Canadian poet Leonard Cohen sings with great weight and authority and his lyrics are among the most elegant and scripted of the rock era. This collection is culled from his past three albums (1988's I'm Your Man, 1992's Th... more »e Future, and 1994's Cohen Live) and shows a man whose voice has deepened to the point of grim, foreboding death with lyrics sharpened to masterful precision. The arrangements are deliberately clunky--the cheese- whiz female back-ups lend unusual tension bordering on parody--but the sentiments are for real. Two previously unreleased cuts, "Never Any Good" and the non-event, "The Great Event" suggest his well is currently dry. But the unrelenting bleakness of "The Future" and uneasy celebration of "Democracy" are among the past decade's most challenging pop works. --Rob O'Connor« less
Canadian poet Leonard Cohen sings with great weight and authority and his lyrics are among the most elegant and scripted of the rock era. This collection is culled from his past three albums (1988's I'm Your Man, 1992's The Future, and 1994's Cohen Live) and shows a man whose voice has deepened to the point of grim, foreboding death with lyrics sharpened to masterful precision. The arrangements are deliberately clunky--the cheese- whiz female back-ups lend unusual tension bordering on parody--but the sentiments are for real. Two previously unreleased cuts, "Never Any Good" and the non-event, "The Great Event" suggest his well is currently dry. But the unrelenting bleakness of "The Future" and uneasy celebration of "Democracy" are among the past decade's most challenging pop works. --Rob O'Connor
"I have never heard such music before--it is almost indescribable. "Closing Time" dredges up old memories that overflow. "Dance Me to the end of Love" will take you out of your skull if you possess any romance in your blood and "Take This Waltz" with its incredible score and blow-your-mind lyrics --what can I say? "Hallelujah" envisions Old Testament emotions. The music of Leonard Cohen will blow you away if you have never heard it before. I know."
Such an experienced sounding growl
01/17/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this as my first Leonard Cohen after hearing Everybody Knows on a local station - I love every song on the CD, and the arrangements are just beautiful! Skip Greatest Hits and go directly to this one..."
Take This Waltz ~
A. Casalino | Downers Grove, IL USA | 04/23/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What poetic genius blended with melodies so poignant to my hungry ears! This is the ultimate in the sinful indulgence of lyricism ~ I love this album! It dances me to the end of love - It's where I go to cry - I can take this where love's never been - and there it would sprout from the rich soil of Leonard Cohen's verse and voice an amazing tree of the delectable forbidden fruit!"
Poetic,gritty lyrics
03/10/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Leonard Cohens "more best of" caught my attention at a very painful time in my life(my husbands death) ... after 9 months ...I carry the CD with me, and have given several to friends.. his wonderful voice and poignant ,acid lyrics are lifting me out of the blackest hour of my soul."
Deep.
H3@+h | VT | 07/06/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Personally, I couldn't deal with this little amount of Leonard Cohen myself, and would get his 2-disc "Essential" collection first. However, if you're looking for a single disc of hits, here you go. I actually like "More Best Of" even more than his previous "Best Of", because I'm a fan of his "deeper voice" years, and this is what you get here. Obviously the songs are tops as well. Most of his late 80's and early 90's stuff is included. "Everybody Knows", "I'm Your Man", "Tower Of Song", and "The Future". Of course at just 13 tracks this misses alot, but mostly I miss "Waiting For The Miracle" (get Essential Cohen). Anyway, this is a great starting point for the casual fan, and is wonderful music for early mornings, right on thru to "Closing Time"."