If ever there were an heir apparent to the poetic legacy and measured grace of Leonard Cohen, Bill Callahan would be my pick—with perhaps Jens Lekman, in terms of humor, being a worthy runner-up. Now the man formerly known as Smog has joined a host of artists paying their debt to Cohen in the wake of his new record with a reverent cover. Joining the likes of Will Oldham, emerging 24B fave Michael Kiwanuka, Cass McCombs, Marc Ribot, and others, Callahan mined Cohen’s debut LP for a faithful take on “So Long, Marianne.” Stream it above, while samples from MOJO’s full tribute disc can be previewed here.
