Tribute Albums: Leonard Cohen

7/29/2019 Tribute Albums: Leonard Cohen

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Leonard Cohen

Tribute Albums

Paul Lovering

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Reviews ofIm Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen, Tower of Song:

The Songs of Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen: Im Your Man, Judy

Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracyand Famous Blue Raincoat

(20th

Anniversary Edition) by Jennifer Warnes.
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New perspectives on Cohen

This 1991 tribute album reveals the genius of Cohen as composer in an impressive array of

voices and styles. Following the prayer Who By Fire by House of Love, Ian McCulloch soars

through Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye, adding his own melancholy twist to the song's

sublime sadness.

The Pixies storm through I Can't Forgetat their characteristic fast pace, whilst That Petrol

Emotion poignantly paint Stories Of The StreetandJamesperform a meandering but moving

So Long Marianne. Stephen Duffy of The Lilac Time gently caresses Bird On A Wire, followed

by the Ugandan singerGeoffrey Oryemawhose Suzanne, embellished by flute and a trio of

guitars, fades out on a click-filled chorus.

Brutal is the word for David McComb's exploration of the sleazy Don't Go Home With YourHard-on which shakes, rattles and rolls along, while Dead Famous People, produced by

Serge Gainsbourg, makes a surprising success of a bubblegum sing-along rendition ofTrue

Love Leaves No Traces.

The star of the show is John Cale as he paints a truly great soundscape with only voice and

piano inHallelujah, a classic which would have remained buried in Cohen's own rather

monotone version. Others disappoint: REM's sloppy First We Take Manhattan and Nick

Cave's uninspiredTower Of Songwhich is better interpreted by Robert Forster.

I'm Your Fan is a varied and mostly uplifting listening experience that brilliantly showcases

the melodic and lyrical depth of Leonard Cohen's work. The CD booklet contains black &

white pics of the artists and the lyrics to all the songs.
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Competent, a few gems, but overall uninspiring

It's mainly artists from the folk, soft rock and singer-songwriter tradition that contribute to

this 1995 tribute album which opens on a disappointing note. On Everybody Knows the

tempo, arrangement and Den Henley's vocals just do not gel. Coming Back To You by Trisha

Yearwood is accomplished but the next one really sparkles: Sisters of Mercyby Sting & The

Chieftains. The up-tempo treatment and Celtic instruments totally transform the song.

Bono then performs Hallelujah over subdued, atmospheric percussion and what sounds like

didgeridoo in a spoken voice interspersed with soulful falsetto vocals. It deserves credit for

originality but pales beside the by now familiar versions of John Cale onI'm Your Fanand

Jeff Buckley onGrace. In arrangement and delivery, Famous Blue Raincoatby Tori Amos

sticks close to the original fromSongs of Love and Hatebut with some impressive

instrumental embellishments and a bit more soul and variation in the vocals.

Likewise, Aaron Neville's interpretation ofAin't No Cure For Love largelysticks to the

blueprint with some minor tweaks to enhance the pop appeal. I'm Your Man by Elton John

comes across as messy whilst Willie Nelson's Bird On A Wire is exquisitely arranged and sung

with soul & sensitivity. Suzanne by Peter Gabriel is passable but one expects more from

someone with so much magic in his portfolio; understated ambient sounds weave in and

out of his gentle, downtempo treatment.

I'm no fan of Billy Joel's but I do love his expressive, rhythmic and compelling Light As The

Breeze; Jann Arden interprets If It Be Your Will, the closing prayer fromVarious Positions,

with elegance and feeling. The same goes for Suzanne Vega's rendition ofStory of Isaac with

its lovely arrangement. The album concludes with Martin Gore's understated Coming Back

To You which also sticks quite closely to the original.

Overall, in my opinion this is the least inspiring of the Cohen tribute albums reviewed here.

Few tracks on Tower of Song move the listener in the way Cohen's own recordings do. As for

innovation, only the approaches of Bono and Sting & The Chieftains succeed. Billy Joel and

Willie Nelson are the heroes of this venture.
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His earliest interpreter

Judys tribute album comprises previously released tracks from 1966 to 1999 plus new

recordings: Democracy, A Thousand Kisses Deep and Night Comes On. The old material is

drawn from her albums In My Life (1966), Wildflowers (1967), Who Knows Where The Time

Goes (1968), Living (1971), Bread & Roses (1976) and Live At Wolf Trap (1999).

The blend of the old and the new provide instrumental variety and diversity of arrangement.

For example, the title track with its marching beat, piano and keyboards is followed by the

lovely acoustic guitar textures ofSuzanne, whilst an enchanting flute arrangement lend

atmosphere to Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye.

In my opinion, the songs Dress Rehearsal Rag and Priests do not succeed so well, but they've

never been amongst my favourite Cohen compositions. Her version ofNight Comes On is a

real masterpiece, as is this elegant rendition ofSisters Of Mercywith its intricate

arrangement.

Just like Emmylou Harris slightly altered the lyrics of Dylan's Every Grain Of Sandon her

Wrecking Ball album, Collins tweaks a word or two in her version ofStory Of Isaac, probably

to reflect her personal beliefs. This track stands out for its striking organ and harpsichord.

Bird On A Wire has a distinct country flavour with full instrumentation including pedal steel

guitar. In contrast, Famous Blue Raincoatgets a minimalist treatment with sparse acoustic

guitar. Produced by Arif Mardin, Take This Longing has a delicate recorder flute in the mix,

whilst three backing vocalists add depth onJoan Of Arc. A live version ofSong Of Bernadette

of which Jennifer Warnes is the co-writer, closes the album.

The CD booklet contains Judy's account of her meeting with Leonard and of his enduring

influence on her career. Amongst the black and white pictures there is one of them together

onstage. There is also a dedication from LC and the complete lyrics of Democracy.


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Jenny sings Lenny

Jennifer Warness original album was released in 1987 at a time when Cohen was almost

forgotten, before Im Your Man, the 1991 tribute album I'm Your Fan and The Future would

rekindle interest in his work. Warnes's approach never fails, whether its the powerful thrust

ofFirst We Take Manhattan with Stevie Ray Vaughn on electric guitar or the exquisite choral

treatment ofA Singer Must Die.She understands Cohen's music well, having contributed

vocals as early as 1979 (Recent Songs).

The four added tracks are superb. The lyric ofNight Comes On was tweaked for a female

perspective and Ballad of the Absent Mare takes the title Ballad Of The Runaway Horse as it

does on the 1993 Emmylou Harris album Cowgirl's Prayer. This song becomes a tour de

force thanks to the magnificent arrangement which includes viola and cello. The spectacular

liveJoan Of Arc was recorded in Antwerp in 1992 with contributions by the Novecento

Orchestra and two choirs: Het West Brabants Operakoor and De Tweede Adem.

Cohen's spiritual expression is served well by her nuanced vocal inflections and the inspired

playing, for example the smoky sax that refines the title tracks oneiric atmosphere. The

highlights include Coming Back To You and Night Comes On from Various Positions, Came So

Far For Beautyand Ballad Of The Runaway Horse and of course both the studio duet with

Cohen and the live orchestral version ofJoan Of Arc.

The luxurious fold-out CD booklet includes two line drawings by Cohen, photographs in full

colour and black & white, letters from Lenny to Jenny, a short 1956 school essay on St

Bernadette by Jenny and background info on all the songs.


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Cohen comes alive

There are some magnificent, some great and some merely competent interpretations of

Leonard Cohen's music on this soundtrack album. First the highlights. Martha Wainwrights

powerful Tower Of Song with its intricate guitar work. The lilting and sensual Tonight Will Be

Fine by Teddy Thompson is magnificent - his voice resembles that of Springsteen.

Then comes the tremulous Winter LadybyKate & Anna McGarrigleand Martha Wainwright,

an atmospheric gem. Beth Orton delivers a splendid version ofSisters Of Mercywith her

slow and emphatic enunciation framed by lovely backing vocals. The appealing textures of

Perla Batalla's Bird On A Wire andThe Traitorby Martha Wainwright make them both

winners.

The voices of Nick Cave, Julie Christensen and Perla Batalla weave Suzanne into a new

dimension, whilst Teddy Thompsons rhythmic, uptempo treatment ofThe Futuredoes

justice to the eerie apocalyptic vision. Soulful organ and uplifting vocals characterize

Anthem, the duet between Batalla and Christensen.

I found the following tracks competent but unexceptional: The sax-heavy I'm Your Man by

Nick Cave,Chelsea Hoteland Everybody Knows by Rufus Wainwright, If It Be Your Willby

Antony, I Can't Forgetby Jarvis Cocker and Famous Blue Raincoatby the Handsome Family.

Although not a fan of U2, I love Cohen and Bonos concluding Tower of Song. Their voices

blend well and the playing is inspired.
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COVER

Leonard Cohen by Paul Lovering, Edinburgh

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Tribute Albums: Leonard Cohen