Dear Heather One Year Old

[Evie B]

Hi Lisa
I know in my heart you are right. I will buy it and give it a fair chance.
At the moment I am listening to Leonard as I chase a mosquito round the room! I have acquired several 'lumps' in the last 24 hours and I think this one is the culprit. It heard that my body was free!
Beastly thing.
Luv
Evie B

[MaryB]

Hi Lisa,

I agree with Evie, give it a chance. When I purchased it when it first came out, I also did not like it. His octave was so very low (maybe that why he chose to stay in the background and let his protoge take the lead) and the overall tone was so slow, it put me off. After playing it a number of times, and I started to really listen, all the beauty of his words came through. The Faith has become one of my favorites. And who can resist his sense of humor in Because Of and Dear Heather ?

Best regards,
Mary

[LisaLCFan]

Hey, actually I (Lisa) encouraged Evie to give it another try, but no worries!

Something that struck me after seeing Leonard live this spring (awesome beyond words ), and listening to and watching Live in London, is that his voice is so strong in these concert performances. This surprised me a bit (in a good way) especially after Dear Heather (and after Ten New Songs, for that matter, and even, to a degree, The Future), since his voice, while still wonderful on those albums, did not for the most part have the richness and power of his concert voice of the past year or so. Since he has shown us from his concerts that he can still belt out the tunes, I'm hoping that his next album will feature his vocals front and centre once again, and that he might pick up the pace a tiny bit, on at least a few songs! He looked to be having so much fun in his concert on songs like Closing Time and the other up-tempo tunes, so perhaps that will encourage him to write some more like that! And maybe, if he records with an actual band, it may inspire him to be more energetic in his singing. Of course, any album he releases will be most welcome, but I can still hope for some danceable tunes!

Besides, my husband is really only fond of the somewhat more up-tempo stuff Leonard does (so, Various Positions, I'm Your Man, and The Future, mainly, although he loves Songs of Leonard Cohen), and so I'd like another Cohen CD that we can both enjoy in the car!

Cheers!

[Undertow]

I really like the album. I think its better than Ten New Songs (I find that a bit samey samey but love reading the lyrics of the songs on it) and Death of a Ladies Man (which I think is also better than Ten New Songs)

But I cannot stand Nightingale. Or the Tennessee Waltz.

[Inna]

I agree with Evie, give it a chance. When I purchased it when it first came out, I also did not like it. His octave was so very low (maybe that why he chose to stay in the background and let his protoge take the lead) and the overall tone was so slow, it put me off. After playing it a number of times, and I started to really listen, all the beauty of his words came through. The Faith has become one of my favorites. And who can resist his sense of humor in Because Of and Dear Heather ?

I completely agree with that. I started listening to it again recently and it is great. It takes time to get used to its unique tone and undertone, but once it is under your skin, it is there to stay. I also especially like "The Faith" as well as "There For You" and "The Letters." But really every song and poem there is a gem.

[kwills]

By Undertow (I find that a bit samey samey but love reading the lyrics of the songs on it) about TNS

Yes I'm with you on that one .I keep meaning to listen to it more,but find myself putting on anything else by LC!

[Mollydog]

It's been a rainy weekend here in Ottawa and I owed myself some quiet time, so I decided to dedicate the time to trying to appreciate Dear Heather. I have played it numerous times and have got to say that I have definitely turned a corner and am enjoying it. It's an album that you really have to listen to, it can't be playing in the background while you're busy with other things. One song that I still don't like is On That Day. I can't put my finger on it but I feel uncomfortable every time I hear it.

Mary

[LisaLCFan]

It's been a rainy weekend here in Ottawa and I owed myself some quiet time, so I decided to dedicate the time to trying to appreciate Dear Heather. I have played it numerous times and have got to say that I have definitely turned a corner and am enjoying it. It's an album that you really have to listen to, it can't be playing in the background while you're busy with other things. One song that I still don't like is On That Day. I can't put my finger on it but I feel uncomfortable every time I hear it.

Mary

I, too, find "On That Day" to be a rather odd song. The jew's harp accompaniment seems a bit light-hearted for such a heavy song. Of course, maybe that was Leonard's intention, to use words to express the darkness of the event, but to add the almost amusing twangy jew's harp as a way of saying, "lighten up, people, it was terribly tragic, but life goes on, and we're allowed to continue to have fun." Of course, I could be wrong...

[LisaLCFan]

A great moment on Dear Heather is in the song "Because Of", when Leonard is singing the chorus "Look at me Leonard..." (about midway or so through the song), and a few "look at me Leonard's" into it, his voice drops really, really deep, and he speaks, rather than sings, "look at me Leonard." I love that!

[GinaDCG]

Joe, I too have noted that the sequence of tracks on Cohen albums is not random -- anything but. But I haven't fully grocked DH yet. I am a fairly new Cohenite and still adding to my collection. I do own DH but my MP3 player met an untimely, and bizarre death last week involving a car interior detail and a defective bottle of sunscreen -- and I'm currently going through music and podcast withdrawal. (We West Virginians have to rely on internet sales more then most.) I'll make reanalyzing the sequence on Dear Heather my #1 priority when Amazon comes through with my new baby (which will be 4Xs as big as my old one.) (I'm drooling at this thought.)

There -- am I not a brainless, American materialist consumer? I MUST have my IPOD!

Gina

[schubert]

It seems like many people I was more than a bit dissapointed with both Dear Heather and Ten New Songs when first hearing them.Now though after many listenings I think they are pure genius up there with his best work,cant wait for his new album.

[TipperaryAnn]

Have just started listening to Dear Heather. Can't imagine how some people don't like Nightingale, I love it ! Like the sea-side feel of Undertow, too. Some of the others might take longer to grow on me, but probably will. It's very much night time music, I think. DLM is great for blasting out at high volume during the day, but DH is great on the i-pod at night or even in bed !