Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

Let Love In

Too close to Cohen for me

Review Score:

(4/10)
Let Love In is my fist Nick Cave venture. I'm not a raving fan, but I'm not about to use the CD for a coaster either. Cave is an expressive baritone with a voice reminiscent of Leonard Cohen and the gruffness of Tom Waits. Like Cohen, he sing-speaks several selections, but he's also capable of singing and hitting all the notes on key. The similarity to Cohen goes deeper than just vocals, it also includes delivery and song structure. Seven of the ten compositions are dead-on Cohen sound-a-likes. I checked the CD booklet to make sure it said "Words and music by Nick Cave." "Do You Love Me?" is almost note-for-note the same as Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan": the only difference is the borrowed bass line from Marianne Faithfull's "Strange Weather." "Thirsty Dog" would be an original thundering guitar rocker, if I didn't own a copy of the Eric Gales Band debut. And I knew that there was something more familiar about "Jangling Jack" than just the name "Jack." Although distorted, "Jangling Jack" is a speed version of the Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash." After several plays of Let Love In, I don't recognize these compositions as the distinctive work of Nick Cave. For dark, gloomy and melancholy musical poetry, I'd just as soon listen to the original. Sorry, but "I'm You Fan" doesn't apply here.

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