Leonard Cohen - Ten New Songs (2001)
Sony Music, Columbia 501202 2

Tracks:
1. In My Secret Life
2. A Thousand Kisses Deep
3. That Don't Make It Junk
4. Here It Is
5. Love Itself
6. By The Rivers Dark
7. Alexandra Leaving
8. You Have Loved Enough
9. Boogie Street
10. The Land Of Plenty


Amazon.com
Where has Leonard Cohen been for the past nine years? The legendary songwriter's mostly been in a Zen monastery, it turns out, obsessively rewriting and polishing the oblique, lapidary lyrics for this austere collection. Ten New Songs is arguably Sharon Robinson's record as much as Cohen's--she cowrote all the songs, plays most of the instruments (primarily a synth that seems to have freshly emerged from a chintzy 1984 power ballad), and accompanies Cohen's gloomy croak with her own crooning. This is the most subdued album Cohen's ever made, which is saying something. It's as if he no longer has time for anything in music or performance that could alter the meaning and force of his words. --Douglas Wolk

Fan Review
I have been a Leonard Cohen fan for some time now, and allow me to say - this collection of songs may be some of his best. From the title you notice a new plain simplicity. It's no secret that Cohen has been living in "isolation" for the past several years and you get a sense of his new enlightenment.
Gone are the many references to God. Enter an almost subdued album full of pain, anxiety, and Love (of course). Gone are those few back-up singers that could test the ear. Enter one voice that blends well with Mr.Cohen's. One thing that seems to be most constant in Cohen's albums is the infamous drum machine. Well, it's here again. Most of these songs are "slow" and it turns out to be great back-round, rainy day, and late night music. Some stand out tracks would be:
The first - "In my Secret Life". Classic Cohen here. Let's be honest folks, we don't buy his albums for the music - we buy it for the lyrics. He attempts to paint vivid pictures, and we succumb.
My personal favourite "By the River Dark" is an amazing trancing hypnotizing dark song. One of his best in a very long time. You'll want to keep listening to it over and over again.
Well thanks, for reading this. 5 stars for lyrics, 5 stars for Cohen's deep broken voice. Cheers.