Description
He wasn’t so much a pop icon as a hero to writers everywhere, and a new tribute to his legacy Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen, collects renditions of his most popular work, performed by a roster of artists who are all, themselves, excellent songwriters.
There are masterful performances throughout the recording, from James Taylor, Nathaniel Rateliff, Peter Gabriel, David Gray, and others.
Norah Jones’s turn on “Steer Your Way,” which opens the disc, feels the most like a second coming of the poet himself. Jones has that spooky, whispered nuance down to an art. Only in this song does it become clear that her vocal delivery is perhaps the way it is because of Cohen’s influence.
“Hallelujah,” is delivered here by Sarah McLachlan and her restraint allows her space to paint with more colors. Even folks who are tired of hearing “Hallelujah” may have their faith renewed by her version.
Iggy Pop’s “You Want It Darker,” taken from Cohen’s last recording, is an interesting accomplishment. Backed by saxophone, keys, and percussion, Pop mostly just recites the lyrics. But there is a ghostly quality that comes forward.
Other highlights are Mavis Staples’s “If It Be Your Will” and Bill Frisell’s “Bird on the Wire
