There’s a certain fear that accompanies any new releases from an old, established artist; always the hope they haven’t gone completely mad in the interim, the hope they can still capably produce music not merely a rehash of what has been and gone before.

Cohen’s aptly titled Old Ideas is a beautifully wry nod to his honest and plain acknowledgement of this fear. He is still dealing with same themes he always has but, despite the ripe age of seventy-seven, he hasn’t lost an ounce of his charm or ability.

Those more accustomed to Cohen’s output from the 80s and 90s will note the sparseness of this most recent release. Gone are the drum machines and dense productions of old; instead, we are presented with impressive and persistent minimalism, a bare-bones instrumentation that allows his voice to carry through.

And to whom it may concern: his voice has not lost its beauty. It remains deep and hypnotic as ever; the man is still blessed with one of the most powerful and unique instruments in popular music history, a revelation that just keeps on giving. Novelty value be damned. Cohen doesn’t need it.

Cohen’s lyrics have always been likened to poetry, and that’s no less true of his current output. On display here is a wonderful mixture of self-deprecation and humor, love and spirituality. Influences of gospel music, perhaps more hidden in his older records, stride right to the forefront (‘Show Me the Place,’ ‘Come Healing’). The 3rd person opening track ‘Going Home’ displays his self-critical wit, as intact and punchy as it has ever been, as he remarks “He will speak these words of wisdom / Like a sage, a man of vision /  Though he knows he’s really nothing / But the brief elaboration of a tube.” Brief elaboration indeed. If only we could all be so lucky.

The singing praises need not persist. The album is a true pleasure – sure to please already eager fans and perhaps, with its more stark approach, pull in a few new listeners who may have been afraid of his more synthesizer driven forays in years past. The only problem here is one of innovation.

As addressed before, Cohen is acutely aware his words follow the same themes they always have: the arrangements, songwriting, production, all incredibly solid and, for Cohen, risk-free. While some of his contemporaries have engaged in bizarre (and largely unsuccessful) departures elsewhere, be it Christmas albums or covering jazz standards, Cohen keeps doing what he knows he does well; a mild disappointment perhaps, but it may well be for the best.

That’s the end of it. The whole record is a pleasure: clean, excellently written, but ultimately predictable. Another good record by a great artist, acting the way we’ve come to expect. Perhaps I’m being hard on an old man.

But that voice. Oh, that wonderful voice.