I've never trusted Cohen's arty reputation--a lot of page poets read better--but I continue to be a sucker for his voice, which has become more expressive and confident over the years without losing its flat, amateurish vulnerability. Some of the songs on this LP are less than memorable, but the settings, by arranger and co-producer John Lissauer, have the bizarro feel of John Simon's work on Cohen's first album, which I never believed was overproduced. For addicts, a genuine if occasional pleasure. A-