Cohen Cover Revelations

I grabbed Leonard Cohen's I'm Your Man off a dingy rack of DVDs at the local grocery store cum gas station. Didn't expect much; hadn't heard of most of the cover "artists".

It was godawful.

What a useless gang of washed-up has-beens, or maybe never wases, populated this sad collection. Some must have been pulled from punk rock groups. Family connections were everywhere apparent. It made me wonder if: a) the whole show was cast from people on Mr. Cohen's Montreal street; or, b) he wouldn't allow anyone onstage who might outclass him?

Then a revelation . .

After what seemed endless hours of agony, Antony (Hegarty) delivers (channels?) a musical masterpiece with "If It Be Your Will".¹  Artistic genius, perfect from beginning-to-end.

Add his name to Jeff Buckley's for out-of-the-park Leonard Cohen covers.²

And another . .

Teddy Thompson makes "Tonight Will Be Fine" country, not quite what the songwriter had in mind. He makes me believe.

But Teddy's version of "The Future" is a stunner. My guess is he owes much to Hal Willner³ for arrangement. Whatever it took, it's sustained, unmatched brilliance — live for seven full minutes.⁴

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1. my ear always converts it to "If It Be Thy Will".
2. it was a commemorative show in honor of his father Tim Buckley, produced by Hal Willner, that launched Jeff's career.
3. when he commemorates Richard and Linda Thompson, we know who'll be there (with kid sister Kami).
4. so good it makes me enjoy the song in spite of its troubling message.