Leonard Cohen, born in Montreal , Quebec , Canada , in 1936, is one of the most
enduring of the folk music heroes that emerged during the Sixties. As a
songwriter, he is only rivaled by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and few others in the
folk/rock universe. Cohen is noted for his quirky takes on the traditional love
song and his use of religious imagery to paint portraits of regret and
heartbreak.
Cohen’s debut album was the stark, “Songs
of Leonard Cohen” (1967), which features his spare guitar playing and solemn,
almost spoken vocals. The album contains the superb songs, “Suzanne,” “Master
Song,” “The Strange Song,” and “So Long, Marianne.” Cohen’s guitar and vocals
are tastefully supported by the occasional restrained electric guitar, string,
reed, horn or woodwind.
Cohen’s debut may well be his masterpiece,
but several other contenders were yet to come, including, “Songs of Love and
Hate” from 1971. This album is sonically quite similar to his debut and
contains somewhat less familiar, although just as memorable songs such as,
“Avalanche” and “Dress Rehearsal Rag.” In 1974, Cohen recorded the fine album,
“New Skin for the Old Ceremony,” the first of his albums in several years to
rival his earliest work. The music here is somewhat sunnier than that on his
earlier classics with a somewhat countryish flavor.
Cohen has disappeared from the music scene
for long periods during his career to pursue other artistic endeavours such as
writing books or poetry, but he has always managed to return with his faculties
intact. After a long hiatus, Cohen returned to music in 1988, and recorded
another classic with the synth-pop album, “I’m Your Man,” featuring the classic
songs, “First We Take Manhattan ”
and “Take This Waltz.”
Cohen is still active in music today, now
well into his seventies.
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