Jenny Sings Lenny
R. M. Ettinger | Cleveland Heights, OH USA | 07/17/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"`Famous Blue Raincoat' might be one of the few, if not only, disk I have purchased because a store clerk was playing it while I was searching for other music. This was 1986-87 and "Joan of Arc" had me riveted. I bought the only copy the store had, as this wasn't a big stock item.
Only marginally familiar with both Warnes and Cohen at the time, it seemed like a good blending of talents - as I have never thought much of Cohen as an effective singer. To me, his talents were in the writing.
While only nine songs long, each one is expertly crafted and recorded. That is no small feat considering how new the CD medium was back in the mid-late 80s. It is one of the disks from that era that doesn't already need re-mastering and updating just to be played on today's technology.
Warnes' vocals are a very good match for Cohen's words and she pulls it off seemingly both with ease and the right emotion. There is really no point in picking out highlights - as they all stand by themselves and as a body of work.
20+ year later, it still stands the test of time and worthy of a purchase.
"
Angelic voice, sacred lyrics
B. B. Dickson | 12/07/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Angst is so delicious, and no one could ever describe that taste as well as Leonard Cohen. But when he sings his own, the gravel monotone takes some getting used to. Jennifer Warnes has done an immeasurable service to him (and us) by recording this tribute. Her voice is first-rate table service for Lennie's five-star cuisine. The ideal gift for a potential Cohen fan. Better than a box of really really good chocolates, and a long stemmed rose."
An all-weather Raincoat
R. J MOSS | Alice Springs, Australia | 01/29/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Up front, for all the poignant, often painful detail that endears Cohen's writing to me, I just am not enarmoured of his voice. What respite then when Jennifer Warnes collaborated with Laughing Lenny to make this brilliant song selection. Sure, Jeff Buckley, John Cale, Judy Collins and a host of other luminaries have covered his songbook. None have measured up with the quality of interpretation found in 'Famous Blue Raincoat'. I'd quibble only on the side of including a few more of my favourites, but this glance into what Cohen often reads as despair, is a fabulous tonic."