Canadian poet and singer Leonard Cohen likes to surround himself with feminine beauty. In the song Because Of he explains his special bond with the opposite sex. 'Because of a few songs, wherein I spoke of their mystery, women have been exceptionally kind to my old age.' Three years after (2001), an album with twelve new songs by the former Zen Buddhist is released. Cohen leaves singing more and
… more to his guest singers ( , ), he limits himself to reciting his poetic lyrics 'parlando' with a voice that has only deepened over the years. Cohen goes back to ancient texts by and Frank Scott, but he also touches on the American trauma of September 11, 2001 in On That Day (They Wounded New York). Cohen's thin female vocals and sonorous talkative vocals remain a special combination on his fifteenth studio album. As a bonus track a live version of the country classic Tennessee Waltz has been added, which is somewhat out of tune with the rest of the material. (MS)more