Columbia

A collection of 10 new songs about love, loss, religion, sex and spirituality,Old Ideas ruminateson topics that LeonardCohen has been contemplating for the majority of his six-decade career. But nothing here sounds old – it feels classic. On the Canadian singer/poet/ author/artist’s (among other things) first album in eight years and 12th overall, the arrangements are simple and sparse: brushed drums, a piano, a trumpet, a banjo, understated strings, a crying church organ creating the backdrop for Cohen’s rich, dignified baritone, the power of which has only grown deeper and more nuanced with passing years. A trademark of his best work, Cohen again sets his gravel-rubbed voice against a chorus of heavenly female backup singers, creating ethereal textures and contrasts that are capable of transporting the listener, connecting us to something bigger than ourselves. It’s often hard to discern and might not matter whether it’s God or the big black void we’re rubbing up against – Cohen can carry us to either. So often our heroes don’t age with grace, but the few that do become legends. Coming off of a 2008-2010 world tour that was unanimously acclaimed and with what just might be the most beautiful, somber album of the year, the 77-yearold Cohen is in a league of his own.