Import 180gm vinyl LP re-pressing of the singer/songwriter's 2001 album. 10 tracks.

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Overall, however, there is little not to like here. Although I loved the background vocals of Perla Batella on Cohen's earlier records, Sharon Robinson does a great job of crooning harmonies with the monotoned artist, and her production of these tunes is nothing short of magnificent. The whole thing has a rich, full, disciplined yet leisurely sound that manages to seem precise and somehow loose at the same time.

Some have criticized the instrumentation and singing on this album, but such carping really is unjustified. After all, no one listens to Bob Dylan or Townes Van Zandt for the quality of their croaking out lyrics or the tunes they play. It is the words that matter, and on "Ten New Songs" Cohen proves that he is easily in their league as a writer. And it is oddly appropriate that these tracks are very different from the almost weird optimism of "Closing Time" and "Democracy" on "The Future" when it was released in 1992. Nine years later and into the 21st century, Cohen appears to be in a more reflective mood. The change is indeed welcome. Especially under the current circumstances, with the nation now at war and in a recession, a bit of thoughtful perspective is not only instructive but a relief as well. As the man says, "May the lights in the land of plenty shine on the truth someday."

For what it's worth, I believe that the best tracks on this record are "Alexandra Leaving," "In My Secret Life," "That Don't Make It Junk," "You Have Loved Enough," and of course the tune quoted above. "Love Itself" is good, too. On the other hand, "A Thousand Kisses Deep" came across as a retread of "Waiting For A Miracle To Come," and "Boogie Street" and "By The Rivers Dark" strained for originality as they tried to capture the alternately buoyant and depressed beat in their creator's apparent heart of darkness.

Those are minor complaints, however. In general, these "Ten New Songs" were worth waiting almost a decade for, and 20 or 30 years from now, when no one can remember Britney Spears or J-Lo, this is the music that people will play as an archive of how they could find contentment and peace even in an autumn of fear. For that reason alone, you should give the new Leonard Cohen album a spin. As long as you do not expect a toe-tapping series of catchy pop tunes, there should be something here that you will enjoy. Yes, maybe it is a little too serious in places, but it also combines a cynical dry, world-weary sense of humor with a soothing tenderness that is all too rare in this strange day and age. Relax, and grok the fullness. ...

128 of 140 found the following review helpful:

Cohen enters a new world of simplicity and poetry.Oct 10, 2001

I have been a Leonard Cohen fan for some time now, and allow me to say - this collection of songs may be some of his best. From the title you notice a new plain simplicity. It's no secret that Cohen has been living in "isolation" for the past several years and you get a sense of his new enlightenment.

Gone are the many references to God. Enter an almost subdued album full of pain, anxiety, and Love (of course). Gone are those few back-up singers that could test the ear. Enter one voice that blends well with Mr.Cohen's. One thing that seems to be most constant in Cohen's albums is the infamous drum machine. Well, it's here again. Most of these songs are "slow" and it turns out to be great back-round, rainy day, and late night music. Some stand out tracks would be:

The first - "In my Secret Life". Classic Cohen here. Let's be honest folks, we don't buy his albums for the music - we buy it for the lyrics. He attempts to paint vivid pictures, and we succumb.

My personal favourite "By the River Dark" is an amazing trancing hypnotizing dark song. One of his best in a very long time. You'll want to keep listening to it over and over again.

Well thanks, for reading this. 5 stars for lyrics, 5 stars for Cohen's deep broken voice. Cheers.

25 of 27 found the following review helpful:

it was worth the waitOct 21, 2001
By Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator"
After 9 years, some of it spent in a Zen monastery, he's back !
Back with an incredibly beautiful CD...smooth, slow and mellow. These songs are so quiet and understated, it's just short of listening to silence. The arrangements are simple, and done by Sharon Robinson, who also produced, programmed, and performed the music, co-wrote the songs, and who's very lovely voice is a complement to Cohen's, but kept mostly in the background, making for a perfect balance.

These are poetic and thoughtful songs to contemplate the mysteries of life by, or maybe just to sit and watch the grass grow by, which may be the same thing...it will definitely take its place up there with "I'm Your Man" as a favorite CD.
Welcome back Mr. Cohen, we missed you.

19 of 20 found the following review helpful:

A jarring note that I needApr 08, 2002
By Chuck Wetzel
My other favorite Leonard Cohen record is The Death of A Ladies Man, which is a very different cd in every way. Or at least in every way but the one that really matters, which is Leonard Cohen's plain spoken voice singing those startling words with such rich melodies.

This cd is as simple and stripped down sounding as any contemporary cd I own. It might as well have been an acoustic guitar solo record but instead Cohen chose the cheapest , most obvious Radio Shack keyboard sound you can imagine. And I'm sure this will put some people off this cd but I believe the reason he did it was to speak in the most mundane, common language while speaking in the most elevated, trancendental language.

Throughout the cd, his voice is echoed by Sharon Robinson, his producer, who adds a dry, simple harmonic richness that rubs up against Cohen's typical dry rasp. I find this perfect, though I'm sure there will be those who don't. It is reminiscent to me of The Death of A Ladies Man in the bold simplicity of the production, though 10 New Songs is much more of a stripped down feeling.

You will never hear songs from anyone else like By the Rivers Dark or, especially, Alexandra Leaving. I don't know how to do a comparison here, because I don't believe anyone else has written songs that are even similar. How many artists can you say that about?

Finally, the album ends with what strikes a jarring note in our current atmosphere of patriotism, and I'm very sure that he meant it to. The last song, The Land of Plenty, is like a prayer for truth in an atmosphere of propaganda. "May the lights in the land of plenty shine on the truth someday." I don't even know that I agree with this, but I do know that no one else is really saying anything like it with sincerity and genuine hope. And thats why I need to hear Leonard Cohen's not so perfect voice.

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