Review: Leonard Cohen - 'Old Ideas'

‘Old Ideas’ sees 77 year old Canadian singer and poet Leonard Cohen return for his twelfth studio album and his first since 2004’s ‘Dear Heather’.

The albums opener ‘Going Home’ begins with an almost childlike rhythm, however, the instant Cohen’s distinctive voice whispers in, the feeling is more like a child’s funeral. Sorrowful, mourning and soothing, this spoken word track appears autobiographical, with Cohen stating ‘I love to speak with Leonard, he’s a sportsman and a shepherd, He’s a lazy bastard, living in a suit’. Next track ‘Amen’ descends through as an eight minute psychedelic, pitch black prayer, in which Cohen manages to exude remorse, passion and finality without ever breaking into a sweat. The female backing that has accompanied much of Cohen’s later work, in addition to the Godfather esque trumpet solo seem to raise Cohen’s voice into an almost statesmen like form, hinting at his womanizing past. Far from attempting to shy-away from his advancing years, Cohen embraces them, his voice croaks, breaks and fades with all the signs of a life well lived, each line uttered as if it could be his last.

Album highlight ‘Show Me the Place’ certainly sounds like a swansong, with its melodic piano and violin combination giving a climatic and cinematic feel. ‘Darkness’ has a driving jazzy backdrop, sounding smoky and sexy, whilst ‘Anyhow’ emanates backstreet poetry during its cries for forgiveness. ‘Come Healing’ bursts with light and is a timeless love-song, typically tinged with Cohen’s now trademark gospel sound and lyrical style.

 The introduction of slide and blues guitars is a welcome introduction to ‘Banjo’, the most off the cuff track on the LP (‘There’s something that I’m watching, means a lot to me, It’s a broken banjo bopping, on the dark infested sea’), whilst album closer ‘Different Sides’ feels an appropriate ending and returning loop to the beginning of the record, Cohen ending with ‘You want to change the way to make love, I wanna leave it alone’. This is a relevant final ending to ‘Old Ideas’ highlighting Cohen’s own message both through the album’s title and many of its themes.  These are ‘Old Ideas’ and the theme and style of the LP is nothing new for Cohen, but this is something to be embraced and celebrated, whilst we still can.
          

8/10