Leonard Cohen has mentioned several songs that shaped his particular musical vision in various interviews over the years, and this interesting 25-track set collects a bunch of those together. The result is a fascinating blueprint for Cohen’s creative template, and all of these selections make a kind of sense in that regard. And it’s a varied group, with songs as different as the traditional “Careless Love” (featured here in a version by Josh White), Frankie Laine’s huge-sounding “Jezebel,” Les Paul & Mary Ford’s elegant “Tennessee Waltz,” and live versions by the Ronettes of “Be My Baby” and by Joni Mitchell of “California” and poetry readings by Allen Ginsberg (of “Supermarket in California”) and Jack Kerouac (the jazz piano-backed “Charlie Parker”). It all has an easy flow to it, and it isn’t too hard to see where each cut here contributed to Cohen’s grand, wounded, romantic, and ultimately hopeful musical vision.
Leonard Cohen's Jukebox: The Songs That Inspired The Man
Leonard Cohen
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Leonard Cohen's Jukebox: The Songs That Inspired The Man Review
by Steve Leggett
