Blue Alert (album)

2006 studio album by Anjani

Blue Alert

Studio album by

Anjani

Released

May 19, 2006

Genre

Jazz

Length

40:38

Label

Columbia

Producer

Leonard Cohen

Anjani chronology

The Sacred Names
(2003)

Blue Alert
(2006)

I Came to Love
(2014)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
All About Jazz	^[1]
AllMusic	^[2]
Rolling Stone	^[3]

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).

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

"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

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

^ 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

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

Leonard Cohen

Studio albums