Lubię Gadać z Leonardem

"I Love to Speak with Leonard"

Marcin Styczeń

Poland 2017

Tracks:

1. Idę tam/Going home 03:32
2. Ciemność/ Darkness 04:15
3. No i co /Nevermind 04:05
4. Nie biorę nic/ Traveling light 03:15
5. Prawie jak ten blues/ Almost like the blues 03:16
6. Amen 04:36
7. Lepszą drogą pójść/ It seemed the better way 03:48
8. Tylko w moim mroku/ You want it darker 04:01
9. Weź swój ster/ Steer your way 03:06
10. Każesz mi śpiewać/ You got me singing 02:26
11. Przyjdź, uzdrów/ Come healing 03:00
12. Idę tam (live)/ Going home 04:06

All translations by Marcin Styczeń

Information provided by the artist:

„Lubię gadać z Leonardem” („I love to speak with Leonard”) is an album consisting of 11 songs by Leonard Cohen from his last three albums translated and performed by Marcin Styczeń. These songs haven't been sung in Poland by anyone so far. There have been no translations as the greatest promoter of the Canadian artist - Maciej Zembaty - died in 2011. Therefore it is a pioneer work. All translations have been approved by Leonard Cohen's heirs.

Why “I love to speak with Leonard”? “The translation of Leonard Cohen's songs was like having a conversation with him. Sometimes we agreed, sometimes we argued but in general we were looking in the same direction. ‘Going home without my sorrow, going home sometime tomorrow, going home to where it’s better than before’. It may be surprising but to me Cohen is an artist who walked towards the light despite deep inner darkness, depression and pessimism. He didn't offer cheap comfort and hope but he also didn't cast doubt. Years of meditation had taught him to keep healthy distance and accept also the dark side of human nature. This is also the way this album is put together. Darkness and light interweave the same as they interweave in our lives” - says Marcin Styczeń.

The songs have been arranged by an excellent composer and arranger Marcin Kuczewski: “The greatest challenge of working on “I love to speak with Leonard” was to create such music space that wouldn't compete with the lyrics which had always been of superior importance in Cohen's work. Marcin has managed to create noteworthy and yet faithful ‘rhythmical’ translations. Thanks to it we could use the pulse - so important in Cohen's work - as our guiding light in the search of best arrangements”.

The songs have been recorded by a Canadian sound engineer Chris Aiken: “The vocal performances are very emotional and intimate, the arrangements are dark and moody.

Artist's website: marcinstyczen.pl

Thanks to Marcin Styczeń for the information and the album!

Polish review of the album here