not, Leonard Cohen removed himself from the marketplace and spent ten years in a Zen monastery. In short, when Cohen puts his mind to an endeavor, he knows how deeply to invest, and he knows exaclty when to withdraw.

Few artists reach the acclaim that Cohen continues to sustain. There are many cult artists and those who win global standing, but Leonard Cohen – and his works – contain a certain kind of spirituality that elevates him to universal significance. Yes, he references dogma, he has paraphrased or directly quoted scripture from all world religions, but his main themes are of the spirit itself, unfettered by religion yet bound by flesh, desire, isolation, love, and loss. In short, for many, Cohen is the prime example of expressive spirit made flesh. It's no overstatement that, for millions of writers and singers, from bed-sit to stadium arena, Leonard Cohen is indeed the one true oracle.

The title Old Ideas harkens back to the early releases whose handles were minimal yet loaded with a finesse that is so seldom achieved. Musical styling also references those releases from the the late '60s and early '70s. However, this isn't a mere rehashing of the sound that made the artist famous – this feels like a naturally crafted effort to reduce content to its very essence. It is very Zen. It is very Leonard Cohen.

Production values are clean and reference the tones of 1984's Various Positions, when synths were added to the usually acoustic palette. Gentle, electronic beats establish low-tempo reflections and act as dressing to the voice. The voice is deeper, which Cohen once claimed was a product of leading a more relaxed existence. Like a blues man that only really exists in legend, Cohen is, in reality, living up to his own mythology by allowing the form of his voice to plumb to the very depth of its content. From the very opening breath of “Going Home,” we know we are being addressed by a man who has been to the places within himself that others often deny. Backed by the now trademarked heavenly voices, this is a larynx that houses confession and authority.

Extracting constituent parts of the process is an often tempting but reductive endeavor when discussing a Leonard Cohen lyric. Academic understanding is easy, poetic meter is flawless, and presentation is so often bulletproof, but dropping from head to heart is a difficult charter. “Show Me the Place,” on one hand, is a very gentle, itemized list of behaviors, questions, and pleas. But it is also something so much more. Backed by that now familiar device of slow violin, vocal phrases work on tear ducts that usually only function during funerals or at weddings. “Show me the place / help me roll away the stone / show me the place, I can't move this thing alone / show me the place where the word became a man / show me the place where the suffering began.”

As familiar as his mythological addressing of the 'darker' aspects of the human condition is Cohen's reputation as being a ladies' man, and, to fans, there is the deep, dark treacle of humor that many listeners often overlook. The perfect recipe of all elements is represented here in “Anyhow” -- “You know, it really is a pity / The way you treat me now / I know you can't forgive me / But forgive me anyhow ... I dreamed about you baby / You were wearing half your dress / I know you have to hate me / but could you hate me less?” Here, and through much of the collection, are refined echoes from the past. “Crazy to Love You” has a vocal phrasing and nylon string guitar that shares a heart with "Chelsea Hotel #2.” It really is one of Cohen's rarest, finest offerings.

"Old Ideas" is usually a dismissive statement that shrugs off aged, wearied concepts that we need to leave behind. What Cohen does with this collection is reference the archetypes, philosophies, and timeless truths that are essential if we are to endure, with all of humanity's finer elements intact.  "Humor, Grace, Love, Passion, Distraction, Patience, Reflection, and Acceptance" would have been too long a title.

Fans of Cohen will lap this stuff up; it's up there with his established classics. For newcomers, or simply those who need to learn how to write a lyric, turn a phrase, and avoid cliché whilst getting to the root of truth, this album is nothing short of essential.

Standout Tracks: “Anyhow,” “Show Me the Place,” “Crazy to Love You”

For Fans Of: Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan