Leonard Cohen "The Future" (1992)

The Future
release date: Nov. 24, 1992
format: vinyl / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Steve Lindsay, Leonard Cohen; various
label: Columbia Records - nationality: Canada

9th studio album by Leonard Cohen follows nearly five full years after his acclaimed I'm Your Man (Feb. 1988), which by many is regarded as a Cohen renaissance album that transformed his status as a critics' darling to actually be able to reach out to a wider audience.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, Spin, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, NME 3 / 5 stars ]

Leonard Cohen "I'm Your Man" (1988)

I'm Your Man
release date: Feb. 2, 1988
format: vinyl / digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Leonard Cohen
label: Columbia Records - nationality: Canada

8th studio album by Leonard Cohen follows three years after Various Positions (Dec. 1984) and it's his first album on which he is credited as producer.
Unfortunately, the cover to my copy has gone missing.

Leonard Cohen "Songs of Love and Hate" (1971)

Songs of Love and Hate
release date: Mar. 17, 1971
format: cd (2007 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,96]
producer: Bob Johnston
label: Columbia, Japan - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Avalanche" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Dress Rehearsal Rag" - 5. "Love Calls You by Your Name" - 6. "Famous Blue Raincoat" (4 / 5) - 8. "Joan of Arc" (4 / 5)

3rd studio album by Leonard Cohen is like its predecessor produced by Bob Johnston, who has build a more fully orchestrated minimalist sound, which comes out as a much richer and harmonic sounding album than his two first albums.
It's his third consecutive album and deservedly inclusion of "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Sputnikmusic 5 / 5, Q Magazine, Uncut 4 / 5 stars ]

Leonard Cohen "Songs From a Room" (1969)

Songs From a Room
release date: Apr. 7, 1969
format: cd (1998 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,34]
producer: Bob Johnston
label: Columbia Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Bird on the Wire" (4 / 5) - 4. "The Partisan" - 5. "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy" - 6. "The Old Revolution" - 7. "The Butcher" - 9. "Lady Midnight"

2nd studio album by Leonard Cohen is an even more minimalist release, which mostly just focuses on Cohen's voice supported by his own classical guitar strumming and barely noticeable banjo, bass and violin. Apparently, Cohen felt his debut album had been recorded with too many instruments and wanted a more spartan sound.
The album is another fine collection of strong compositions, though it does feel somewhat anonymous - perhaps because some songs lack strong individual traits that distinguish them from other songs on the album. The album is his least deserved to be included in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine, Uncut 3 / 5 stars ]

Leonard Cohen "Songs of Leonard Cohen" (1967)

Songs of Leonard Cohen [debut]
release date: Dec. 27, 1967
format: cd (2011 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]
producer: John Simon
label: Columbia / Legacy - nationality: Canada

Tracklist: 1. "Suzanne" (5 / 5) - 2. "Master Song" - 3. "Winter Lady" - 4. "The Stranger Song" - 5. "Sisters of Mercy" (4 / 5) - 6. "So Long, Marianne" (5 / 5) - 7. "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" (4 / 5) - 8. "Stories of the Street" - 9. "Teachers" - 10. "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong"

Studio debut album by Canadian singer / songwriter Leonard Norman Cohen originally released on Columbia Records. All songs are written by Cohen, and the style is unmistakably his with the minimalist instrumentation, the focus on lyrical content and the distinct narrating vocal.
The album became a considerable success and one that should only be surpassed in his heydays in the 1980s. The album is naturally enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

[ allmusic.com 5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4,5 / 5, Uncut, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]