Paper Magazine
October 2004
Leonard Cohen
Dear Heather (Columbia)
On Leonard Cohen's latest effort, the sound of his gravelly baritone speaks as much as his poems. "Villanelle for Our Time" features him reciting beautiful lyrics set against barely audible keys, a quietly strummed stand-up bass and lightly brushed drums. Anjani Thomas accompanies him on eight of the 12 songs, bringing a perfect balance to his rumbles with her light, soft voice. The effect of their duet skirts religious territory in "The Faith," where an oud is the only thing that stops it from becoming a hymn. Though intensely lonely in its stark acoustics, Dear Heather is warm enough to feel as if it could commiserate.