Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man Motion Picture Soundtrack

Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man Motion Picture Soundtrack

Verve Forecast

Steve McLean (CHARTattack)

08/08/2006 11:42am

This soundtrack to the documentary that centres around a Cohen tribute concert at the Sydney Opera House offers more Canadian content than you can shake a stick at. Martha Wainwright opens with an interesting, slightly countrified arrangement of "Tower Of Song" and also offers up "The Traitor," while her brother Rufus provides "Everybody Knows" and a stripped-down "Chelsea Hotel No. 2." Teddy Thompson's take on "The Future" mixes rootsy instrumentation with a bit of a swingin' '60s vibe, while Nick Cave's "I'm Your Man" has a sound from three decades earlier. Former Cohen backing singer Perla Batalla shows off her beautiful voice on "Bird On A Wire" and Jarvis Cocker demonstrates how well-suited his voice is for Cohen material on "I Can't Forget." Things come full circle as U2 back the man himself on "Tower Of Song" to end the 16-song album. Despite the star power and competency of the performers, I'll still take the originals over these covers every time.