From Suzanne to Marianne, Rebecca de Mornay to Jennifer Warnes, Cohen has always embraced his romantic partners as his muse; in recent years it seems much to his material regret. For Cohen, this has been a period of some tribulation, mired as he has been in trying to retrieve his life savings, seemingly squandered by former managers and advisors. He has released “Book of Longing,” his first new book of poetry in over a decade, and is the subject of a well-received new feature documentary “Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man.” Now Cohen flexes his muscles in a liberating fashion, giving his lyrics and production talents over to the voice and arrangements of Anjani Thomas, billed simply as Anjani, on the stylish and beguiling Blue Alert.

Hawaiian-born Anjani worked with Carl Anderson and Stanley Clarke among others while performing in N.Y. jazz clubs, before meeting Leonard and singing backup on the powerful "Hallelujah” from 1985’s Various Positions. Touring with Cohen as his keyboardist and backup vocalist ever since, she contributed to I'm Your Man, The Future and Dear Heather. Her debut album Anjani in 2000 was followed by The Sacred Names in 2001.

There is no doubt that Blue Alert, her third album, takes time to digest and absorb fully, like a fine wine or mescaline, but for Leonard fans it is worth the effort; Anjani’s voice is respectful and resonant and captures some of Cohen’s inflections perfectly. It is not hard to imagine her urging Cohen on to work some of these often imperfect but always compelling lyrics to their completion. Cohen must’ve got a kick too, out of writing for a voice other than his own, let alone the dynamic wisps of Anjani. It also reminds one that with Cohen’s songs, despite his impeccable poetic credential, it is often the delicate melody that enchants as much as the words, and Anjani does not disappoint in conveying the subtlety of Leonard’s minor chord progressions.

Anjani has set Cohen’s words to simple, jazz soundscapes, allowing her voice to linger over the tear-stained verses about love, longing and loss, from the bittersweet ennui of “No One After You” to the stylish rendition of the final “Thanks for the Dance,” with its slinky piano accompanying the almost ethereal vocal. Songs such as “Crazy to Love You” and “Half the Perfect World” also fit the warm cadence of Anjani’s delivery, while “The
Mist” and “Innermost Door” dig deep into Cohen consciousness.

Anjani's sultry pipes will inevitably be compared to that of Diana Krall, and even Marlene Dietrich; the opening title track sets the scene: ”There's perfume burning in the air, bits of beauty everywhere. Shrapnel flying. Soldier hits the dirt. She comes so close you feel her, then. She tells you no, and no again. Your lip is cut, on the edge of her pleated skirt. Blue alert.”

In the pop and jazz world, words like this don’t come along very often, and with the help of Cohen’s sophisticated sense of humor and spirituality, Noel Coward and Henry Miller pushed together with Billie Holiday and Nora Jones, this is very cool jazz indeed. Thomas' voice goes beyond words and melodies to admirably express the elegance and grace of the heart the Leonard so eloquently reflects in his words.

This is a wonderful vehicle for Cohen’s always provocative and penetrating words; Anjani has an innate understanding of how to get the best out of them without getting in the way of them, and her alluring vocal is the perfect vehicle to express them.

Sound
Anjani’s arrangements and vocal performance bring out the beauty of each song in a warm, organic environment, simply accompanied by piano and keyboard. Cohen, assisted by Ed Sanders and Anjani herself, keeps the production effects to a minimum, aiming for the same simplicity of statement that he achieves on his own recordings.