Come October 14, Blue Note Records will release Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen, featuring 12 cover versions of Leonard Cohen’s songs.
Produced by Larry Klein, the collection of songs features contributions by Norah Jones, James Taylor, Nathaniel Rateliff, Peter Gabriel, Iggy Pop, Mavis Staples, and more.
Spanning some five decades of work – from his 1967 debut, Songs of Leonard Cohen, to his final album, You Want It Darker, released in 2016 – the dozen songs offer a wide range of Cohen’s compositions.
Taylor’s intimate version on “Coming Back to You,” from Cohen’s 1984 LP Various Positions, is the first title from the album with James stating:
“When Larry Klein invited me to participate in a Leonard Cohen tribute album, I accepted immediately.” “Both because Larry is a great producer of excellent recordings and a good friend, and because, like almost everyone in my generation, I venerate Leonard Cohen. As soon as I began seeking out my own musical preferences, Cohen’s songs were among my few favorites and had a major influence on my own progression as a songwriter.” “For the project, I was drawn to a relatively obscure piece that was new to me, ‘Coming Back To You.’ Larry opted to cut the song in Cohen’s original key, which was certainly at the bottom of my own range. But somehow moving me out of my comfort zone helped me find my own approach to the song. Like so much of Leonard Cohen’s writing, this lyric resonates deeply with his forlorn and hopeless take on the bleak landscape of love and attachment.”
About the full length recording, Klein gathered jazz-based guitarist Bill Frisell, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Nate Smith, with the producer stating:
“It was an immensely gratifying experience to re-contextualize these poems, and shine a different light on them.” “I hope that this musical language that we developed together, the context that we put these things in, makes the songs connect with people in a new way.”
Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen Track List:
1. Steer Your Way – Norah Jones
2. Here It Is – Peter Gabriel
3. Suzanne – Gregory Porter
4. Hallelujah – Sarah McLachlan
5. Avalanche – Immanuel Wilkins
6. Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye – Luciana Souza
7. Coming Back to You – James Taylor
8. You Want It Darker – Iggy Pop
9. If It Be Your Will – Mavis Staples
10. Seems So Long Ago, Nancy – David Gray
11. Famous Blue Raincoat – Nathaniel Rateliff
12. Bird on The Wire – Bill Frisell
Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen is available to pre-order on D2C exclusive color vinyl, black vinyl, CD, or digital download.
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: Rama