Lana Del Rey’s “Chelsea Hotel No. 2”: Review Revue

Lana Del Rey‘s latest salvo was a gorgeous, smoky cover of Leondard Cohen‘s spare “Chelsea Hotel No. 2.” And it wouldn’t be Lana if it didn’t come with a video that looks like it was transferred from worn-out film. We loved the cover; it was refreshing to hear LDR with all the production stripped away, much like on the Paradise EP‘s version of “Yayo,” giving the listener just her haunting voice and echoes of sadness. That’s the recipe for some of Lana’s most evocative, compelling material.

But what did the rest of the bloggerati have to say about her cover? Head below for a roundup of reviews.

:: Our pals at SPIN thought LDR turned out a “reverent cover,” the song “perfect fodder for romantic fatalist Del Rey, whose feather-light purr captures the uncomplicated tenderness of Cohen’s original.”

:: Billboard called it “a placid vocals-and-acoustic” cover, with the video a evoking a “hazy nostalgia, a flickering Super 8 tribute to an era long gone” similar to her breakout clip, “Video Games.”

:: Rolling Stone feels she “strikes the same spare, wistful tone as Cohen” and was thankful the video eschewed some of the extravagance of her visuals for “Born to Die” and “National Anthem.”

:: Stereogum labeled it “a languid tribute to a song so perfect that nobody needed to do anything to change it.” More importantly, the writer noted, “If you’re still looking for further reasons to hate Lana Del Rey, you probably won’t find them here.”

:: Complex was feeling the “classic, grainy visuals” and said her rendition is beautifully sung.

:: The Hairpin put it simply: “Unexpectedly lovely. Expectedly transfixing.”

:: The stingy Flavorwire was more conflicted. “We’re not sure whether we kinda dig this simply because it’s a Cohen song or because She Who Shall Not Be Named has done a pretty decent version of covering it, but either way, we are now having an existential crisis.”

What did you think of Lana’s version of “Chelsea Hotel No. 2”? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments below.