Leonard Cohen, “You Want It Darker”

Will Leonard Cohen ever make a happy album? While recording his 14th full-length effort, “You Want It Darker,” the iconic 82-year-old songwriter was stricken by back pain and other health problems. This discomfort, perhaps, makes Cohen sound more exasperated than ever before, even over lush instrumentation. Cohen’s deep growl is occasionally adorned by a lone fiddle or a whole string section here. There’s an otherwordly dimension to Cohen’s latest, proof that there’s still beauty in his darkness.