I had sort of lost track of Leonard Cohen over the years and that has been my loss. He is a true musical poet and his songs have been recorded by hundreds or more likely thousands of artists.
Cohen first achieved public awareness with a series of critically-acclaimed album releases from 1967-1974. Songs Of Leonard Cohen, Songs From A Room, Songs Of Love And Hate and New Skin For The Old Ceremony established him as a songwriter of note and would begin to form the body of work that would lead to his induction into The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2008.
Cohen has always moved at his own pace. He has released only five studio albums in the last quarter century and had not toured in fifteen years, and so it caused a great deal of excitement among his fan base when it was announced he would play a number of live dates. Live In London was recorded July 17th, 2008.
Leonard Cohen is now in his mid-‘70s, and while his voice may be a tad deeper than in his prime, he is still able to present his music effectively and emotionally.
The 26 songs that comprise this two disc set are career spanning and include most of his better known material, plus a few surprises along the way. Ever the creative artist, a number of the songs are lengthened and changed with new lyrics and melodies.
The music speaks for itself. His songs of love, loss, religion, depression and joy are like individual poetic works. “Dance Me To The End Of Love” is passionate and dark. “Suzanne,” which has been recorded nearly 200 times by various toher artists, is bittersweet returned here to its original form. “Democracy” is a social commentary about sacrifice. “Hallelujah,” which recently became a number one hit for Jeff Buckley, clocks in at over seven minutes and contains some new lyrics. It is another of his songs that has been extensively covered by others but here he reclaims it as his own.
The concert meanders from one delight to the next as “First We Take Manhattan,” “Bird On A Wire,” “The Gypsy’s Wife,” “Closing Time” and “I Tried To Leave” all shine as they take center stage.
Live In London is a triumphant return for Leonard Cohen. It shows him to be not only a master of his craft but affirms just how joyful and affecting music can be when performed by the right person.
