A double bass is the best instrument to pair with vocals

@crustycoot   Did you not notice that I was asked for a comparison of Taylor with Leonard Cohen? That is what I supplied. Already I had signified that I "didn't like JT," and would happily have let matters rest there.

@mike_in_nc  I'm confident that you will find, if interested, some Cohen covers more to your taste. A band called Brother Wiley recorded a lively, guitar-heavy cover of "First We Take Manhattan" that sheds much of the gloom and bitterness. I brought it up on Qobuz and you could surely do the same. Even the likes of Haydn and Mozart can be allowed four minutes' rest ;-)   

@hickamore - Thanks; I'll check them out.

Re: Mozart & Haydn, I do like Shostakovitch, too. No one ever accused his music of being happy all the time!

my fave vocal pairing, was slam stewart and major holley both duetting on their respective string basses, on a delightful album "SHUT YO MOUTH" which is notable for major holley's basso profundo singing down low in pitch-unison with his string bass all the way down to low E! what a voice!

Steinway Model D