You Want It Darker

Ufff that voice, que hot. Es raro, siento que su voz no pega para algunas canciones, pero es imposible que no te atrape e inclusive hace que suene mejor. Es justamente esa extrañeza de oir una voz tan adulta abriéndose de esa forma ante Dios lo que lo hace tan particular. Ya finalizando el álbum puedo decir que me gustó bastante. No me esperaba para nada que me gustara, pero me sorprendió para bien. La verdad es que volvería a escucharlo, ya que lo disfrute mucho. Amo las religion psychosis.

I had zero expectations going into this one since I didn't really care for Songs of Leonard Cohen, so I found myself pleasantly surprised with You Want It Darker! Everything about it is just executed so well – Cohen really went out with a bang here. I'm hesitant to give it five stars, but a high four is absolutely warranted. If I ever happen across a CD copy at a record store, that's going to be an EASY purchase. Highlights: You Want It Darker, Treaty, On the Level, If I Didn’t Have Your Love, Traveling Light, Steer Your Way, String Reprise / Treaty

Don't like that kind of production. But the voice and the vibe... Yeah, I want it darker!

Having listened to one of Leonard Cohen's albums already, I wasn't super stoked when this popped up today. But man, I really liked it. Definitely giving Tom Waits vibes, and I love Tom Waits. His sound definitely changed from that last album I listened to, to this

8/10 Monótono, pero bueno. Canción destacada: On the level

simple and beautiful standout: you want it darker and Travelling Light

Didn’t think I would like but ended up enjoying it. Steer your way is a great song

masterpiece

The whole album is dark and gloomy, perfect for a rainy day.

Simply wonderful. So seemingly simple and beautiful. Wish I had and do listen more.

Lenny coco forever

No, no, not that dark!

Wow. I was not a fan of LC's earlier work, reading poetry over music, but this took me by surprise. Haunting, depressing, a voice like gravel - but it drew me in.

AUCH

Terrified tomorrow is going to pop up Blackstar and I'm in for the double. This is a really beautiful. Treaty especially.

Treaty On the Level Traveling Light It Seemed the Better Way

Visceralmente emocional. Siempre me gustó la poesía de Cohen y, si bien conecto más cuando tiende a ser algo más grandilocuente, valoro mucho el minimalismo que presenta en este proyecto. Creo que construye una gran atmósfera que, sumado a sus líricas y al contexto del albúm, termina siendo desgarradora.

Leonard Cohen is sometimes too much Leonard Cohen, but he is still Leonard Cohen after all.

excellent

Good career sign off

Bittersweet thinking about him recording his last album in his living room but what a great album to go out on

Woah this was darker.

My first thoughts: How many cigarettes has he smoked for his voice to sound like that? This is a brooding, dark, almost nocturnal album. Haunting in its very stripped down nature. Poetic in its sparseness and the literal reading of the lyrics over the music. Thought I'd hate it, really enjoyed it

Det e jo ikke overraskanes at musikken til Cohen tendere mot det religiøse, men det va en fin overraskelse likevel da æ satte på albumet en søndag etter gudstjeneste. For en stemme, for et mørke, for et dyp.

This one was tough. Stunningly intimate deathbed confessional production. But all I could really think about was how he logged off at the right time before getting a chance to really lean into his zionism. Four stars. Favorite track: Treaty. Free Palestine.

This is beautiful. I’m a fan of Leonard Cohen’s earlier work, but never got around to listening to this album until this project. His voice is weathered, but not unpleasant, and the instrumentals are melodic enough to carry the lyrical poetry of his struggles with God and impending death.

> the Beatles

This one surprised me, excellent album!

Liked it quite a bit more than I expected. Songwriting is great.

raw lyrics

Deep melancholy as would be expected. Not as strong as some of his earlier work, but the man is just a pleasure to listen to.

I do like Leonard Cohen. There's always a chill vibe to his music. Feels like a song playing near the end of a movie where some character's come to terms with the way their life is and they're just getting on with it. I like this.

Brilliant. The production is amazing, it's as though Leonard Cohen is whispering into your ear in a confined space. Probably a coffin. I have to confess this is another concept album I actually like. Reflections on a theme. I think you need to listen to the album on its entirety, no songs stood out especially for me.

first album i'm excited about upfront beautiful start i think it's gonna be a keeper for a longer time very moody worth revisiting record as a whole 4 out of 5

My dog Louie loves Leonard Cohen. "You Want It Darker" is his favourite song. Louie is a highly intelligent 9 year old golden retriever with a huge personality. We're convinced that he thinks he's a human. When we got a second dog Beau (his brother from a younger litter), it was like he thought we'd gotten him a pet dog. When Louie was younger, I was listening to this album one day as I worked in the kitchen of an old house that we were renting at the time. After the choir and bass intro, when Cohen's older, deep, gravelly voice came on, Louie stopped in his tracks. He dropped the stuffed animal he was meticulously dissecting, and slowly got to his feet. Eyes widened, he crept into the kitchen area, and stopped right at the speaker. His head tilted and cocked to one side, ears fully forward, he stood there mesmerised by the sound of Cohen's voice. There's a chance that it was because the vocals resembled a low growl, but really it was because Louie is a dog who has great taste. He also loves ambient electronica, and bands like Caribou or Four Tet. This was the moment he became a Leonard Cohen fan. To bring this album out just 17 days before Cohen's passing is up there with Bowie as a fitting way to say farewell. This album is slow, calm, reflective poetry, set to some of his best melodies. Dark, brooding, atmospheric hymns layered with organs, bluegrass instrumentation and choral textures. Leonard Cohen is one of the great modern poets, and this a perfect end to a well-deserved legacy left behind. These songs continue to have a lasting effect, both on people, and dogs who think they're people. 4.5 stars from myself and Louie.

You Want It Darker - 5/5 Treaty - 5/5 On the Level - 4/5 Leaving the Table - 5/5 If I Didn't Have Your Love - 3/5 Traveling Light - 5/5 It Seemed the Better Way - 4/5 Steer Your Way - 4/5 String Reprise / Treaty - 3/5 Average score: 4.2/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i don't think i knew what to expect going into this album, especially as someone who doesn't really listen to Leonard Cohen. regardless of the dark and somber nature, there's a lot of beauty within. some tracks like Leaving the Table feel like they could fit in a soundtrack for a western film i honestly think his vocal performance is just fine considering his age and physical condition at the time. gave me similar vibes to David Bowie's Blackstar; one last hurrah before making his exit. i can respect that

Scalp tingles. This was a fascinating listen - I loved the arc, I loved the instrumentation, I loved that it was so simple and how that added to the power.

It isn't my favorite Leonard Cohen, but has a place in my soul.

This is many things.

Cohen addressed most of the complaints I had with "Songs of Love and Hate". The tracks are shorter (not one over 5 minutes long where the aforementioned had 7 of 8). This album's music is also much more interesting, with beautiful strings accompanying many of the tracks. Cohen still talk sings, but I found it less annoying. Instead, when paired with the strings, it was somber and affective. And so it came as a surprise to me that I enjoyed it and would listen to it again.

Favorites: You Want It Darker, On the Level, If I Didn't Have Your Love, String Reprise/Treaty

Impossible not to listen to every single syllable.

Wikipedia says this came out 17 days before Leonard Cohen's death, but that can't be right, because I'm pretty sure he recorded these vocals AFTER he died

Leonard Cohen's last album is a dark, cold, slow, subtle and emotional experience, and a great way to end his discography. What surprised me the most about this record is how raspy and deep his voice is. I'm not aware if in his previous albums he already had such a worn-out voice, since the last project I heard from him was "I'm Your Man" and it is from 1988, but I think it is a detail that contributes a lot to the feeling of weariness portrayed, not only through the sound, but also through the lyrics. To give an example, in the song "Treaty" he sings: "I'm angry and I'm tired all the time". In addition to the voice, the folk instrumentation makes an incredibly accompaniment to the voice. The instruments and choirs are incredibly quite and create some very moody and sad atmospheres. There are also some times that they stole the show, like in the wonderful strings in the songs "Steer Your Way" and "String Reprise / Treaty". I personally need to mention that I liked a lot more when the songs focused more in the a folk sound. Pieces like "Treaty" and "On the Level" feel to me that approach his sophist-pop side and I didn't like as much, while "Leaving the Table" or "Steer Your Way" I think approaches more his traditional folk sound that I really resonate with. With that being said, I think the song I liked the most is "It Seemed the Better Way" as I do believe is the darkest one. In conclusion, a great experience. It might be an experience that requires a very specific mood to get all of its value, but I still appreciate a lot how obscure it is.

Beautiful, introspective in its lyrics. You know that you are listening to the last words of a dying man as he is reconciling with death and God

haunting

Okay, this is waaaay different than the first Leonard Cohen album I listened to (Songs of Leonard Cohen), and by different, I mean much, much better.

This is dope!

Pretty cozy despite being spoken word.

Great Songs: You Want It Darker, On the Level Good Songs: Treaty, Leaving The Table, It Seemed The Better Way, Steer Your Way, String Reprise / Treaty Mid Songs: If I Didn't Have Your Love, Travelling Light Bad Songs:

4/5. Being his final album, You Want it Darker sees Leonard Cohen grappling with faith and his own mortality. The instrumentals set a nice dark atmosphere but what really sells this album is Cohens voice. The deep, old and world-weary sounding voice that he had in his later years fits this album perfectly and elevates it a lot.

Mostly spoken word over a pretty good musical bed. But man he makes it work

Very surprised by this one. Was not expecting him to sound this good at that age and especially right before dying...

não tava dando nada por esse álbum, mas ele entregou tudo. incrível como a voz do leonard cohen é capaz de deixar qualquer coisa mais interessante (sem querer diminuir os arranjos, que também são incríveis)

I liked this more than I thought I would. It starts out like the soundtrack to a duel and stays that way. Not running music.

- I hope that I, too, am creating music or some form of art that is important to me up to just days before my death like Mr. Cohen did with this album - I have a feeling this isn't the only Leonard Cohen album on this list (I would be incredibly surprised if so), but the fact that his final musical effort made it here as something to definitely listen to feels significant. I think western society tends to write off elderly adults as being unable to contribute much of anything and may even consider them a burden to the living (to be frank, the impression I used to have is that you enter this world blubbering and in diapers and leave it the same way), but if you're lucky enough to still have your mental faculties, there's probably a lot we can learn from someone who has lived as full of a life as Cohen -- especially in the form of artistic expression - poetic, haunting, and memorable, just like the rest of what I know from his body of work

Oh boy, another "Late Era Masterpiece from a Legacy Artist" that seemingly every artist with a career that lasted over 30 years has on this list! Yeah, there are definitely a notable amount of these on the list, aren't there? But you know what? This is one of the better ones. I don't know why I'm acting like these kinds of albums are bad. Most of them have actually been pretty good, and You Want It Darker is among them. This is, for lack of better phrasing, Leonard Cohen's Blackstar. I mean, the two albums were literally released in the same year! Of course, that begs the question of which album I prefer, and I'd have to give that one to Blackstar. That album has a serious argument to be made for being Bowie's best album. You Want It Darker? It's great, don't get me wrong. I can easily see this being called one of Leonard Cohen's best albums, but his absolute best? I don't know. I prefer the style of the "Songs..." trilogy that started his musical career. I have a ton of respect for this album though. Musically speaking, it's very different. Those earlier albums were pretty sparse instrumentally. You had an acoustic guitar, a backing string section, and that was mostly it, barring a few exceptions. This thing definitely has more of a focus on the production, which is interesting to hear. I guess there had been quite a bit more experimentation in the decades between those albums and this one here than I thought. I think the earlier style works better with Leonard's writing and vocals, but I respect the effort to do something different here. Speaking of writing and vocals, let's talk about them now! The vocals honestly could've aged better, but they could've aged worse too! You've got to remember that Leonard was like 80 when he recorded this album, so yeah his voice as aged quite a bit. It's definitely more gruff and less melodic than on earlier albums, but it is a natural age and I think it was for the best to not edit the vocals like crazy or anything, especially given the songwriting, which is just as great as ever. As is the case with past albums of his, it's Leonard Cohen's songwriting that serves as the most striking thing about You Want It Darker. Of course, many of the LC staples are still here, namely the religious allegories and generally poetic feel. However, and you probably knew this already, death was seemingly on Mr. Cohen's mind when he was making the album, and it seems that he was right to think about it as he died just 17 days after the release of this album. Those Blackstar comparisons aren't there for nothing. This is especially evident on the album's opening songs, "You Want It Darker" and "Treaty." It really makes the lyrics hit harder knowing the context. It definitely makes this among the more notable albums in his discography, making it a natural contender for being a must-listen. As for my opinion, I do love this album quite a bit. However, from a musical perspective, I think this may be my personal least favorite of his I've heard thus far. Still great, still beautiful, still Leonard, but he's made better. Solid 4/5.

I had something written up but this website doesn't save drafts very well and I don't feel like typing up everything I've typed all over again, I'll just say that it's a great last album from an iconic singer songwriter who knows he's at death's door.

Not my favorite Leonard cohen album but I like it

There's something about old people talk-singing their way through meditations on love, religion, and mortality that gets me man.

Starting with Cohen's swan song probably isn't the best introduction to him (other than already hearing Hallelujah), but here it goes. Before: This will be terrible, won't it? After: Huh. I liked that, and I have no idea why. Everything I know about my musical taste says I should hate this album. Poetry isn't my thing, and this is basically a poetry reading with background music. I hate the speak-sing thing when Tom Waits does it, but it works here. A couple of possibilities: Cohen is an excellent writer. His deep gravelly voice works well with both the subject matter and the music. I suspect I won't like his other albums as much, but this one is good.

Sounds almost eerie in a way. The piano and strings in many of the songs were very beautiful. This was very nice. Favorite song: Treaty

Leonard Cohen has always been "drinking alone in a smokey bar" kind of music and this is no different. Very niche, but I enjoyed it.

A great final album that I will always associate with Bowie's Blackstar since they both came out around the same time and are both really good final chapters to two amazing music careers.

Moody and brooding. I would expect nothing less from the great Leonard Cohen on his death bed.

Top album. You want it darker is all time fave. 4,5/5

Buena colección de temas de Leonard Cohen sobre la muerte, la vida, la religión y etc. Momentos bonitos, momentos curiosos por escucharle sobre instrumentales más modernitas y tal, y sorprendentemente me resultó menos triste de lo que me esperaba, puede que por lo metafórico de su manera de tratar su propia mortalidad, que o no me llega del todo o me irá llegando en escuchas sucesivas, o puede ser porque lo vea demasiado irreal por ser quien es o demasiado poeta duro como para conectar con él en lo humano y vulnerable. Ayer justo me tocó un disco de Johnny Cash, y hay algo bonito en ese macho duro como la roca que en sus últimos momentos se vuelve frágil y vulnerable, y notas ese miedo en su voz, y conectas con esa forma en la que ninguno de nosotros está preparado para afrontar la muerte. Leonard Cohen parece refugiarse más vez en una actitud mística, de druida, de saber lo que va a ocurrir porque conoce la profecía o algo, y también está bonito, pero no conecto tanto. A lo mejor es cosa mía que presté poca atención por momentos. Buen disco.

Exceptional lyrics

High 3? Surprisingly modern sounds and some beautiful moments but a lot of the tracks feel similar to me, especially in the middle

Listened in the car while running errands. A heartbreakingly beautiful record. Didn't realize the timing of his death until about halfway through and it completely recontextualized the record for me. It was on the short side which left me wanting more.

A poet with music as his backdrop, one unafraid of the big themes: spirituality, meaning, death, and hope.

This was new to me. Great album, loved the title track especially. Will listen again

New to me- loved this.

Feels very dark yet beautiful

Synkkää, mutta kaunista. Eka biisi paras, muuten aika samaa kaavaa.

I've not heard this before. I wouldn't say I think it's his best work but it is good. Lots of the 5-star reviewers have articulated it better than I could.

If I'd had this during dramatic college breakups this would have been on repeat.

Ein düsteres, poetisches Album über Tod, Glaube und Abschied. Mit tiefer Stimme, minimalistischer Instrumentierung und spiritueller Klarheit zieht Cohen Bilanz. Der Titelsong mit dem hebräischen „Hineni“ wirkt wie ein letzter Dialog mit Gott. Ein stilles, kraftvolles Spätwerk.

A brilliant album that truly encapsulates ones acceptance of the life they lead, which is made all the more poignant by Leonard Cohen's death a mere 17 days after it was released.

Beautifully macabre.

Dark, brooding reflection on life from his deathbed. What a farewell album.

Such a poignant reflection of life and death

Just cool. Effortlessly cool. Bit of a slow burn at times, especially in the middle, and requires a lyrical deep dive to fully comprehend, but yeah overall just very cool. 7.5 / 10 Best track/s: On The Level, You Want It Darker

(Reading the news in January 2026) NO, I DO NOT WANT IT DARKER! (An hour later after listening to this twice) WELL, IT TURNS OUT I DID WANT IT DARKER!

Tää Cohen on kyllä jännä tyyppi. Kun avaa suunsa niin se vaan kuulostaa heti hyvältä. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Interesting perspective on life, death, and religion. Beautifully sentimental.

That was really damn good. Great voice here too

Haunting. Amazing!

This was definitely a cool album, and had some interesting perspectives. I enjoyed the dark voice of Cohen combined with an overall chill tone.

This is really good, and not at all the kind of stuff I'd usually listen to. The entire album is an experience, I listened to it twice through and enjoyed it just as much second time around. The vocals are crisp, the tension in some of the songs is unnerving but brilliant and the lyrics are fantastic. Colour me impressed.

Sultry and beautiful. This man’s words will never cease to move and amaze

The sound of a man accepting his impending death and loss of faith. Not exactly "uplifting" but scores highly in truthfulness

I didn't expect to like this album. But here we are. His delivery, the poetic nature of the lyrics, and his penchant for mystical/religious symbolism all added a mythical element to the music for me. The instrumentation was usually simple and didn't evolve much throughout the songs, but the cadence and statements/nature of the lyrics still made me often feel like there was rising tension to successive verses. Also I'm a sucker for gravelly voices.

Unfamiliar/ first listen. At the start I was not terribly impressed, then a few songs in something clicked and this seemed very familiar. I realized a lot of what I like about Jarvis Cocker, and Mark Lanegan can be traced back to Leonard. Leonard’s voice is the instrument here and it’s front and center so you can take it all in. Minimal accompaniment quietly playing along, but that’s not what we’re here for. You paid for the Leonard Show and you’re gonna get the Leonard show. 4 stars.

Have to respect this - a great American poet and songwriter. Never loved his voice, but hard to be critical of a dying man.

Different. I feel like smoking a cigarette while sipping on some whiskey.

Crudo y honesto Se nota lo agotado, se nota lo que pesan los años Un álbum muy real RIP

Muy fuera de lo que escucho normalmente, ideal para escuchar mientras trabajas o lees

This reminded me so much of an Italian artist I shared space with in Krakow in 2019. He wore a blue jumpsuit and sculpted all day listening to Leonard Cohen.

absolutely love Leonard Cohen's voice. So deep and profound. And the instrumentals on some of the songs, glorious !

I'm not religious, yet I sense the power of a man in his last few days saying goodbye to this world and talking to his god. Such a unique experience

I actually have listened this album before. I like the If I didn't have your love

Moody. I've always loved his storytelling. Good stuff.

What a legend

My only gripe with the record is the title track hits hard, then it's a slower record after that. Still a great penultimate record for the legendary Leonard Cohen.

Mr. Cohen's voice is shot. He never had a conventional good voice to begin with but he wasn't about the voice. It was about the music & the songwriting. His broken voice was almost growling in the title track. This reminded me alot of Johnny Cash. He clearly was on his last legs & the songwriting reflects that. Making peace with his maker, even questioning it at times. Love lost & pain. There was lots of somber secular soundscapes & even a country sounding song. 4

This is a beautiful and haunting farewell album. Cohenbis such a goat.

Ouvi este álbum quando lançou em 2016, mas nunca revisitei. Tenho familiaridade com o Cohen há muitos anos mas nunca fiz um deep dive real. Minha experiência hoje com esse álbum foi bastante boa. Title song e treaty começam o álbum lindamente. Sim, é mostly um recital de poesia com música de fundo, mas there's nothing wrong with that. It's good poetry.

Cohen's final words before his passing. Brilliant.

I'm not familiar with Leonard Cohen beyond Hallelujah. I thought this was really good and listened more than once. I suspect I might enjoy other Leonard Cohen albums too.

I was really hard on another Cohen album. I hated the production more than anything. This is how to frame Leonard Cohen songs. Sombre, haunting and matches the patina on his voice.

Album 1004 of 1089 You Want It Darker - Leonard Cohen (2016) Rating : 4 / 5 This is one of those cases where starting the day in a darker tone actually feels right. I’ve always enjoyed Leonard Cohen, and this album certainly doesn’t disappoint. He takes the dreary, the heavy, and the reflective, and somehow makes it not only listenable, but comforting. His voice is worn and weathered here, and that only adds to the weight of what he’s saying. The lyrics are captivating in that unmistakable Cohen way- simple on the surface, but layered with meaning if you choose to sit with them. The music never tries to outshine the words; it stays right where it needs to be, always serving the mood and the message. This album feels like a quiet conversation rather than a performance. Nothing flashy, nothing forced - just thoughtful writing, measured delivery, and an atmosphere that pulls you in rather than pushing itself on you. It’s not an album you put on for background noise, but it also doesn’t demand effort. It simply exists, and does so very well. This is one of those paths off the beaten path that’s always a good choice to take. Dark, yes - but purposeful, honest, and deeply human.

Favourite song: you want it darker

*2016. *Only 36 minutes long. *Starts off strong with a cool baseline, but then Leonard comes in with a super low, weird baritone... *Started to grow on me... kind of a cool vibe - really pretty, sorrowful music with moody, Halloween-y vocals. *This is super different and I'll be revisiting. RATING - 7.5/10

More dark please sir. His gravelly voice is perfect for the reflective end of life musings. The backing is perhaps a little bit ripe at times but generally hits the sentimentality sweet spot. A high 4.

You could argue somewhat self-indulgent, but who can blame him and its hauntingly beautiful. Not sure how often this is something you chose to listen to, but well done Leonard, a good send off.

Good album and enjoyable listen but not the kind you listen to a second time for a decent while

Choose your fighter: a) haunting b) beautiful c) hauntingly beautiful d) beautifully haunting —— The answer is e) all the above, and I think this album will stay with me for a while. It’s also the perfect accompaniment to the book I’m reading currently, so in a weird way I’m glad I didn’t listen to this when it was first generated.

This album was lovely. It made me feel all kinds of things. Tapped into some feelings and left me melancholy. I love when music is able to do that. His raspy voice and the lyrics conveyed so much hurt and made me feel a little sad for him. I didn’t anticipate liking it so much, because I don’t really care for later Leonard Cohen stuff, but this album really kept me locked in. And side note, the current most popular review for this album was so incredibly thoughtful. Probably one of the best reviews I’ve read on here.

# Album Name: You Want It Darker # Artist: Leonard Cohen # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Nice chilled vibes. Dark and eery. A much better tom waits. No track stood out but this worked well as a whole album. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? Yes

Duplicate

Love all Cohen. 4*

A wonderful send off to a master lyricist. Lots of nostalgia for this one, all the family used to listen to it. You Want It Darker, On the Level, If I Didn't Have your Love, Traveling Light, It Seemed the Better Way were highlights. RIP Mr Cohen!

Dark as hell and of course he’s a hard listen but MY word he can write a song!

must be said that until today i had never heard a leonard cohen record from after 1971, so i completely skipped over whatever transitional period would have made me Not immediately shocked upon hearing his voice here. whats even more impactful tho is the bluntness of the lyrics...the layers of obfuscation and sensory description that made up the mystique of his first few records have been stripped back for what i wouldn't be surprised are the most Urgent words the man wrote, placed in hyper-focus from his living room recording setup. its stark and austere and all that but still at turns vulnerable and kind of funny in a dark way...a Mortality Record thats not about flying up to heaven but about returning to the earth, i'd say. really spellbinding, the perfect length, and emotionally well-paced too...even on his deathbed there's still these beautiful odes to the transformative power of love to heal and hurt and keep you receptive to Life as a whole. i should get a whole cohen education!

Not sure how to feel about this. This record got off to an amazing start. When You Want It Darker came on, I was instantly drawn in. Cohen is not a great singer, but how this song was constructed and the mood to this track was just so unbelievably amazing, especially considering how Cohen felt at this life, that his voice fit this perfectly. Side story, I knew my daughter would like this, so I get her in the car and start playing it. She starts freaking out, as I guess she heard this for a trailer for Assassin's Creed Origins but didn't know what the song was or who did it, and was looking for it (yeah, I know, she could have figured this out from YouTube, undoubtedly). Anyway, the rest of the album did not live up to that incredibly lofty beginning, but that would have been really hard. It was great to hear some of these tunes given the background of what Cohen was facing at this point. Not that any of the rest were great songs, but this is everything that one of those Nick Cave albums strives to be (and fails to live up to). 4 stars

Great album, not quite a 5/5

OKAY DEEP VOICE KING??? these songs put me into a weird mood, it feels so eerie, dark and full of feelings. i love the lyrics, the instruments and all of these. trully an experience

Wow, so much better than the other one of his I've had so far (Songs Of Leonard Cohen). That one just bored me, this one was really nice to listen to. The title track has a really interesting story in it. Treaty and Leaving The Table are soft and sad. If I Didn't Have Your Love was really sweet. The rest of the album was really nice. I'm still not fully sold on his voice, but this was quite the enjoyable ride. Best song: You Want it Darker

This one put me down in the dumps

Poetic and beautifully crafted, though I think it ultimately serves more as a standalone artwork than an album to be listened to repeatedly. Favorite Tracks: Treaty, Leaving the Table, Steer Your Way

I struggled with some demons They were middle class and tame

Not a record for every occasion but also not anything you ca find anywhere else.

Maravilloso!

89/100. An emotional and powerful farewell from Cohen. Dark, haunting, and poetic. Spoken word delivered with weight and wisdom. I couldn’t stop listening. A gripping and masterful final chapter.

I have never been a "fan" of Leonard Cohen. The style was never one that drew me in. This album was given to me after listening to Johnny Cash American iV the day prior. It was a weird one-two punch to start the week. Similar in feeling but Cohen's was more his acknowledgement that he had zero time left and this was his making peace with it. It's a very good album that surprised me. Biggest Hit - You Want It Darker Biggest Miss (if I had to choose) - On The Level Biggest Surprise - Treaty

I’ve never listened to a Leonard Cohen album before this, but I was aware of his general vibe beforehand. I probably won’t seek this one out for my own personal enjoyment, but I found it to be hauntingly beautiful and I’m looking forward to hearing his other albums on this list.

Even now it’s hard to think about this album without thinking of Bowie’s Blackstar. After all, both involve incredible songwriters coming to terms with their own mortality. Cohen’s final album in his lifetime is however a very different record. It unfolds like some smoky film noir with the dying Cohen confronting life, love, religion and his own impending mortality. I love his voice on this, delivering these poems with grace and gravitas, supported by brilliantly written compositions to accentuate the emotion. It’s a beautiful record.

RIP to a legend. I go in and out of really digging what he does here, but his voice is really only something I can get into occasionally. Beautiful songs and lyrics.

Grymt soloalbum från Scar!

Context matters in all things, especially this. Knowing this is Leonard Cohen’s deathbed album provides so much more nuance and context to his lyrics and what he sings about.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘐𝘵 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 sounds like Leonard Cohen shaping his final thoughts with remarkable precision. His voice, weakened by age and illness, has a rough gravity that turns every phrase into something intimate and unguarded. That fragility becomes a strength: the tremble in his delivery feels like part of the album’s truth rather than a limitation. The production is restrained and deeply supportive, built around Adam Cohen’s arrangements, crafted according to his father’s instructions, giving the songs space to breathe and keeping the focus on the voice. It’s also striking how much Cohen accomplished despite his declining health. The fact that he continued recording vocal takes — some later used on 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 — shows a quiet determination and dedication to his craft. Those late sessions carry not just musical value but a sense of respect for the act of creating itself. Cohen often described writing and recording as a way to steady himself through pain, and this album carries that sense of creation as comfort. Dark but not despairing, it feels like a final dialogue delivered with clarity, dignity, and quiet intensity.

Isn't 2016 strange, with Blackstar and now You Want It Darker? Coupled with a few other events I won't mention, 2016 feels like the last "normal" year before everything went completely haywire. And You Want It Darker feels like Cohen's final lament of all the most the beautiful years having passed us by. It also acts as a rhetorical question. "You want it darker? Your wish is my command." Surprisingly, some of these are actually catchier and memorable than on earlier albums even despite the doomy, gloomy, "Halloweeny" feel. The instrumentation being more varied helps a bit. The melodies are pretty dull here, but that's a consequence of being written by Leo Man, and he manages to spice them up considerably (or maybe disguise them) with a host of ingredients from Violins Et Cetera. The title track is haunting, beautiful, gloomy, petrifying, and probably a bunch of other adjectives too. The combination of organ, choir, and minor key give an extremely foreboding feel for the song itself and for what's to come. Cohen's voice is as life-worn as ever. Though I've been critical of it in the past, I think it works slightly better with the sort of dark-olden-fantasy feel. Presumably the lyrics are strong as well. The backing vocals elevate On the Level so darn much that it outshines most tracks on most other Cohen albums. I'm glad to see he's (or his producers are) opening the door to more interesting instrumentation than some of his previous projects. Traveling Light is a solid, memorable track too – for its pretty yet spooky backing vocals, sick keyboard fills, and a violin for good measure. Though Steer Your Way does the violins even better. 4/5 Key tracks: You Want It Darker, On the Level, Steer Your Way

It's no Blackstar but there are a few incredibly well written songs on here.

Dropped this art then immediately died. RIP to my guy

This is a fascinating listen. Dark and haunting, full of pain and suffering... Leonard Cohen was always an excellent songwriter, and so writing from his "deathbed" as it were is obviously no exception. I often find his voice a struggle to sit through, but not on this album. It's exactly right here for what it's doing.

Peaceful

Wow THIS is what I was expecting when I'd hear people rave about Leonard Cohen. Like a sad Tom Waits but whispering :)

First Listen; 4; Really enjoyed this album, and it is something I will probably listen to again. The lyrics are very moving and the music matches it perfectly. Favorite Songs: You Want it Darker Treaty

Great album!

Quite a powerful album with religious overtones. reminded me of some nick cave stuff. The album being released so close to his death only makes it more meaningful.

Beautiful, deep, emotional! Love it, though its missing a bit of variety.

I must admit that I adore Leonard Cohen's voice, melody, atmosphere, and phrasing; they strike me as incredibly poetic... without even really looking for or listening to the lyrics. This whole album seems simple, almost stripped down, but it's so well arranged and crafted that I'll gladly listen to it again, and that's why I'm being generous with a 4-star rating.

leonard cohen is such an incredible lyricist...his music itself doesn't always appeal to me, but the words never fail to move me.

I have been listening to this album for years, and it always feels fresh. I find it mysterious, seductive, and very captivating.

When I saw this pop up I though "this will probably be rubbish". Turns out I quite liked this.

Dark and moody melodies with a soft, gritty voice. I absolutely loved this album's vibe, I've been meaning to check out more by Mr. Cohen and this just shows I need to!

I’m fond of Cohen’s lyrics and voice, but not always fond of his production. Especially background singers that seem to distract instead of enhance, and that is present here too. But some lovely tracks as well.

Har någon lämnat ”gamet” snyggare? Tror fan inte det. Och med den rösten. Puh.

This felt like I was listening to someone on their deathbed sharing their reflections on life. It really is a poignant, reflective album that tells a great story in an atmospheric tone, with husky & emotive vocal delivery. This makes for an interesting listen, with some really strong moments throughout, and the storytelling is brilliant and impactful.

Classic. Smokey romance.

This is definitely a dark album. It's from right before he died, and although the songs are musically similar, the lyrics are very cool. Good stuff.

Tres bon album rien a jeter. Un peu noir mais annoncé dans le titre !

One of the great "I know I'm about to die" albums, along with Cash's American Recordings, Zevon's The Wind, and Dylan's Time Out of Mind. Fun fact: You Want It Darker's choral intro was inspired by another track 1 album title: Bobby Brown's Don't Be Cruel.

Favorite track(s): You Want It Darker, Traveling Light, It Seemed the Better Way

When I saw it was another Leonard Cohen LP i thought “man not this shit again”… But it definitely proved me wrong and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Märkligt vital med tanke på hur nära slutet han är. Fantastiska texter och melodier. En fyra

Oooooffff, tungt!!

Jisses. Jag visste inte att jag ville ha det så mörkt. Ge mig mer!

Needed a second listen for me but once if clicked wow. I don't think I've ever heard so much pain and sadness and anger all at once before. Very powerful with everything clicking into place just right nothing is overdone. Other than being a total bummer this is a great album so a 4

Interesting album. I know of Leonard Cohen for Hallelujah, which oddly his Spotify bio doesn't mention it at all, but I was intrigued to jump into a full album for him. Seeing as this one is the one he released weeks before his death only adds weight to what I was hearing. The composition of everything was top notch, his voice gargly and old which only added to it, and the lyrics were all good to. Hard to debate it but this is a good album

One of my fav albums of that year, incredibly sad and dark and lovely - fittingly his last album, and a pity we don't get more from him.

Instant nostalgia that I couldn't place. Best guess is I recognize the voice from N.B.K. soundtrack. I like the voice, I like the vibe. Wish I would've listened sitting in the dark and not doing anything else. The lyrics didn't stick with me too much, but I can't escape the feeling the album have me despite that

like all Leonard Cohen albums I've heard, it is currently 4 but give me a few more listens and maybe 5

Very dark and haunting, beautifully poetic as always. The standout is It Seemed the Better Way, 7.5/10

Fantastic album - it is indeed darker

Damn this is good. Perfect for accompanying reading The Stand. Woke up at 5am singing one of the songs

Durísimo, album para suicidarse, muy bueno

Great instrumentation throughout the album, very high quality production. Whole albums feels like a movie soundtrack

Great album tonally and thematically. Production is simple but tight, vocals sound like Tom Waits, music could also be on a Waits album, but the character is slightly different, more optimistic?

The greatest songwriter of all time with a stunning final album. Would be a 5 but need to save that for SOLAH

Dark and moody. Just perfectly Leonard Cohen.

Ooh, had me from the first sung line. Tense.

leonard cohen's final swan song, recorded and released only a short time before he passed away. this album serves as a reflection of his own life... he had been experiencing some health conditions for a while before this album was written. many songs here are almost spoke-sung in this really low, gravelly voice... a window of a man almost laughing at god, and the absurdity of mortality. this album is very quiet... and honestly, it's pretty sad. fitting, especially when you're literally face-to-face with the grim reaper. it tugs at you a bit. the album is good but i'm not sure if i wanna listen to it again.

I really loved this album. I like Leonard Cohen a lot, but I'd never listened to any of his albums all the way through. This was sad and slow and beautiful and a bit weird. I loved it

Music from a deathbed. Cohen’s delivery on this album works really well, dark and intimate. Part of that deathbed feel comes from the album starting with an acceptance of death, which makes the rest of the songs feel like a final message or a confession. The string arrangements are beautiful and I was surprised by the more modern moments on the album. 4/5

A lot of pleasant songs

Like Mozart, Zevon (who has inexplicably been entirely shut out of this list of 1001 albums!), and Bowie before him, Cohen had the grace to give us his own requiem with this album. And it's lovely. Thoughtful and wistful, without ever slipping into anything maudlin. There's not a weak track here, and the title track and "Traveling Light" are simply sublime.

Before I even start--Apple Music calls this "Rock." Come on! None of Leonard Cohen's poetry/music remotely approaches rock! I'm told the title track was awarded a Grammy for Best Rock Performance in 2018. Beyond ridiculous. I do like this record. I'm getting up there myself, so I have an increasingly informed view about what awaits me before too long. There were still some glimmers of humor in his lyrics, albeit muted. Not a record to put on for a first date.

Great album with a dark playful spirit. 4/ 5

His voice is pretty, sounds just like he’s telling a story in a deep quiet tone.

SPOOKY

Loved this album actually more than I thought i would! That’s all I have to say about that. RIP king.

This is a special album, being the last one released by Cohen before his death. And it has Treaty on it.

I honestly don’t mind his voice in this album. Kinda adds on to the bleak and somber tone of the album and its themes on death. Overall, Cohen definitely ends on a high note with this one.

Leonard more like Leon-hard

Cohen on kyllä hyvä. Pitänee kuunnella tätäkin useammin. 3,75/5.

Väldigt vackert album, inte något jag kommer gå tillbaka till så ofta men kommer definitivt ta inspo med stråk :)

I feel like production held back my enjoyment of a lot of Leonard Cohen’s albums beyond the very early stuff. This one seems like the production well matches the content of meditations at the end of life. It doesn’t have a ton of spotlight tracks but definitely gets the message across so I’ll round up to 4.

3.5/5 - You need to hear this because it's not every day you hear a poet speaking at death's door. This felt morose, genuine, and somewhat like spending time with someone at their own funeral. Like a really intense movie, I enjoyed it and certainly appreciated the raw feeling, but there's no way I could listen to this regularly. Rounding up to 4 because it's a concept album without being a concept album.

Huh, I'll be damned. This was beautiful. The album felt like a soft, warm hug at a funeral of someone you deeply cared about. Sad, but comforting.

Is it apt to compare this to blackstar by David Bowie? Both are explorations of artists facing the end of life which makes for a personal and rare experience. What sets the two appart from one another is their view towards death, Cohen is implementing more religiosity and in deep conversation with his faith throughout the record. It is also lyrically strong as we are used from Cohen and the vocal performance is even more subdued. I find it hard to put a final score to this.

My wife gives this at least a three, but I’m not one for spoken poetry.

Deep

Weird vibe, famous guy tho. Intro is intro to crims

7/10

7.5/10

That was really cool. I loved the musical arrangements, and the lyrics are haunting and thoughtful. Just a great vibe. For some reason it's Sept 29th and it's 90 degrees in North Dakota and I can imagine this being even nicer on a cold, rainy fall day.

lekker donker... zo mag ik het graag... bij deze plaat lijken Nick Cave en Johnny Dowd vrolijke clowns

A lot of very interesting Judeo-Christian references and religious themes, not that I am able to tease out the deeper meaning here on a first listen. This is a much older, more gravely sounding Leonard Cohen, not really belting out melodies anymore It's really an old man reflecting on his life, it seems. Believes, loves, circumstances. Lyrically it tries to be somewhat deep as popular music goes. Musically spans something like rock, blues, pop, hard to classify cleanly. There are traditional rock instruments, as well as some non-traditional like a string quartet. In some ways maybe it's more like electrified folk, but doesn't really come off like acoustic folk.

First time listen to it and it is an amazing album

An absolute belter I was very familiar with already. The production on this is impeccable

One of the coolest voices in the world. Only missed the 5 stars because I don’t think I’ll actually listen to this specific album again.

I really enjoyed this

Quite a melancholic album, considering he was essentially on his death bed he definitely went out with a bang. Top 3 are you want it darker, on the level and traveling light.

I didn't get on well with the earlier, classic-period Cohen albums, so when this came up my heart sank. However, it turned out to be way better than I was expecting, enough to grab four stars. I then went on a journey of similar "old man about to die" albums, from Bowie's Blackstar to Cash's American IV. Quite a depressing morning.

I was initially put off by the title track but the rest of the album is wonderful. The repetitive lyrics sometimes work and sometimes don't but I appreciate the style.

Rating: 3.6 Very easy on the ears, you never needed to focus too hard because he doesn’t say too terribly much but everything sounds so clean and smooth. This guy is like Bob Dylan if he didn’t have whiny lyrics and a harmonica and an annoying voice.

so good. perfect autumnal music. pleasantly spooky. But the first song was my favorite and some of the others got a little repetitive.

love the song you love it darker! I definitely love him more as a poet than a singer at times !

You want it darker? YOU WANT IT DARKER, BITCH? IS THAT DARK ENOUGH FOR YOU???? yeah, Leonard, Jesus Christ tone it down. Most of these songs seem to be about Cohen’s divorce from God. And they’re mostly incredible. The title track and “Treaty” are worth the price of admission alone. If you’ve only heard his 80s stuff where he hits the oompa pre-set on his Yamaha synth and recites his poem over it, give this a try. FOUR STARS

Immediately hooked by the first song. What the heck is this?! This album is actually super sick. Super dark and creepy with that organ. Lenny was really going through it when he wrote this. Sounds like he’s already dead. 4 stars because I want to be conservative with giving out 5.

Wow, wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. Never could get into Leonard Cohen’s folk-y stuff, since I’m usually a music over lyrics guy, but I really enjoyed this album. He mixes melancholy and humor delicately, and it’s almost more like spoken word. Sounds like Tom Waits (with less creepy circus vibes) and/or music that you would expect to hear over a montage during The Sopranos

I really liked this one. It is very powerful and has lots of emotional depth. And vocal depth! I appreciate the existential quality of this album - a man coming to terms with the end of his life and trying to make sense of it all. I think the title track is my favorite. You can hear the grief in the vocals, but the choral interludes are reverent. It really captures the duality of life and death. 8.5/10

Pretty good

ASMR BONERS this WHOLE ALBUM

I don't think this is as good as some of his other work. Yes that opening track is a legit banger. But being compared to Black Star by Bowie maybe is a bit of a reach. In the end, this is solid but there are better Cohen records out there.

I put this album on and the strangest thing happens. It’s not so much that time slips away – even though I’m consistently surprised to realise the album’s over when the reprise of “Treaty” hits – it’s more that I myself slip away. I’m transported to any number of memories, but most often of one from a couple of months after Leonard Cohen had passed (and this album had been released). It’s January 1st 2017, and I’m walking with Fleur and friends through Bruges, dithering across the bridges and cobblestones while wading through a dense mist. Hungover from the previous night’s revelry, we had been plodding around Markt Square and its surrounding streets aimlessly, listlessly for an indeterminate length of time (foggy outside, foggy inside) – and then, as if there wasn’t a single other sound on Earth besides, the bells started. The first song the bell ringers played was “Last Christmas” (George Michael had passed away only a week or so prior) and then it was “Hallelujah”. Our collective mien suspended somewhere between grief and celebration, that discombobulated wondering through the town suddenly felt freighted with a life affirming significance. It was an exquisitely melancholic moment; of a richness to rival the local architecture, art, beers, cheeses … And again the record’s over. The strings sigh, and Leonard signs off. Where, seriously, did the time go?

Beautiful, but a little too much for me right now.

A classic

I really enjoyed the darker more Gothic sound on this one as well as the reflections on mortality Standouts You Want It Darker 4/5

Hauntingly brilliant - really enjoyed

Hell yea.

Such an interesting lyricist and enjoyable darker brooding folk.

It's bittersweet that such a gifted and influential artist released his final album during his lifetime just 17 days before his death. Struggling with physical health issues (including multiple fractures of his spine), he had to record the record in his living room, which he said helped eliminate distractions. The result doesn't feel so much like a grand swan song as it does a quiet reckoning - a man speaking to God as much as the listener. Cohen's voice sounds just as ready to accept fate as he's left with a low, gravelly baritone. His son, Adam Cohen, recorded the vocals with him in the living room and shaped the accompanying arrangements, breathing life into the project. Together, they created a fitting final testament to one of music’s greatest poets.

Like a weighted blanket and a cup of hot herbal tea on a frosty autumn day, a gentle invitation for confession. You hear Leonard Cohen confessing but it feels like you are the one actually confessing with your bear soul

Není to přesně co bych normálně poslouchal. Cohena album pramení z jeho stáří a jeho loučení se světem coz mi přišlo hodně osobní a donutilo mě se zamyslet. 8/10

Bit preachy but digged the album

I'm angry and I'm tired all the time

Leonard cohen feels like the kind of artist where if I did a deep dive into his life and understood the context behind his song, and took the time to really take in all the lyrics, he’d be like a top 5 song writer for me. I haven’t done any of that and I might never, but I can tell there’s something there.

You Want It Darker 4.5 Treaty 4 On the Level 4.1 Leaving the Table 3.8 If I Didn't Have Your Love 4 Traveling Light 4.1 It Seemed the Better Way 3.7 Steer Your Way 3.6 String Reprise / Treaty 3.5 Score: 3.922222222

A bit of an exercise in how far charisma can carry an album. This is a rich, brooding album that hits a lot of great notes. Cohen’s voice is definitely an acquired taste and there’s limits to how much you can say he is truly ‘singing’ but each song feels like an event. The presence of choir/gospel elements leans into the theme/material nicely. I definitely think it’s not for everyone but I can’t help but enjoy it a lot.

CARGADISIMO el disco, 4 de 5

It wasn't hard to love this, I didn't have to try. A fitting send off for with You Want It Darker and Steer Your Way both stunning.

Good voice

A revaluation. Really enjoyed this one. I might be a Leonard Cohen convert. 4.5/5

Not my thing

There’s a large argument to be made over who the best ‘poet’ in music is, be it Dylan, Drake or Mitchell. During these thirty six minutes, however, Cohen supplants them all - without question. Cohen leans out of the white of life and looks with indifference into the black. It’s au revoir, he’s leaving the table. Whatever. That’s life, after which must come death. Why not have a little joke around. And ‘joke around’ he does - but not in a way that demeans the intricacy of the lyricism, that itself is as strong as anything - to be compared to the greats, if you’d like. It’s all well and good saying that Cohen is ‘our generation’s [insert poet here]’, and You Want It Darker can be compared loosely to multitudes of other media, like Bowie’s Blackstar, another album released days before the artist’s death in 2016, or José Rizal’s Mi último adiós - both reflections on life by those who knew that death soon awaited them. Cohen can stand alone here though, not least with his humour but also with his dismissal of all the fear associated with death. He does not wait in scared anticipation in these thirty six minutes, he instead signs off his own eulogy with a smirk.

Haunting and Quiet. His voice is very deep, yet soft, and it's a sad farewell

A fitting end to an illustrious career. There’s an atmosphere of poignancy that seems to run through this album

Title track is a perfect song. Rest of the album feels a little bit like a re-tread. His voice is wonderful and it overall works but I feel like it could be stronger. 4

Loved the first song. Turns out I do want it darker. Will need to listen to again but I liked what I heard. I don't generally get on with singer-songwriters. I tend to find them slow and a bit boring but there are a few who buck that trend. There's just something else about them that elevates the music. I've not listened much to Leonard Cohen but he seems like that kind of musician. I wanted to know what he was saying and it felt important. Also, lots of dark sounds riffing with religious themes is something that appeals to me.

This was sad, You could tell he was ready.

Fúnebre demais. É o terceiro disco do Cohen que eu peguei na lista, e esse foi de longe o mais difícil de digerir até então. Lendo a respeito da sua criação é fácil ver o porquê. O homem estava basicamente na beira da morte. Acho que é óbvia a comparação com o Blackstar do Bowie, mas prefiro muito mais aquele disco do que esse. Comparação injusta, talvez. A voz dele aqui é inigualável. Chega a arrepiar consistentemente. As composições são básicas, minimalistas, o que não me agrada tanto assim. Este é, de fato, o estilo dele. Mas o disco dele que mais gostei até então foi o I’m Your Man, que possui uma sonoridade e uma produção bem mais ousada e eclética do que este atual. Por isso irei dar uma nota levemente mais baixa do que aquele. Mas só porque preferi outra obra do Cohen acima desta não quer dizer que eu vá desmerecer completamente o trabalho colocado aqui. É um disco incrível, mas ele é, como eu já disse, difícil de digerir e baixo astral demais. Não consigo me ver ouvindo este álbum novamente do início ao fim, mas as faixas que salvei dele vão me deliciar muito ainda daqui pra frente. 4/5

Damn. That was good.

ok see this is music. Do I love Leonard Cohen? Of course. But I admit I love the somewhat more melodic Leonard Cohen, before his final few albums. That doesn't mean I won't happily lay back and let his voice roll over me, just that this wasn't my favorite.

Gloomy vibes, and strong lyrics.

If the devils brother was a folk artist?

Grizzly voice but incredible rhyming lyrics!

God I'm a sucker for a baritone

I really liked this a lot. But I didn't expect to. I love his voice and the sing-talky style of vocals. The messages in the songs felt personal to him, and that helped me in connecting with them.

very good, 7/10, pretty chilled but lovefelt album

Great album! But not used to slow placed songs

This was a beautiful album, and although I find Leonard Cohen’s voice to definitely be an acquired taste, it suited this album and its mood as a whole perfectly.

q cosa mas rara

He wrote one the greatest songs ever. And his lyrics and poetry wonderful. That said. His music and voice are slow and depressing. But I still like it

You don’t listen to LC for the music you listen for the lyrics.

7,11

Rating (1-5): ✩✩✩✩ Higlighted songs: On the Level, Leaving the Table, It Seemed the Better Way Idk about this dude's personal life (never read the article), but he got that low, smooth and smoky voice. Like a Baritone/Bass

The distinction between poetry and music is completely blurred in this album. The lyrics are melancholic, pensive, and at times even humorous. Touching on themes of death, it feels like Cohen knew he didn’t have much time left, and indeed, he passed away not long after. I liked this one, even though it’s not the kind of music I’ll likely return to often. Maybe if I’m in the right mood.

Not familiar Favorite song: string reprise/treaty

Pretty great.

A little one note, but it's a good note. Whilst presenting as sombre and melancholy, there's a thread of hope which runs through the album. It's all rather beautiful.

This is often overshadowed by the other major album released by an artist not long before their death in 2016. While that one is a statement this one is more subtle and is more of a whisper. This allows his songwriting to come through. When background vocals come in they feel more impactful juxtaposed against his vocals. This is a really good album. Favorite songs were You Want It Darker, Leaving The Table, Traveling Light, and Steer Your Way.

Was kind of shocked by how much I liked this. If Cohen could sing at all this would be amazing but his belching (for lack of a better word) honestly works too. Really cool 4.5

A cohen album that I can fully support. He doesn't try to sing, but he keeps the rhythm, and he expresses the power of his words beautifully. 4/5

Leonard Cohen? I don't want to listen to Leonard Cohen. Oh wait. That's beautiful. Guess I do want to listen to Leonard Cohen.

Favorites: You want it darker, treaty Spooky, moody, loved it

Crazy variety of genres- everything from hip hop sounding beats to classical orchestration. Some really heavy lines in there too!

Great if you're in the mood for a good cry - but you definitely have to be in the mood for it. There's some beautiful, poetic songs in here.

Big fan of this album; dark, moving. What a way to go out. 8/10

great one, realy liked the dark vibes

7.5/10 Very good lyrics, just poetry. Music is simple and sounds nice. The singing/speaking is pretty monotonic but I cant blame the guy since he was 82. A beautiful ending to his career. Title song Is near to a true masterpiece. "Hineni, hineni I'm ready, my lord".

3.6 Prefer the more slower relaxed songs

Reminds me a lot of David Bowie's Blackstar - a clear farewell album from a prolific artist. Musical arrangements are sparse and mournful, but deeply evocative, especially with the choral backing vocals.

It might be premature of me to tackle this particular album. Part of it is my rather limited familiarity with Leonard Cohen's music, having only heard two of his early albums thus far. It can be rather difficult for me to fully grasp how Leonard's music has evolved over five decades, especially given the common criticism I've heard, which is that his songwriting has faltered since at least the 1990s. I'm not sure if I can realistically share that criticism without the full context, but I will say for this record, the lyrics are simple yet direct in intent. Leonard made it as plain in the text of what he describes in his musings. Part of it is that at this point, Leonard was 82 years old with multiple health problems, apparent in his gruff vocal delivery. Thankfully, Leonard's vocal lines were written to account for his aged voice, as multiple background vocalists supported him on these songs. In particular, Leonard's son Adam, who produced You Want It Darker, brought in the Cantor Gideon Zelermeyer and the Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue Choir to bolster a fair amount of these songs, as a means of tying back to Leonard's Jewish faith. Given that some of the lyrical subject matter can be interpreted as confrontational with a higher being, it would make sense to tie it back to his religious upbringing. Which brings me to my last part in why it may be premature of me to confront this record. This was Leonard's last album to be released in his lifetime. His son Adam would go on to finish one posthumous release for his father, Thanks for the Dance. But for all intents and purposes, this was the last release Leonard saw through to the end before his death weeks later. There's a certain weight and emotionality to an artist staring at the face of death, a sentiment I have previously observed with Johnny Cash's American IV. I thankfully had enough familiarity with Johnny Cash to do justice in my assessment of that album. I don't know if I can say the same for Leonard. What I can say is that between the organic instrumental arrangements and the grit and romanticism in his words as he shed his mortal bearings in acceptance of what his Lord had in store for him, there's a certain finality to this record that becomes a heavy yet necessary listen. By the end of the string-led reprise of "Treaty" and Leonard's final verse, the conclusion of it all felt palpable to me; hard to articulate yet gripping all the same. You Want It Darker is a great record. I may not consider it within the upper echelon of albums I've listened to, but it is an important record in how an artist can confront death with such poetic grace.

A hauntingly sad deathbed elegy. To release something so beautiful like this just 17 days before your death...how poetic. Even during his last days, Leonard Cohen's poetry and song writing is stil so deeply moving. His velvet like voice might've changed into an old man's growling whisper, yet it sounds so honest and soothing. His ruminations on death and God and Love are poignant. It's a perfect swan song of a dying artist. That's all from me. I'm leaving the table. I'm out of the game.

Es un albumazo. Amo las letras y las haunting instrumentales como minimalistas pero grandes y majestuosas. Amo la poesía en este album, y cómo trata temas como la muerte o las creencias religiosas de Leonard Cohen, además relacionándolas al hecho que es el último album que sacó antes de fallecer y él casi que sabiéndolo. Dicho esto, no es un album que yo voy a escuchar mucho. Capaz es injusto ratearlo de esta forma porque la verdad me impactó mucho y es definitivamente muy bueno. Van unas 4 estrellas capaz. AMO You Want It Darker (el tema)(como bien poético spoken word) y Treaty. Al principio fue raro acostumbrarse a la voz bien grave y la naturaleza medio spoken así que tiene.

I enjoyed this dark and haunting album listen! Cohen’s voice has a very dark and mysterious quality to it which made this a fun album listen. This album gave me Over the Garden Wall vibes which I loved. I would definitely give this album a listen again and recommend it to others!

I have to admit, I never listened to Leonard Cohen aside from Hallelujah. My friend told me this album is for Cohen what Blackstar was for Bowie, and after listening I'd agree with that. Right off the bat Cohen's voice is powerful and haunting as it carries you through the album. He sounds like God and the Devil all at once, like he's gone through hell to get to Heaven. Fitting, considering the religious themes in the album. His vocals are interesting, it sounds more like spoken word poetry set to music. I say that in a good way. Favorite songs would be the title track, Traveling Light, and Steer Your Way.

Good

My 300th album in the generator just happens to be the darkest album I've ever heard in my life(don't confuse the title with a Stephen King book). Melancholy lyrics over acoustic guitar, and backing vocals make this a truly haunting experience; a swan song for life. It sent me chills down my spine. Favorite Track: "On The Level".

So haunting, melancholic but also crowning. What an introduction to Cohen, his last album published weeks before he died. Definitely not my thing but I felt many different emotions while listening to it, this album takes you to a different place during its 36:07 minutes.

This was a powerful record. In particular, You Want It Darker and Steer Your Way hit hard. "Steer your heart past the truth you believed in yesterday" is a wonderful lyric. In between those bookends of the record it was a bit of a meloncholy slog, but solid artistry nonetheless.

Never heard of this album or artist before. My first thought when starting the album was that his voice was sexy! It felt more like listening to poetry than music. A very dark album about death. Later learned it was his last album he made, as he was close to death. His voice is captivating and I’m a sucker for songs with a choir in it. Favorites: Title track, leaving the table, and traveling light. Rank: 6.5/10

alto miedo el i’m ready my lord me re gustó, es asi todo misterioso dark edgy emo

“I’m ready my lord” Cohen speaks these harrowing words in a voice that has clearly deteriorated from his youthful days that provoked his first albums in the 60s. There’s a great deal of beauty to this voice however, and despite the obvious pain Cohen feels as he sings these verses, there are few voices as deep and convincing as his. He truly gives it everything he has left on these final songs, passing away only 3 weeks later. This album seems on paper as hardly a comfortable listen, however I think there's great merit to Cohens optimism and spirituality on this album which lightens its most oppressive moments. It takes a great deal of strength to make statements like this at such a fragile time in one’s life. I can respect the fact that after all, this is an album to be listened to and to entertain, while making a thought-provoking statement, not just for the sake of the statement. Personally, I would come back to this album for how authentic its folky elements are, and the truly one-of-a-kind vocal performance and lyricism. But in the way the album sounds like a funeral procession, I have a great deal of hesitation in sitting down and listening to the whole thing. This album is a beautiful poetic send off to a great poet and songwriter, and really just inspirational to creatives in general. "You want it darker. We kill the flame."

Opening track immediately sets the tone of this album perfectly. It sounds a bit like "Dark Side Of The Moon Redux" but actually good. Poetic lyrics with plenty of religious allusion. It's easy to make something loud and active that's engaging, but to create something slow takes a whole lot more skill and I respect Cohen for being able to do that. This album has so much charm and really touched me. I could definitely see the tracks being used in a movie soundtrack somewhere. Notable tracks: On the Level, Leaving the Table, Steer Your Way

i almost love it

What a way to put out your death album, I suppose. Nothing on this album really spoke to me, but go off, Leonard Cohen, I was unfamiliar with your game. Really interesting stuff and aptly named album, it was a... unique listen for sure. Very just sort of gravely and dark. I originally gave this album a 2 when I first listened to it but then I read more about it and I was inspired to give it another go. It's pretty damn good, actually. I didn't much care for it musically but the dude is talented and this actually was quite a beautiful description of a man, facing death, battling with his understanding of god and religion. At least, that's how I re-listened to it. Yeah, great work.