February 12, 2012
This is my favourite Old Ideas album review published in The New York Times (here)
Who’s King Of Pop Now?
By JESSE KORNBLUTHPublished: February 11, 2012
There are things that do not happen in the real world. Noam Chomsky becoming president. Unflattering photos of Jennifer Aniston. Apple doubling the price of iPhones so its Chinese assemblers can work a 40-hour week.
Or Leonard Cohen, at 77, occupying the No. 1 position in music at Amazon.com for his just-released “Old Ideas.”
And yet Mr. Cohen not only vaulted to the top
of Amazon music last week with his new collection of songs, he stayed
there for a week, until Adele — who has already sold 7.5 million copies
of her latest release in the United States alone — got a second wind
and sent him reeling down to No. 4.
Nothing about Mr. Cohen’s late-life success readily computes. His range
as a composer is limited; as he has noted, “People said I knew three
chords when I knew five.” His vocal range is even more limited. A fan
got it exactly right when he said, “No one can sing a Leonard Cohen song
the way Cohen himself can’t.” The dirge-like songs and midnight voice
that result are an easy target for reviewers. He’s “the poet laureate of
pessimism.” “The grocer of despair.” “The godfather of gloom.” “The
prince of bummers.” And, inevitably, “music to slit your wrists to.”
And this codger is, however briefly, the King of Pop?
Yes, and the joke’s on Pop. Our absurd political and media squabbles
have created a vacuum of gravitas. That has turned Leonard Cohen into a
trending topic, and for the simplest of reasons: he’s an authentic
seeker. And Mr. Cohen’s not the only musician with a fan base that spans
decades. Look at the Amazon music best-seller list: Adele is 23 years
old , but just behind her are Paul McCartney (69), Eddie Van Halen (57),
Mr. Cohen, an Amnesty International tribute to Bob Dylan (70) and Bruce
Springsteen (62). Further down the list: 85-year-old Tony Bennett’s
collection of duets. Honorable mention: Paul Simon, now 70, for his 2011
collection, his best in 25 years.
Until the last century, there was no expectation that artists would
constantly change styles and messages. It was enough that they did
something well. Over time, with work and grace, they saw more, went
deeper, gave their audiences greater satisfaction. Now art is like
fashion. Careers have stages. Novelty and astonishment are now
synonymous with art.
The musicians who top the Amazon list are fully formed. In 1962, Mr.
McCartney began writing his generation’s best pop songs; he still has
the touch. Mr. Springsteen has been standing up for the forgotten since
the mid-’70s. Mr. Dylan says he now has to work conscientiously to
produce songs that used to drop into his hands, but he gets it done.
These are our elders, making mature music for an audience hungry for
maturity. And one of the oldest of these elders leads the pack. The
last, best laugh is Leonard Cohen’s.
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