Leonard Cohen Tribute Albums

Paul Lovering
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Reviews of Im Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen, Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen: Im Your Man, Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy and Famous Blue Raincoat (20th Anniversary Edition) by Jennifer Warnes.
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New perspectives on Cohen

This 1991 tribute album reveals the genius of Cohen as composer in an impressive array of voices and styles. Following the prayer Who By Fire by House of Love, Ian McCulloch soars through Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye, adding his own melancholy twist to the song's sublime sadness. The Pixies storm through I Can't Forget at their characteristic fast pace, whilst That Petrol Emotion poignantly paint Stories Of The Street and James perform a meandering but moving So Long Marianne. Stephen Duffy of The Lilac Time gently caresses Bird On A Wire, followed by the Ugandan singer Geoffrey Oryema whose Suzanne, embellished by flute and a trio of guitars, fades out on a click-filled chorus. Brutal is the word for David McComb's exploration of the sleazy Don't Go Home With Your Hard-on which shakes, rattles and rolls along, while Dead Famous People, produced by Serge Gainsbourg, makes a surprising success of a bubblegum sing-along rendition of True Love Leaves No Traces. The star of the show is John Cale as he paints a truly great soundscape with only voice and piano in Hallelujah, a classic which would have remained buried in Cohen's own rather monotone version. Others disappoint: REM's sloppy First We Take Manhattan and Nick Cave's uninspired Tower Of Song which is better interpreted by Robert Forster. I'm Your Fan is a varied and mostly uplifting listening experience that brilliantly showcases the melodic and lyrical depth of Leonard Cohen's work. The CD booklet contains black & white pics of the artists and the lyrics to all the songs.

Competent, a few gems, but overall uninspiring

It's mainly artists from the folk, soft rock and singer-songwriter tradition that contribute to this 1995 tribute album which opens on a disappointing note. On Everybody Knows the tempo, arrangement and Den Henley's vocals just do not gel. Coming Back To You by Trisha Yearwood is accomplished but the next one really sparkles: Sisters of Mercy by Sting & The Chieftains. The up-tempo treatment and Celtic instruments totally transform the song. Bono then performs Hallelujah over subdued, atmospheric percussion and what sounds like didgeridoo in a spoken voice interspersed with soulful falsetto vocals. It deserves credit for originality but pales beside the by now familiar versions of John Cale on I'm Your Fan and Jeff Buckley on Grace. In arrangement and delivery, Famous Blue Raincoat by Tori Amos sticks close to the original from Songs of Love and Hate but with some impressive instrumental embellishments and a bit more soul and variation in the vocals. Likewise, Aaron Neville's interpretation of Ain't No Cure For Love largely sticks to the blueprint with some minor tweaks to enhance the pop appeal. I'm Your Man by Elton John comes across as messy whilst Willie Nelson's Bird On A Wire is exquisitely arranged and sung with soul & sensitivity. Suzanne by Peter Gabriel is passable but one expects more from someone with so much magic in his portfolio; understated ambient sounds weave in and out of his gentle, downtempo treatment. I'm no fan of Billy Joel's but I do love his expressive, rhythmic and compelling Light As The Breeze; Jann Arden interprets If It Be Your Will, the closing prayer from Various Positions, with elegance and feeling. The same goes for Suzanne Vega's rendition of Story of Isaac with its lovely arrangement. The album concludes with Martin Gore's understated Coming Back To You which also sticks quite closely to the original. Overall, in my opinion this is the least inspiring of the Cohen tribute albums reviewed here. Few tracks on Tower of Song move the listener in the way Cohen's own recordings do. As for innovation, only the approaches of Bono and Sting & The Chieftains succeed. Billy Joel and Willie Nelson are the heroes of this venture.

His earliest interpreter

Judys tribute album comprises previously released tracks from 1966 to 1999 plus new recordings: Democracy, A Thousand Kisses Deep and Night Comes On. The old material is drawn from her albums In My Life (1966), Wildflowers (1967), Who Knows Where The Time Goes (1968), Living (1971), Bread & Roses (1976) and Live At Wolf Trap (1999). The blend of the old and the new provide instrumental variety and diversity of arrangement. For example, the title track with its marching beat, piano and keyboards is followed by the lovely acoustic guitar textures of Suzanne, whilst an enchanting flute arrangement lend atmosphere to Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye. In my opinion, the songs Dress Rehearsal Rag and Priests do not succeed so well, but they've never been amongst my favourite Cohen compositions. Her version of Night Comes On is a real masterpiece, as is this elegant rendition of Sisters Of Mercy with its intricate arrangement. Just like Emmylou Harris slightly altered the lyrics of Dylan's Every Grain Of Sand on her Wrecking Ball album, Collins tweaks a word or two in her version of Story Of Isaac, probably to reflect her personal beliefs. This track stands out for its striking organ and harpsichord. Bird On A Wire has a distinct country flavour with full instrumentation including pedal steel guitar. In contrast, Famous Blue Raincoat gets a minimalist treatment with sparse acoustic guitar. Produced by Arif Mardin, Take This Longing has a delicate recorder flute in the mix, whilst three backing vocalists add depth on Joan Of Arc. A live version of Song Of Bernadette of which Jennifer Warnes is the co-writer, closes the album. The CD booklet contains Judy's account of her meeting with Leonard and of his enduring influence on her career. Amongst the black and white pictures there is one of them together onstage. There is also a dedication from LC and the complete lyrics of Democracy.

Jenny sings Lenny

Jennifer Warness original album was released in 1987 at a time when Cohen was almost forgotten, before Im Your Man, the 1991 tribute album I'm Your Fan and The Future would rekindle interest in his work. Warnes's approach never fails, whether its the powerful thrust of First We Take Manhattan with Stevie Ray Vaughn on electric guitar or the exquisite choral treatment of A Singer Must Die. She understands Cohen's music well, having contributed vocals as early as 1979 (Recent Songs). The four added tracks are superb. The lyric of Night Comes On was tweaked for a female perspective and Ballad of the Absent Mare takes the title Ballad Of The Runaway Horse as it does on the 1993 Emmylou Harris album Cowgirl's Prayer. This song becomes a tour de force thanks to the magnificent arrangement which includes viola and cello. The spectacular live Joan Of Arc was recorded in Antwerp in 1992 with contributions by the Novecento Orchestra and two choirs: Het West Brabants Operakoor and De Tweede Adem. Cohen's spiritual expression is served well by her nuanced vocal inflections and the inspired playing, for example the smoky sax that refines the title tracks oneiric atmosphere. The highlights include Coming Back To You and Night Comes On from Various Positions, Came So Far For Beauty and Ballad Of The Runaway Horse and of course both the studio duet with Cohen and the live orchestral version of Joan Of Arc. The luxurious fold-out CD booklet includes two line drawings by Cohen, photographs in full colour and black & white, letters from Lenny to Jenny, a short 1956 school essay on St Bernadette by Jenny and background info on all the songs.

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Cohen comes alive

There are some magnificent, some great and some merely competent interpretations of Leonard Cohen's music on this soundtrack album. First the highlights. Martha Wainwrights powerful Tower Of Song with its intricate guitar work. The lilting and sensual Tonight Will Be Fine by Teddy Thompson is magnificent - his voice resembles that of Springsteen. Then comes the tremulous Winter Lady by Kate & Anna McGarrigle and Martha Wainwright, an atmospheric gem. Beth Orton delivers a splendid version of Sisters Of Mercy with her slow and emphatic enunciation framed by lovely backing vocals. The appealing textures of Perla Batalla's Bird On A Wire and The Traitor by Martha Wainwright make them both winners. The voices of Nick Cave, Julie Christensen and Perla Batalla weave Suzanne into a new dimension, whilst Teddy Thompsons rhythmic, uptempo treatment of The Future does justice to the eerie apocalyptic vision. Soulful organ and uplifting vocals characterize Anthem, the duet between Batalla and Christensen. I found the following tracks competent but unexceptional: The sax-heavy I'm Your Man by Nick Cave, Chelsea Hotel and Everybody Knows by Rufus Wainwright, If It Be Your Will by Antony, I Can't Forget by Jarvis Cocker and Famous Blue Raincoat by the Handsome Family. Although not a fan of U2, I love Cohen and Bonos concluding Tower of Song. Their voices blend well and the playing is inspired.

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COVER
Leonard Cohen by Paul Lovering, Edinburgh
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