This one comes from Joe Way, from his hometown newspaper, via Marie
Isthmus, Madison, Wisconsin
November 5, 2004
http://www.thedailypage.com/going-out/m ... drevid=575
Leonard Cohen
Dear Heather
Columbia
Hard to believe that Leonard Cohen’s 70, but time marches on even for the most talented of hipsters. These days his already deep, spooky voice has taken on a raspy quality that adds an aura of time-worn wisdom to everything he intones, and Dear Heather is nothing if not a testament to his ability to endure and grow as dozens of musical trends came and went. Can’t say I care much for the smooth, R&B-inflected saxophone work that colors his interpretation of Byron’s “Go No More A-Roving,” but with stripped-down backing tracks deftly undergirding most tunes, that one musical misstep is easy to ignore.
What’s good here? Just about everything. “Because Of” is a poetic — and deceptively simple — salute to Cohen’s female followers, and the harpsichord-anchored recitative “The Letters” echoes with the kind of authority that only comes from a lifetime of emotional experience. His brief lament for Sept. 11, “On That Day,” raises goose bumps each time he repeats its haunting refrain: “The day they wounded New York.” And his unexpectedly languorous take on “Tennessee Waltz,” which closes the disc, will bring a lump to the throats of the hardest men. Here’s one recording artist who’s traveled gracefully from youth to old age...and learned something on the way, to boot.
Reviewed by Tom Laskin
Isthmus review
I'm still trying to figure out the route this review took [written by Tom Laskin, but from Joe Way, from his hometown newspaper, via Marie]. Did you send it to Marie, Joe? Then, Marie sent it to Jarkko?
Well, in any case, amongst other things, I like the way Tom expressed this particular aspect:
Well, in any case, amongst other things, I like the way Tom expressed this particular aspect:
I, further, like his conclusion:"'The Letters' echoes with the kind of authority that only comes from a lifetime of emotional experience."
~ Lizzy"Here’s one recording artist who’s traveled gracefully from youth to old age...and learned something on the way, to boot."
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Tom Laskin wrote a very favorable review of Ten New Songs, too. I just sent him an email thanking him for having an acute sensibility (I enjoy his other reviews, also). Marie really liked his review of TNS as it referenced Dylan's "Love and Theft" which was released about the same time and it was apparent that TNS was his favorite. You can still read it on the TNS website.
Joe
Joe
"Say a prayer for the cowboy..."
Because of is........
Such a cyclical song, and totally accentuates the Roving song. It is a conceptual album in so many ways. I love Cohen - such a collection of onion-skins which we get to peel and peel and peel.......
Hi Lizzylizzytysh wrote:That's a very apt way of putting it, Tom. Welcome to the Forum
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~ Lizzytysh
I guess that counts, wow 1965, some time ago. I would dare to say that the huge modern glass and steel complex that is Bangkok now looks a bit different than when you were here. But I would also bet the people are about the same.
Ummmm
Haven't seen that, but then again my house isn't very near a river. Yes, the people here are quite attractive, both on the outside as well as in. Must be all that karmic energy...