Western Courier

Issue date: 11/5/04 Section: The Edge

Leonard Cohen "Dear Heather"

Grade: B

Music lovers who have had their fill of Tom Waits's "Real Gone" and still crave moody sounds from a highly esteemed non-singer might want to get their hands on "Dear Heather," the new album by longtime cult favorite Leonard Cohen.

Cohen's latest disc is an uneven collection of tracks that succeed only as much as the artist and his backup singers allow them to by means of their vocals.

This critique isn't meant to imply that Cohen is a bad singer, although people could characterize him that way if they judge singing by how well one hits musical notes and not by how well a person conveys feelings through intonations. After decades of great music from such unconventional singers as Waits, Lou Reed and Bob Dylan, Cohen's traditional vocal limitations shouldn't sound so shocking.

But "Dear Heather" proves that voices like Cohen's can't carry every tune, even on a purely emotional level. Even when singing about love, Cohen sounds spooky. Thus, teaming him with Supremes-esque backup vocalists on compositions such as "Because Of" and "Go No More A-Roving" seems downright silly.

"Villanelle for Our Time" and the title cut find Cohen excessively in touch with his bohemian poet roots and not even trying to sing. The lack of effort results in no emotional context for those songs.

These vocal weaknesses don't exist on the male/female dialogue that makes up "The Letters" and "Undertow," near-perfect Cohen tracks that cause listeners to envision a dark room and hear the crackling fire.

Cohen's sincere performance on "There for You" turns the lyrics into effective weapons of defense against attacks on his romantic loyalty. "On That Day," a response to Sept. 11, drifts by so calmly that one almost misses its succinct beauty.

An album that features plenty of missteps along with graceful movements, "Dear Heather" demands patience in exchange for its pleasures.

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