Leonard Cohen turned 80 last Sunday, and celebrated the anniversary with a new album. Just two and a half years have passed since the release of Old Ideas; in the context of his career, that's the mark of a workaholic.
That said, it now takes a bit more effort to raise the sly eyebrow of an old dog who refuses to lie down. "All your moves are swift/All your turns are tight/Let me catch my breath/I thought we had all night" he rasps on opening track Slow. The self-mockery is still there, but it's less consistent than it was on the previous album.
The main problem with Popular Problems is that the music cheapens the poetry. You don't come to Leonard Cohen for the singing - at best he shifts his recitation up or down a note - but the arrangements never do justice to the words. The sleazy lounge style of Slow and A Street sets mood above melody, while the sudden bluegrass choruses of Did I Ever Love You are embarrasingly cheesy.
Worst of all are the soulless female backing vocals, which add all the authenticity of a karaoke tape. When Cohen mines a sentiment from deep in his soul, the music renders it parodic rather than poignant: an eight-carat diamond set in a white gold ring.
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