- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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UncutDear Heather is Cohen's highest tide yet, his most exquisite marriage of song and poetry and ambiguous grace. [Nov 2004, p.114]
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Of course Cohen can’t sing, but what matter that when the words are so rich?
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FilterDear Heather, while slow and deep like all of Cohen's albums, carries its own rich surprises. [#13, p.95]
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Completely fascinating from beginning to end.
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BlenderDear Heather is top Cohen. [Nov 2004, p.131]
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Cohen's towering presence and deft songwriting breathe life into the lite-jazz arrangements.
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MojoLyrically it's one of Cohen's least ambiguous albums... Musically it's melodic and memorable. [Nov 2004, p.96]
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If this is indeed his final offering as a songwriter, it is a fine, decent, and moving way to close this chapter of the book of his life.
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Leonard Cohen has had No Voice since he began recording at 33. But he has more No Voice today, at 70, than he did on Ten New Songs, at 67.
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What makes Dear Heather tick are the ladies who look back: longtime co-composer/producer Sharon Robinson and producer-engineer Leanne Ungar, as well as occasional co-lead vocalist Anjani Thomas, who open up the arrangements from the often repetitive Casio-lounge feel of 2001's Ten New Songs.
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At once new and old, familiar and fresh.
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New Musical Express (NME)His sleaziness is hilarious. [30 Oct 2004, p.65]
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Entertainment WeeklyThe preponderance of slight songs marks this as a minor effort. [29 Oct 2004, p.69]
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Q MagazineA straightforward, warm-sounding album. [Dec 2004, p.138]
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During Dear Heather, it becomes hard to escape the sensation that Cohen is expending all his energy on the words and losing interest in music.
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Given that this may be your final release, this is no way to say goodbye.
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Pretty much nothing from Dear Heather is without some kind of significant flaw, and the only thing saving it from being below average---at least in a general sense, and not kept strictly to his own discography----are the few moments that Cohen is kept solitary with as little outside interference as possible.
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A particularly dour, unsatisfying way to end such an intriguing career.
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Mostly, Dear Heather just coasts on poetic phrasing and inoffensive tunes.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 10 out of 11
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Mixed: 0 out of 11
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Negative: 1 out of 11
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XavierFJan 10, 2005
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Dec 12, 2014
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Jul 29, 2011