Blue Alert is a jazz album recorded by Anjani, girlfriend and longtime backing singer of iconic Canadian singer-songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen, who also produced the album and wrote the lyrics. Also on the production team was John Lissauer, known for having previously produced two of Cohen's albums: New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974) and Various Positions (1984).
| Blue Alert | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 19, 2006 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 40:38 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Leonard Cohen | |||
| Anjani chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |   [1] |
| AllMusic | [2] |
| Rolling Stone |  [3] |
The album was released in Canada on May 2, in the United States on May 19, and in Europe on June 5, 2006, by Columbia Records. It debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.
Track listing
edit- "Blue Alert" – 5:39
- "Innermost Door" – 3:16
- "The Golden Gate" – 3:08
- "Half the Perfect World" – 4:06
- "Nightingale" – 3:00
- "No One After You" – 4:09
- "Never Got to Love You" – 4:36
- "The Mist" – 3:08
- "Crazy to Love You" – 4:51
- "Thanks for the Dance" – 4:38
All songs written by Anjani Thomas (music) and Leonard Cohen (lyrics).
"Nightingale" was previously recorded by Cohen on Dear Heather. "The Mist" contains lyrical elements from "As the Mist Leaves No Scar", the same poem "True Love Leaves No Traces" is based on (see Death of a Ladies' Man). Later (2012), Leonard Cohen recorded his own version of "Crazy to Love You" for Old Ideas, and "Thanks for the Dance" on his 2019 album of the same name.
Personnel
edit- Leonard Cohen – arranger, producer
- Larry Corbett – cello
- Bruce Dukov – violin
- Danny Frankel – drums
- Pamela Goldsmith – viola
- Brian Leonard – violin
- Greg Leisz – lap steel guitar
- John Lissauer – clarinet, arranger, keyboards, baritone saxophone
- Jeremy Lubbock – string arrangements
- Technical
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering
- Ed Sanders – producer, engineer, mixing
References
edit- ^ Santella, Jim (2006-05-30). "Anjani: Blue Alert album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
- ^ Jurek, Thom. "Anjani - Blue Alert". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
- ^ Green, Andy (2006-07-20). "Blue Alert: Anjani". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
External links
edit- Anjani's Homepage
- Blue Alert Homepage
- Trusting the Force: Into the Heart of Blue Alert - Music Box, April 2007 (Vol. 14, #4)
- Review by Pico Iyer in Shambhala Sun Magazine