I have to admit it; I am not a big fan of “Christian” music.  I find more personal satisfaction in secular music and actually find that more of the “spiritual” is revealed to me in the honesty of my favorite artists.  In a church culture of shallow and transparent worship music, it is refreshing to be able to access depth in the secular, which actually seems to contain more true spirituality than the latter.  Leonard Cohen in particular, has the ability to delve into the deep places of faith that few of us do, all the while being unsure of where his beliefs truly lay.  His music can catapult one into a realm of communion with God that not many modern worship leaders have the ability to do.  His brutal honesty and nakedness of spirit comforts during times of struggle, confirms in times of confidence and speaks peace into the dark places that we all find ourselves in from time to time.

In his new album, <em>Old Ideas</em>, Cohen reveals more than ever that he is not so much a singer, as he is a lyricist.  He speaks his vocal creations in a low baritone voice that cracks and drags like tar and gravel.  His quiet and reserved vocals trail off into a whisper that almost seems to almost disappear into an unfamiliar vocal range.  In nostalgic story, he drifts from Sinatra type crooning to lyrical musing reminiscent of an aging Dylan or Tom Waits.  One minute you find yourself on a French street corner, just outside an old coffee shop, and the next you see yourself on an Irish country side, reflecting on the life that has passed you by, as the sun sets on your meditations.

Cohen paints a picture of a human being that is still seeking the truth behind faith and the mysteries of God.  Although he is 78 years old, he sings with the honesty of a young man on a journey through life and longing to find the “answer”.  In many ways, he in fact has found the “answer”, but as always, he seems to reveal through his music that he is just as clueless as before.  He also reveals in himself a man facing an epiphany of deep realization about himself, and the temporal reality of life on this earth.  Sadly enough, in songs such a “Show me the Place”, you get the sense that he is saying “Goodbye”, which causes some lament on this troubadour and poet’s long career.

Does he sense that he is “Going Home”, as he reveals in the first song?  Does Cohen know something that is concealed from us?  Has he reached a point in life where the realizations of our finite time in this world become clear, and even welcomed.  <em>“</em><em>Going home without my sorrow. Going home sometime tomorrow.  Going home to where it's better than before.”  </em>These thoughts are echoed in the words of “Come Healing”.    With “<em>the splinters”</em> that we carry through life and <em>the crosses</em> that we eventually leave behind, does healing come to our bodies and mind?  He seems to ask this of himself and proverbial offers it to God, as his life possibly comes to its twilight.

There is also a comforting aspect of acceptance in <em>Old Ideas</em> that leaves you with an overwhelming sense of hope.  Cohen takes the concept of hope and assures you that despite the deep darkness that comes from life, hope is always dangling before each of us.  Regardless of mistakes, failures and yes, even sin, we each can arrive at a destination in our journey that is better than where we came.  In “Lullaby<em>”</em>, he whispers to the soul, <em>“Sleep, baby, sleep, there’s a morning to come”.  </em>Problems may not all be solved, answers may not always be realized, salvation may not always be assured  and forgiveness may not always be received, but redemption can be obtained by us all, even when we feel unworthy to be redeemed.[gallery]