Blue Alert

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." Coproducer 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