You Want It Darker

I came back to slightly edit my review when I read the discussion/comparison of Dylan and Cohen. My view? None. Cohen is a poet of the soul, a soul that turned itself inside out to tell us the truth. Truth is at the heart of every one of Cohen's masterworks - of which I agree, there were many, and many loved, and many sung. In his culminating album, I reprise the reviewer who wrote 'achingly' to add to my own. Cohen is an irreplaceable for all those who feel now inconsolable. That he was ready, consider "Treaty", consider "I'm Ready, My Lord. I stand with those who call You Want it Darker a masterpiece. In a single album we have the traveling light we all come to. May I detain you to recount a little story of the man's generosity. And, charm! And insouciant wry wit? Many years ago I'd read of a Canadian poet, not very known, a man who didn't perform. He was well educated but discovered poetry is the hardest art. I then saw him (you can, too) on You Tube in a panic. Judy Collins had invited him to sing with her. He wouldn't come out. The audience started to sing one of his songs.... I leave the ellipsis as he might have. Years later I learned Cohen was coming to my city. I felt sure the concert would be sold out. "No," said the ticket-taker. "Plenty of seats." There were fewer than 30. He came out in a raincoat, collar turned up, a fedora and leaned over the footlights. I'm paraphrasing: Hello. Come on down here where I can see you. Get right up close. What am I gonna do? (I noted he used more colloquial speech to join the disparate and diverse crowds he later gathered.) I'm gonna tell a few stories...sing a few songs...I'm gonna give you a full two and a/half hours. How many can you name who stands alone, in shadow, a man and his guitar .... those were there that night - no groupies ... knew unmistakably we were in the presence of a mystic who didn't disguise it. Those of us who heard Adam Cohen, who watched interviews over the years, didn't we feel the stab of his pain, of his painful, measured departure. We now know how the album was created. I don't understand those who wrote "not his best". Granted, each assessment is subjective. I write then for myself and any who may find this small eulogy to a man whose last songs were so intimate, human, vulnerable. I had the privilege of meeting the man when he was little known, when few showed up for his concert. He came out to the footlights, peered into the scattered 30 or fewer and said, "Come on up a little closer. Gather in. I'll tell a few stories, sing a few songs...we're gonna' have the whole two and a/half hours...." Unless you know the full story of Cohen's panic attacks (too long to recount here unless someone reading this queries in the box provided), I'll just say his rational fears and grief he talked of openly were generated by being forced to view his beloved father in an open casket in his own parlor. This is not done in the culltural heritage he did actually follow all his life, calling himself spiritual. He ran to his father's closet to cry among his father's clothes. He later said in an interview, he didn't know why he'd gotten a scissors and cut the tip off one of his father's bow ties. He said he didn't know why. That rending of cloth is symbolic that the dead no longer need clothes. How I wish I'd written him of this. I can hear the song he might have written. I do feel that early loss deepened his sensibility, many times brought him to the brink, turned him to alcohol, drugs. But unlike the many - he fought on. He battled the demons until they quit him. Rather, he quit them. His songs are multi-layered, metaphysical, melodious. Oh those bridges, those shifting melancholy chords. We here on the side of profoundest praise doff our hats to his subtle genius, sardonic charm, his wit, his clear-sighted self-awareness. Praise his social activism, commentary, encompassed in a well-educated man of 'good family' whose deferential manner wrapped his in-person eloquence. His gravelly voice and truth-telling make him a forever star in the pantheon. Was he a force? I say, a multitude of one. A singularity. Listen to the interviews of which there are many. Hear, then read his last poignant message sent to Marianne (also dying), Marianne, his lifelong true-love. If you happen to be Jewish, (or even if you're not), there's a rabbi on You Tube who analyzes the meaning of every word of "You Want it Darker" -- most lines transliterated from the Old Testament. So, our great poet of the people came full circle. Cohen said he was never religious. You rarely find anything of the sort in his songs. All the Cohen songs you ever loved were glorious testimony to being alive - at whatever stage on the road. "Chelsea Hotel", "Bird on a Wire", "Dance me to the End of Love". So many. It's a cumulative mother-lode. Then came Hallelujah, possibly the legacy song for some as so many singers have made it their own. Of "You Want it Darker" - a testimony to love of life and acceptance of Death. "If you're the dealer, I'm out of the game." Here's to the high-hatted fedora tossed in the air. Here's to the man who danced near the end. "I'm ready, My Lord."

In my life, sadly, I have lived thru too many passings, not only of a personal nature, but also those who have been such a personal influence on my life from afar... Leonard Cohen is such a person...and, as many know, he recently passed, leaving us with one last album before he left, appropriately titled, 'You Want It Darker'... Adding to his already previous canon of brilliant, often dark, masterpieces, the man who came up with 'Bird On A Wire', 'Chelsea Hotel #2', 'Anthem', 'First We Take Manhattan', 'A Thousand Kisses Deep', 'The Future', 'If It Be Your Will', 'Famous Blue Raincoat', and so many more to mention, now has songs like 'Treaty', 'Traveling Light', and the title track, 'You Want It Darker, to add to his definitive work... In fact, every track on this album is so brilliant, that it is indeed at the very top of my list as best album of the year...It begins with the title track, in an almost prophetic funeral chant that leads into a beat and lyrics that will send chills up your spine... And this is DEFINITELY an album to listen to...This is not just background music while you're cleaning the toilet or texting the electors for a change...These lyrics are not only brilliant on their own, but also with a definite premonition of days left to come... Tracks like 'Steer Your Way', 'If I Didn't Have Your Love', and 'Leaving The Table' are lyrical depth charges now knowing what we know...and it probably wouldn't have been so unexpected had this album been heard prior to his leaving... One great sadness is thinking about not being able to see him perform these live, whether in person or on dvd...I bet they would have been incredible... But by any event...in his leaving, he fortunately left us with this intimate reminder of his soul exposed...

Before Cohen created this final release of his lifetime, I felt that "I'm Your Man" was his best followed closely by "Various Positions". Then I listened to this. In my mind this is a biographical work. He lays it all out. His view of faith, life, love and evil which resides in us all. It is pure raw Cohen. I think it is his most personal and honest album he did. It is beautiful. It is sad. It is questioning. Cohen knew he was coming to the end and this would be his chance to make his statement. When I finished listening to it the first time, I just sat and thought about what I had just heard. I felt a lump in my throat realizing that this was his final message to the world. He manages to pack all of this into a mere 36 minutes. His voice is somber and emotional. I recommend this album to everyone I know. It is Cohen at his best. It is one of my go to albums when I need it. Perfect masterpiece to bring his body of work to an end. Part of me wishes that "Thanks For The Dance" would have been left on the shelf, but a little more Cohen is a good thing. But this, this was his true swansong. Thank you Mr.Cohen.

I really like it! Tnx!

I have been a Leonard Cohen fan since the early 1970s. Although he was already dying of cancer while writing these songs and his voice was suffering, the CD was in perfect condition. Cohen's poetry/songwriting is only for people who enjoy poetry. His voice requires an acquired taste and can be depressing and deep. I love hearing songwriters singing their own creations and this one is no different. I have read all 3 of his books and he had an unusual talent as a writer. Some of the poetry/songs are cryptic so you need to listen to the words. This is not music for people who like crooners or the 'old American Songbook'. Cohen first gained recognition when he was about 80 years old and wrote Hallelujah, a song featured in Shrek 2. After all of his masterrpieces, it took that long for him to get recognition and have his name become familiar worldwide, followed by a long, very successful tour. Most people who sing this song (cover it) have not paid attention to his original. When Cohen sings the song, he ends some of the verses with the question "Do you?" followed by the word Hallelujah. So far I have only heard it covered to rhyme--singing, "Do ya?" Cohen is not a rhyming poet. He is free form. Also, that song contains a verse that is often left out. Most people think it is totally religious and has biblical references (which it does) and is appropriate to sing in church. The verse that is often excluded refers to a sexual relationship and if you listen to it you can clearly hear him describe the change in a long term personal relationship. Typical Leonard Cohen. I love this CD as I love all of his. My husband likes his lyrics but doesn't like listening to his deeply droning voice. I find it authentic and reflective.

For me, Leonard Cohen is the oldest artist, currently alive, making music, that I have my music collection at age 82. I like that. Not only is it unique, but I am from Generation X, so I grew up listening to Baby Boomers (not that Leonard Cohen is a Baby Boomer), but, basically, most of the artists I grew up with are now 60+ years old, and I'd still rather listen to them, and their new music, than listen to something a 16-25 year old has made. I want experience in my music. I am over 40 now, I don't identify with the under 30 crowd at all. So, here is "You Want It Darker", not much of a departure from Cohen's last two albums, "Popular Problems" and "Old Ideas", or even "Dear Heather" and "Ten New Songs". That's musically. Lyrically, well, there's not that much different either. I like Leonard Cohen, but unfortunately, I could put his albums on shuffle and there wouldn't be a great deal of variation. On this album I liked the title track, "Treaty", "Steer Your Way" and "On the Level". The rest of the tracks were pleasant. In fact, the whole album was pleasant. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but I don't know if I can give it four stars this time. Three and a Half. I don't have much else to add here, except if you like Cohen, you will like this album too. If you are new to Cohen, and want to start here, it's not a bad place to begin, and then work your way back. I guess, what I'm really looking for from Cohen, at 82, is not just some poetic lines, but maybe a more direct approach to what's on his mind as he enters his final years. The poetry can often mask underlying feelings, and subvert them so that they aren't really raw and direct. I think Cohen has been more direct in the past, but not here, which I find interesting. I mean, why not? Why not let loose now. Get it all off your chest before you go. Maybe next time? ADDENDUM 11/19/2016: Well, that won't be happening now will it? "You Want It Darker" is a decent final album, period. 2016 is the worst year in music industry deaths ever, and we still have about six more weeks to go. I mean David Bowie, Glenn Frey, Colin Vearncombe (Black), Prince, Pete Burns (Dead or Alive), Leon Russell, Leonard Cohen, Sharon Jones, Merle Haggard, Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire), Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship), Bobby Vee, Vanity, Alan Vega (Suicide), Juan Gabriel, Prince Be (P.M. Dawn), Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), I mean just blow a hole through the industry this year. Here's how "You Want It Darker" compares with Cohen's previous works: 1967 The Songs Of Leonard Cohen: Five Stars 1969 Songs From A Room: Three and a Half Stars 1971 Songs Of Love And Hate: Four Stars 1974 New Skin For The Old Ceremony: Four Stars 1977 Death Of A Ladies' Man: Three Stars 1979 Recent Songs: Three Stars 1984 Various Positions: Four Stars 1988 I'm Your Man: Five Stars 1992 The Future: Four Stars 2001 Ten New Songs: Four Stars 2004 Dear Heather: Four Stars 2012 Old Ideas: Four Stars 2014 Popular Problems: Four Stars 2016 You Want It Darker: Three and a Half Stars

If you love Leonard Cohen's work, this cd is a must. It's much "darker" than his other work but all Leonard!

"He wants to write a love song, an anthem of forgiving, a manual for living with defeat, a cry above the suffering, a sacrifice recovering, but that isn't what I need him to complete..." Maybe it's because of the finality of this album, but I think maybe he's alas done just that. Also, the line in "Treaty", the ostensible gem of the album, "You were my ground, my safe and sound, you were my Ariel," albeit maybe a bit too sing-songy, maybe too obvious a rhyme, makes me tear up every time I hear it. I've intellectualized this as such: it's a child's line, until the allusion to Ariel, a beautiful balance of the low and the high, of birth and death, and likewise, a wonderful way to allude to his send-off from the stage, to namedrop Prospero's fairy-cum-consult-cum-guardian angel. Beyond this needless rationalization, it's just so uncannily moving. Mind you, this is probably idiosyncratic; but if you're reading to decide if should purchase the album or seek it out from a friend, my suggestion is that you should. It's a far cry from "Songs of Leonard Cohen" as is everything he's produced after "Recent Songs", but it just rounds out his mythos and symbol-set so well, a beautiful epilogue to, lyrically, one of the greatest discographies in the English language.

Leonard, you'll be missed! LC is the only songwriter whose every studio album I have in my collection, from the first to this one: the last. A little over 35 minutes of his trademark excellency in lyrics; the music like always, not exciting but full of little surprises. The beauty is in the detail. And yes, it's called "You Want It Darker", but listening to it makes me feel lighter. Must have to Leonard's Zen attitude, shining through all the Judeo/Christian images.

レナード・コーエンの14枚目にして最後のアルバム。恥ずかしながらコーエンのアルバムは「Hallelujah」が入っている『Various Positions』しか聴いたことがなかったが、タイトル曲の「You Want It Darker」を試聴したところ、そのあまりの素晴らしさに一発でやられた。荘厳な雰囲気のなか、コーエンはあの渋いバリトンボイスで「ヒネーニ、ヒネーニ（ヘブライ語で私はここにいる、の意味）／主よ、覚悟はできている」と繰り返す。４曲目の「Leaving The Table」では「私はテーブルを離れよう／私はゲームの外にいる」というフレーズがあるが、コーエンがこのアルバムを出した直後に亡くなったことを考えると何か示唆的なものを感じる。全編を貫いているのは気が滅入るような暗さであり、ユダヤ教・キリスト教的な比喩表現がそれに重々しさを添えている。しかし、聴けば聴くほどこのアルバムがいかに光に満ちているかわかると思う。レビュータイトルは２曲目「Treaty」の一節だが、これはアルバムの最後を飾る一節でもある。

Absolutely beautiful music and lyrics. Unforgettable Leonard Cohen

Not too surprisingly, Cohen's latest album is a masterpiece. Given the deeper context of an aging singer reflecting on career, mortality and women (always a subject of interest to Cohen), there's a CD of wonderful tracks featuring his quintissential gravely voice over some lovely songs. Looking for top 10? Not here. This is a CD of mostly brooding songs, all well presented, with lyrics that you have to listen to in order to understand what Cohen is trying to pass on. I've been a Cohen fan for decades, admiring his songwriting and performance talents, but my wife had never heard his work before (she's Chinese, and Cohen doesn't seem to have a big presence in China for some reason!). Her first reaction was something along the lines of "you call this singing?" but after a few songs, listening to the lyrics, she really began to enjoy the tracks. While Cohen may not replace the latest pop songs on her music list, she was impressed with Cohen's voice ("deep and gravelly", which described him perfectly) and his messages in the songs. We went back to previous albums so she could hear more. Some people have complained all Cohen tracks sound the same, and while I understand their point of view, it's simply not the case when you listen to each song carefully. There's some really wonderful lyrics here, as well as some interesting observations accumulated over a lifetime in the business. Cohen's voice is top notch, perhaps a little gravellier than previous albums, but all to good effect given the content of these songs. It's his song writing and voice he'll undoubtedly be remembered for, and this album is a great example of a master at work. Hopefully there's more albums to come, as this one simply whetted my appetite for more. One of his better albums of the past two decades, I believe, and a fitting message from a stellar songwriter. Postscript: I write this the day after Cohen's death was announced. It is sad to see the passing of such a legend, both a musician and poet, but the timing of the album and its overall message seem almost prophetic. Listening to You Want It Darker yet again, I have to reiterate this is probably his best album in years, and a great last album (although I wish it were not so). A tribute from a master, and also to the master. RIP, Leonard. Your voice will be missed.

Nonostante ascolti musica da molti molti anni, mi sono avvicinato solo di recente al grande Leonard Cohen, riconosciuto al pari di Dylan come uno dei più importanti (forse i più importanti) cantautori di sempre. Questo ultimo album del canadese è assolutamente incredibile. Arrangiamenti e strumenti ridotti al minimo, una voce che penetra nell' anima e non esce più. Ascoltato una volta senti il bisogno di risuonarlo ancora. Consigliato a tutti indipendentemente dal genere preferito. Rimarrete ipnotizzati.