The fact that music legend, Leonard Cohen, has an album coming out is enough to have fans on the edge of their seats. But with a release date of January 31, 2012, it’s going to be here soon too!  Add to this the fact that it’s all going to be brand new material, and fans are practically salivating at the mouth. You can’t blame them; it’s been seven years since Cohen has released anything.

Some of those fans have already gotten a taste of the music. On his lengthy world tour, which took place between 2008 and 2010, Cohen performed some of the new material, including Darkness, Lullaby, Born in Chains, and Feels so Good. When talking about the new album with the press in Spain, Cohen humbly admitted that “I’ve played it for a few people and they seem to like it.”

Varying from folk music to pop to cabaret, and nearly everything in between, Cohen has always been known most for his brilliant songwriting and the lyrics that are more poetry than anything else. But, he says, “it’s a struggle” coming up with new material and that each time, no matter how much you’ve written in the past, “you [always] start from scratch.”

Fans do have some idea what to expect from the album, as Cohen has announced that the album would be titled Old Ideas, perhaps a bit of a play on words, seeing as how the music is all new. And don’t let his 77 years fool you, either. Although his past 2-year tour may have been his biggest ever, he’s always entertaining the idea of going back out on the road; and that he’ll consider going on tour to promote this album as well, although he’s not promising anything.