Leonard Cohen Covered: on Air, on Land and CD

BBC Radio 2, which broadcast its terrific documentary on the song "Hallelujah" a few days back, makes this program available online for the next week. Just click on
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00f928x/The_Fourth_The_Fifth_The_Minor_Fall to enjoy "The Fourth, The Fifth, The Minor Fall"'s exploration of the many facets of this Leonard Cohen creation. As BBC host Guy Garvey sums things up, Cohen has "brought a beautiful song into this world and 'let her go' ". Alongside Allison Crowe, contributors include Helen Walford, Kathryn Williams, John Lissauer, Andy Wallace, Imogen Heap, Alex Patsavas, The Bishop of Croydon, Brandi Carlile, Jim Devlin, Christine Collister and John Walsh (Starsailor).

Dedicated Cohen blogger 1 Heck of a Guy, advises: "Warning: Listening to this sampling of artists, critics, and other commentators talk about their perspectives on Hallelujah may put ones preconceived notions about the song at risk."

MOJO magazine's tribute, in print and on CD, to Leonard Cohen is now on sale in the UK, and reaching points across Europe, America and the world, in the days ahead. The December '08 issue of MOJO celebrates "deep and moving music, the kind of stuff we need in the run up to the holiday period" with a tribute CD to Leonard Cohen. Explains MOJO: "Straddling the world of literature and music, his talent as a deeply personal wordsmith allows his music to remain open to endless interpretation and accounts for the 3000-plus cover versions of of his material that have been recorded to date. Fifteen of the finest of these have been hand-picked for inclusion here on this exclusive MOJO tribute to a truly remarkable artist, a man who has become a restless citizen of the world, as was James Joyce."

Of Allison Crowe's contribution of "Joan of Arc" to its 'All Star Tribute", a CD titled "Cohen Covered", MOJO says: "Once famously described by the Vancouver Courier as possessing a style akin to 'Elton John meets Edith Piaf', the Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe is renowned for her ability to blend control and melodrama. Certainly she does so on this spirited cover of Cohen's Songs of Love and Hate classic, a track which also powerfully showcases her considerable talent as a fine interpreter of song."