Leonard Cohen has left the monastery for another collection of songs that sets a goal for all singer-songwriters

Nine years without a new album when you are a marginal (well respected but not selling many copies) artist might be some sort of a record but Leonard Cohen is not just any musician. He is a colossus among giants, a man who’s given a different meaning to songwriting all together. A lot of people reckon he’s been consistently better than Dylan although the ‘Big Bob’ has been infinitely more successful. (Cohen’s ‘Songs Of LC’ from 1968, a classic of singer-songwriting craft, was certified for 1.5 million sales only recently.)

Jokingly nicknamed ‘Laughing Lenny’ (if you aren’t in the know than the guy has never cracked a smile, for cripes!) was a known writer (‘Beautiful Losers’ and ‘The Favourite Game’ are still relevant ‘documents’ of the 1960s state-of-mind) and a poet in his native Canada before turning a singer. And what a songwriter. Then, he decided to withdraw from public life (of a ladies’ man, his babe and manager at one point was Rebecca DeMornay) and went into a monastery. In meantime we had ‘Best Of’, ‘More Best Of’ and live records but no newies. The 67-year-old appeared to have given up on music making.

Far from it: his practising of Zen-Buddhism didn’t prevent him from keeping books of notes and following the departure from monastery last year, he’s produced ‘Ten New Songs’. They are of the same quality as the old ones, but more mature, perhaps more insightful and often more cryptic. The old goat’s monk-name is Jikan (The Silent One) but he hasn’t lost his way with words. Or intriguing melodies… Delivered in a deeper voice than remembered.

‘Everybody Knows’, ‘Alexandra Leaving’, ‘A Thousand Kisses Deep’ and gospel-edged ‘Boogie Street’ demonstrate the spectrum of songs, slower, more contemplative and less amusing than on the couple of previous (studio) albums. Lyrics are where’s at with Lenny – how about ‘I fought against the bottle/but I had to do it drunk’? – and ‘In My Secret Life’ might be a key song here.

‘Ten New Songs’ is wholly co-written by a young backing singer Sharon Robinson (who shares the cover with the man). Leonard hasn’t cheered up (and who would after years of getting up at 3am for monk-ing) but who needs it when this is typically brilliant Cohen.

8/10