Personnel: Leonard Cohen (vocals, guitar, Jew's harp); Leonard Cohen (piano); Sharon Robinson (vocals, various instruments); John Crowder (vocals, bass guitar); Sarah Kramer (trumpet); Roscoe Beck (bass instrument); Stan Sargeant (bass guitar); Mitch Watkins (vocals, guitar, electric guitar); Ron Getman (vocals, steel guitar); Anjani Thomas (vocals, piano, background vocals); John Bilezikjian (oud); Raffi Hakopian (violin); Paul Ostermayer (flute); Garth Hudson (accordion); Bob Sheppard (tenor saxophone); Bill Ginn (piano); Johnny Friday, Richard Crooks (drums).
Photographers: Anjani Thomas; Tina Tyrell.
Arrangers: Leonard Cohen; Sharon Robinson.
While there are some familiar elements present, much of DEAR HEATHER is a stark contrast to virtually all of Leonard Cohen's previous recorded work. Where the Canadian troubadour's previous albums all sounded like carefully constructed towers of song, built piece by painstaking piece (and Cohen has confirmed this as his working process), DEAR HEATHER seems to be an entirely more spontaneous offering. One might speculate that longtime Buddhist Cohen has taken the precepts of Zen to heart in presenting a batch of compositions unmarred by the effects of obvious labor.
Lyrically and melodically, these songs are more sparse and pared-down than anything else in Cohen's catalog. Some are whittled down to only a simple recitation repeated numerous times over a skeletal chord progression. By simplifying his approach to such an extreme degree, it seems as though Cohen is trying to get as close as possible to the heart of his work, without the literary trappings of his past accomplishments. Nevertheless, one link with his previous work is the bonus live cut tacked on to the end of the disc. In the tradition of past quirky Cohen covers like Irving Berlin's "Always" and Richard Blakeslee's "Passing Thru," the gravel-voiced singer tackles the country classic "Tennessee Waltz" with trademark aplomb that also reminds the listener of Cohen's ever-present sense of humor.
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (p.107) - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 - "[T]he jumbled feel works in DEAR HEATHER's favor."
Entertainment Weekly (p.69) - "Cohen still projects like crazy - he's godlike on the spoken-word tracks..." - Grade: B-
Uncut (p.114) - 5 stars out of 5 - "DEAR HEATHER is Cohen's highest tide yet, his most exquisite marriage of song and poetry and ambiguous grace. Magic is right here."
Uncut (p.75) - Ranked #17 in Uncut's "Best New Albums of 2004" - "[H]is muse remains vigorously undimmed..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.96) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Vocally, it's certainly one of his most hushed and muted albums....Musically, it's melodic and memorable. Beguiling."
