As a huge Tom Waits fan, I guess the conventional wisdom is that I would also be a big Cohen fan. To the layman's ear, they're both well-respected songwriters, they both most often focus on the failings of man, as opposed to celebratory pop music. But the difference (to this writer, anyway) is that Cohen is primarily a poet who sings whereas Waits is more of a storyteller/showman/musician. And that's why I'm not a huge fan.
Don't get me wrong. This albums is full of still good writing. The title "Old Ideas" is assuredly meant to the LC fan that, "Yeah... nothing new here." And there's not. Cohen's themes are about the trappings of romance, loss of love and spiritual disconnection.
But there's little distinction from one song to the next. Leonard's never been much of a dynamic vocalist, and he plays it straight here too. Monotoned, deep, whispy. I can see each song individually maybe helping me get into a young lady's pants. But after two songs, she's going to insist that I turn grandpa off.
Musically, it's minimalist, which fits well with this style of writing. So when he amps up the back-up choir singers, I have to scratch my head. It's starts feeling too new-agey there.
I have a favorite, though. "Crazy To Love You" may be the simplest lyric on the record and is perfectly complimented by nothing more than an acoustic guitar. "I'm old and the mirrors don't lie / But crazy has places to hide in..." (2.5 of 5 stars)
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