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Blue Alert
 
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Blue Alert

~ Anjani
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Audio CD (23 April 2007)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Sonybmg
  • ASIN: B000OCY3YS
  • Other Editions: Audio CD
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 70,705 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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1. Blue Alert
2. Innermost Door
3. The Golden Gate
4. Half The Perfect World
5. Nightingale
6. No One After You
7. Never Got To Love You
8. The Mist
9. Crazy To Love You
10. Thanks For The Dance

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Honolulu-born singer-songwriter Anjani's story is the stuff of great fiction. After playing the New York jazz club circuit for years, she was introduced to celebrated Canadian poet, author, and songwriter Leonard Cohen. Immediately drawn to her talents, he brought her onboard as a keyboardist and vocalist, where she provided some background work on a number of his CDs. After finding a few lines of Cohen's handwritten lyrics lying on his desk one day (specifically "there's perfume burning in the air/bits of beauty everywhere"), Anjani was not just drawn to them, the words inspired her to write a song in their honor ("Blue Alert"). After hearing the result, the Order of Canada-winning poet was so impressed that he eventually allowed her the chance to cull through both his published and unpublished works for additional lyrics.

The result is the album Blue Alert, a collection of gentle music tinged with styles ranging from Holly Cole to Tanita Tikaram, with an overriding sense of cool jazz throughout. Listening to "No One After You" sends the listener straight into a '60s beatnik club, while "Half the Perfect World" incites a bossa nova feel. There are light Irish stylings sprinkled in the music as well, from the evocative lilt of "The Mist" to her mournful performance on "Crazy to Love You." Co-producer Cohen's rhythm and pacing is all over the disc, with Anjani's semi-whispered drawl making the songs sound eerily Leonard-like. Fans of the legendary Canadian writer will likely be charmed by these minimalist numbers, and enjoy this new extension of his artistic reach. --Denise Sheppard

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Trinity of Good Things..., 4 Oct 2006
By Laurie Eckhout (Juneau, AK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Blue Alert (Audio CD)
The mellow jazzy-ness of this CD is not my usual listening flavor. However, in the big scheme of things, there is nothing "usual" about this CD, period.

Initially, I focused in on the lyrics which undiluted by age, are typical Cohen-inspired, genius. Not typical as in predictable, but typical as in the high standards that you come to expect with Leonard Cohen.

So the words, although sung (beautifully) by Anjani, for me have the undertones of Leonard's deep voice, subliminally speaking in the background. But in reality it is just Anjani's voice giving life to the lyrics. She seems to forget there is a microphone. It feels very intimate and honest. Her voice honors the words and the music, a trinity of things working perfectly together.

This CD can easily play 'in the background.' It is quiet and serene and pleasant listening. But you really should pay attention to the things being said, how they are being said and the beautiful backdrop of melodies supporting the works to get the full impact of this quiet, giant of a CD.

regards,
Laurie
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars THOMAS IS A BEAUTIFUL CHANNEL FOR COHEN, 25 Jul 2006
By D. Birkett - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Blue Alert (Audio CD)
Generally, I think this is a beautiful and moving collection. Hearing Anjani's spare but thoughtful arrangements behind Leonard's (or Anjani and Leonard's) words is like seeing a familiar person dressed in new clothes.

For me the best track by far is Golden Gate, as it marries a typcially Cohenesque use of effortless symbolism and understatement with an achingly poignant musical arrangement. The closing line "And nothing has failed" succeeds in being utterly simple and deeply affecting. For me, this song joins the pantheon of classics which perfectly describe the plangency of a love affair ending - it's up there with Diamonds and Rust, I think.

There are moments of startling and brilliant imagery, particularly on the title track, of playfulness (as in Thanks for the Dance, albeit of a somewhat bitter shade) and of delighted recognition (Mist and Nightingale).

The only dreary song for me is Half the Perfect World, but then I think there's at least 1 duff track on each Cohen album.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A rare and beautiful sound., 7 April 2007
By Mr. Nigel Lacey (Morden, Surrey United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I discovered this album by chance when I visited the Leonard Cohen website and the title track Blue Alert happened to be playing in the background. I ordered the album from the states and when it arrived I was blown away. The richness of Anjani's voice, the beauty of the minimal arrangements and the wonderful tell tell production with more than a hint of Cohen. A must have for any collection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The real deal
Two things came to mind when listening to this rather fine album; firstly, for all the, deserved, plaudits afforded to the likes of Diana Krall, Norah Jones and Madeline Peyroux,... Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2007 by IWFIcon

5.0 out of 5 stars Seems like I like ersatz jazz

We drive on the left cos if you drive along the middle of the road there's going to be a smash. Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2007 by OEJ

1.0 out of 5 stars If you need to know exactly where the middle of the road is... buy this album
Fans of Katie Melua will love this. Great voice, understated musical arrangements and certainly stronger lyrics than Katie's... and oh-so-dull. Read more
Published on 24 April 2007 by PB

1.0 out of 5 stars Background drivel
This is a huge disappointment. I own everything Leonard Cohen's ever published, and I very much like Anjani's backing vocals on much of his work - but this is little more than... Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2006 by Dr. S. J. Muller

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