"What better singer to interpret the dark, enigmatic songs of Canadian bard Leonard Cohen than the equally enigmatic Judy Collins?"asked one reviewer. I'll respond: Jennifer Warnes. Check out the 20th anniversary release of Famous Blue Raincoat with four new songs on it and most will agree with me . . . except of course the truly die hard Judy Collins fans (which in most cases I am but not when it comes to Cohen and Warnes). Sorry.
November 25, 2007 |  | Judy Collins gets better with age |  |
Like a fine wine, Judy Collins has only gotten better with age. Her golden voice echos beauty with every note. If you are a Leonard Cohen fan or not you will turn up your player and listen how Judy has made these songs her own. My wife and I have listened to this collection over and over again as she waves her magic with Cohens best songs.As Great as Judy has been through the years, this collection reaches new levels. I can only hope she makes another one.
February 19, 2007 This CD is an outstanding compilation of Leonard Cohen songs sung by the premier interpreter of his works. It showcases the uniqueness of Cohen's
composing as well as the versatility and beauty of Judy Collins' voice.
January 10, 2007 | | A great "Suzanne" but others fall short | |
Judy Collins has a voice and style that shines on the lilting ballads. She owns "Suzanne" and "Sisters of Mercy", but doesn't have the depth, range or emotion to carry "Joan of Arc" or "Famous Blue Raincoat". If you want to hear, according to Cohen himself, the best interpretations of his songs, get the "Famous Blue Raincoat" CD by Jennifer Warnes...also a master disc recording you can use to demo the best stereo systems available.
December 1, 2006I like Judy Collins and I like Leonard Cohen, so I thought this album was a no-brainer for me. Boy was I wrong. Judy's gimmick of recording everything as though she's in an echo-chamber is getting tired. And all her interpretations of the songs are *painfully* slow. I enjoyed "Democracy" (the first song on the album), but the rest was a total wash. I almost didn't listen to the entire thing, but I thought it would be unfair to write a review without giving the whole album one full hearing. But I'm listening to "Song of Bernadette" as I write this review, so I can now say that the entire album, with the exception of "Democracy," as stated above, is just slow, tired, echo-y, and painful. Barely a step above elevator music--not at all what I expected from Judy Collins with such great material! If you like Leonard Cohen, I highly recommend the "Tower of Song" tribute album from a number of different artists, rather than this one.
October 26, 2006More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(20 reviews)