Leonard Cohen album due in January

Old Ideas, the 12th studio album by Leonard Cohen, will be released by Columbia Records on Jan. 31.  

The 10 songs poetically address some of the most profound quandaries of human existence - the relationship to a transcendent being, love, sexuality, loss and death. Arguably the most overtly spiritual of the revered artist's albums, Old Ideas inspires commitment to a greater sense of compassion and decency. 

It can be preordered now at leonardcohen.com, where his song, "Show Me The Place" is also streaming. Fans who pre-order will receive an instant download of the new song. 

While the recording began this past, many of the new songs and their lyrics have been in the works for years. Early versions of "Amen" and "Lullaby" were originally recorded in '07, while early versions of "Lullaby" and " The Darkness" were performed live during Cohen's last world tour. 

Fans were given another hint of what to expect when Cohen made remarks as the recipient of the Principe de Asturias Prize for literature in Spain in October:

"As I grew older, I understood that instructions came with this voice. And the instructions were these...Never to lament casually. And if one is to express the great inevitable defeat that awaits us all, it must be done within the strict confines of dignity & beauty." 

The album was produced with Patrick Leonard, Anjani Thomas, Ed Sanders and Dino Soldo. Complementing Cohen's signature baritone on Old Ideas are vocalists Dana Glover, Sharon Robinson, The Webb Sisters (Hattie and Charley Webb) and Jennifer Warnes. The album's cover design and drawings are Cohen's own.

OLD IDEAS TRACK LISTING:
Going Home
Amen
Show Me The Place
The Darkness
Anyhow
Crazy To Love You
Come Healing
Banjo
Lullaby
Different Sides