Some legends don't get a final encore, one last chance to leave it all on record for the world to hear. For the ones that do, however, it's truly special when a celebration of life, legacy and song turns into something much more. Yes, it's been three short years since Leonard Cohen left us, but Thanks for the Dance is a starkly earnest portrait of a wordsmith crafting his final gem.
Much of the tone on this record is reflective and melancholy, Cohen's raspy, biting delivery backed by some wonderful instrumentation. The use of laúd adds a more soulful flair on "Happens to the Heart" and "The Night of Santiago"; a particularly vivid recalling of a passion-filled night with its handclaps, harmonious vocals and coda of "Though I've forgotten half my life, I still remember this."
For a record mostly produced in a small garage near his father's home in Los Angeles, Adam Cohen deserves credit for gathering and producing with this particular group of collaborators: we're talking Beck on guitar, backing vocals from the likes of Jennifer Warnes and Feist among others, the aforementioned classical guitar handiwork of Javier Mas and many more. Everyone lends a truly ethereal atmosphere to the overall production, a beautiful yang to the yin of You Want It Darker.
The title track is a lovely waltzing tome filled with soothing horns and encapsulates the mentality of this last hurrah. "Listen to the Hummingbird" may appear a straightforward punctuation to the proceedings, but the bigger picture reveals a humble message, reminding us to focus on the many small and wonderful creatures in this great big (and sometimes mad) world rather than his musings. A big picture that encompasses the fleeting effects of one's words in a culture often focused on the short-term.
Thanks for the Dance is a fitting goodbye to a figure who, whether they've been in your life for one day, one year or a lifetime, made a tremendous impact on their craft. A beautiful reprise to a song of love or hate. The pleasure was all ours, Leonard.
(Columbia)Much of the tone on this record is reflective and melancholy, Cohen's raspy, biting delivery backed by some wonderful instrumentation. The use of laúd adds a more soulful flair on "Happens to the Heart" and "The Night of Santiago"; a particularly vivid recalling of a passion-filled night with its handclaps, harmonious vocals and coda of "Though I've forgotten half my life, I still remember this."
For a record mostly produced in a small garage near his father's home in Los Angeles, Adam Cohen deserves credit for gathering and producing with this particular group of collaborators: we're talking Beck on guitar, backing vocals from the likes of Jennifer Warnes and Feist among others, the aforementioned classical guitar handiwork of Javier Mas and many more. Everyone lends a truly ethereal atmosphere to the overall production, a beautiful yang to the yin of You Want It Darker.
The title track is a lovely waltzing tome filled with soothing horns and encapsulates the mentality of this last hurrah. "Listen to the Hummingbird" may appear a straightforward punctuation to the proceedings, but the bigger picture reveals a humble message, reminding us to focus on the many small and wonderful creatures in this great big (and sometimes mad) world rather than his musings. A big picture that encompasses the fleeting effects of one's words in a culture often focused on the short-term.
Thanks for the Dance is a fitting goodbye to a figure who, whether they've been in your life for one day, one year or a lifetime, made a tremendous impact on their craft. A beautiful reprise to a song of love or hate. The pleasure was all ours, Leonard.