This is one of two Leonard Cohen albums I've got, with a third on order. This is the Big Names one, and some of the really Big Names — Messrs Henley, John and Joel — cock up their versions predictably by filling out the songs to strip them of their mystique and then layering their own mannerisms over the top. The versions that work best are those that leave some space in their arrangements and both Bono and Peter Gabriel are perhaps surprisingly good at this. Bono realises there's no point taking his lead from John Cale's version of Hallelujah, as both Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright did, and heads in the opposite direction, almost out-deadpanning Cohen himself in the process. Gabriel's take on Suzanne manages to retain the time-warp effect that you get with Cohen's own performances of his longer lyrics. Willie Nelson makes Bird on a Wire sound like he wrote it: he obviously has a unique gift and personality in his voice and arrangements.
 MusicBrainz entry for this album
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