12. Leonard CohenYou Want It Darker

Britpop mainly passed me by because I was too busy catching up on records made before I was old enough to buy any. In the early 90s, my dad was converting his vinyl collection to CDs during the great music recording format changeover. As a result, I was fortunate to receive from him The Best Of Leonard Cohen, originally released in 1975, along with other fantastic records. My love for Leonard began then. I’m Your Man is my comfort album, and among my favourite songs are ‘Everybody Knows’, ‘Ain’t No Cure For Love’, and ‘Take This Waltz’. I find his lyrics, certainly on these tracks, to be insightful and profound. His spoken-singing voice is deep, warm and mesmerising, and he enunciates deliberately so that the listener hears and feels every word. 

It’s hard to choose a favourite album, but I think You Want It Darker just about tips the balance. He’s close to the end here, and his voice is more urgent and alive than ever. When it was released in 2016, I played it every day, and then he was gone a couple of weeks later. I was so lucky to see him in concert in 2013. He was full of energy and incredibly charismatic, and proved himself to be one of the greatest singer-songwriters and performers of our time.