FINNISH TABLOID JOHNNY KNIGA GIVES "DH" 4-/5

[Karri]

Here´s my translation of a short and sweet review I found in Johnny Kniga. It´s a small tabloid you can pick up for free at Finnish bookstores and libraries. The review sounds a bit rushed but that´s probably because the author was so immersed in the album that he forgot about his deadline...

Karri

LEONARD COHEN: Dear Heather (Columbia)

Buying a new release by Leonard Cohen is like buying a bottle of filthy expensive cognac. It´s a very rare event indeed and the drink is bound to be labelled VSOP - but there´s always a slight risk involved. The label is a reliable indicator of the quality but you never know if you´re going to enjoy the intoxication. Listening to the previous album, Ten New Songs, even the one-synth, Silja Line [a Finnish passenger shipping company] arrangements and my wife´s sneering didn´t bother me, such was the depth of the ambience. With the new offering, Dear Heather, it takes a while to attain Leonard Cohen states. The growling of the old man speaks to me, and poetry is the pulsing heart of song, but spoken-word is not my favorite genre. Gradually, warmth permeates my body and the waltz tempo leads the mind to eternal questions. Even men have emotions sometimes, you know.

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