While Tim Hardin's own songs are outnumbered by covers here, Bird on a Wire features some of his most moving vocal performances. His haunting, airborne take on the title track is easily the most powerful version of the much-covered Leonard Cohen tune. And Hardin's famously fluid phrasing is at its jazziest, even on a country song like "A Satisfied Mind" or on the John Lee Hooker blues "Hoboin'," making a strong case for him as one of the most gifted interpreters of his generation.