LEONARD COHEN
Leaving the Table ★★★★
Colombia
On the title track of his 1988 album I'm You Man, a 54-year- old Leonard Cohen referred to his libido as a beast that wouldn't sleep. On this from his latest (and possibly final) long player You Want It Darker, the 82-year-old Cohen harkens back to that song, singing "I don't want a lover, no / That wretched beast is tamed." Indeed the entire track, on which he lists a series of roles he feels unequipped to fulfil now, could easily be redubbed I'm No Longer Your Man. In lesser hands, this would sound maudlin or self-pitying. But ever the master, Cohen delivers with grace, humour and ageless panache.
CATHOLIC ACTION
Rita Ora ★★★
Luv Luv Luv Records
They're one of Scotland's most talked-about new bands, apparently. But Catholic Action didn't turn heads in the London music press until they composed this love-struck ode to X Factor judge Rita Ora. The Glasgow rockers' band name reads a little on the nose. But considering the artist they wish to woo performed at the canonisation of Mother Teresa in the Vatican last month, maybe they've just done their homework.
ELAINE MAI
Enniscrone ★★★
Irish electronic artist Elaine Mai this week previewed this single from her forthcoming EP The Colour of the Night, out next year. It's inspired by happy childhood holidays spent in the sleepy Sligo seaside village of Enniscrone. And it's an instrumental. So none of Morrissey's "Come, come nuclear bombs…"
RiZA
Thank You ★★★
Ensemble
Congolese-born, Wicklow- based guitarist Niwel Tsumbu recorded this beguiling tribute to his wife Niamh in Peter Gabriel's RealWorld Studios in England. The video was directed by Steve Glashier, who has worked for the likes of Fatboy Slim, Juliette Lewis and Chrissy Hynde. His debut album is set for release in January.
