哪位音乐人忍心让歌迷们为一张专辑苦苦等候9年？ 出版了唱片《The Future》之后，沉迷于东方玄学的Cohen，在自己61岁的时候剃度出家，和音乐完全断绝了关系。《Ten New Songs》，正是他结束僧侣生活、修成正果之后，音乐和精神的回归。和早期那些唱片一样，它有一个简单而又纯粹的名字：《Ten New Songs》。这是一张弥漫着告别气息的歌曲集，充满了个人自白，挽歌式的感叹，一些轻微的抗议声，和禅意。它，看上去就像是个句号。
第一次接触这位老男人的音乐，是在电影《天生杀人狂》片头里的一段插曲《Waiting For The Miracle》。如今，这部电影已经不在，但是里面的歌还会经常响起。不再年轻的Cohen，被上帝赐予了一种极富吸引力、攻无不克战无不胜的声线。我曾经一直以为Cohen只是一位歌手，看过他的传记后才知道，他在诗歌和文学上的成就，丝毫不逊于他的音乐才华。
这张让歌迷们望眼欲穿的专辑，延续着Cohen特有的低沉、忧伤。他和齐豫不同的是，听齐豫的歌会让你陷入沉思，而Cohen能让你的思绪在音乐响起的一瞬凝滞，心如止水。
这是一粒止痛片，是一剂安神药，献给现代人游离躁动的灵魂。

It starts with a sunrise, it ends with "one star shining," and in between Closing Time contains an honest year's worth (1973, to be exact) of sweet, melodic, vintage Tom Waits--minus some of the vocal growl and thematic grit of his later stuff (but you can see it coming). Waltzes, lullabies, blues, jazz, you name it. Driving songs and drinking songs, even an honest to gosh country tune: "Rosie." There are torchers ("Lonely"), scorchers ("Ice Cream Man"), and back-porch senior citizen love songs ("Martha"): "Those were the days of roses/Poetry and prose, and/Martha, all I had was you and all you had was me." Other standouts are "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" (guess what--he does!) and "Grapefruit Moon," in which Waits croons: "Every time I hear that melody, something breaks inside." Hang on to your hearts and hats, folks. --Dan Leone