Leonard Cohen - Songs From The Road

Artist: Leonard Cohen
Album: Songs From The Road
Rating: 5 stars
Record Label: Columbia Records Legacy Recording


Close on the heels of Bird On A Wire, a DVD of never before seen footage from Cohen's 1972 European tour comes the CD/DVD combination Songs From The Road, a collection of 12 songs from Cohen’s 2008/09 tour. For those of us who only dream of hearing the legendary rock and roll hall of famer live, this is as good as it gets to the second best thing, after Live In London, of course. Not surprisingly, the record starts with Lover Lover Lover from Cohen’s Tel Aviv concert, where he performed to a crowd of over 50,000 people and still managed to connect with the audience in typical Cohen fashion. It’s almost overwhelming to hear a crowd of 20,000 plus people cheering in recognition as Cohen sings opening notes to songs like Famous Blue Raincoat, Bird On A Wire, Chelsea Hotel, and Hallelujah. An interesting thing about the collection is the presence of songs like That Don’t Make It Junk and Waiting For The Miracle that you won’t find on any greatest hits collections, and the almost perverse absence of any tracks from I’m Your Man, Cohen’s masterpiece record from 1988. What is probably most endearing about this new package is the genuine humility and appreciation he shows for the response from his fans. The best part of the package, however, is the 20 minute bonus footage of his band navigating through 195 countries. Recently turned 71, Cohen’s legacy is truly spectacular and this collection proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that his music was wise beyond its years.
 
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(Originally published in The Sunday Guardian on September 26, 2010)