The Sacred Names
Anjani Thomas contributes her lovely voice to Leonard Cohen's masterpiece Dear Heather, adding a touch of the sublime to songs like On That Day (They Wounded New York) and Nightingale. She was also one of the backing vocalists on Cohen's 1984 album Various Positions. This uplifting album of her own songs is a work of devotion in praise of our Judeo-Christian God. As such, it mirrors the work of the Psalmist. Anjani plays keyboards and guitar while bass and percussion round of the sound, which is mostly gentle and acoustic. The moving Kyrie Eleison is sung in Greek & Aramaic, whilst Yoshua is a blend of Hebrew and English and the absorbing Ari Shemot contains Hebrew, Portuguese and English in a seamless blend of beauty. The song Praise is an invocation of divine and angelic names like Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel and Michael, a gentle but powerful prayer. Another of my favorites is the comforting and reassuring Yeshurun and the exultant Blessing where her voice really soars on the most beautiful melody on the album. In style, this one reminded me of the early work of folk legend Judy Collins. The last two tracks are quite mystical and esoteric, the concluding one being especially enchanting with awesome comforting and healing emanations. This song would be ideal for devotional activities like meditation and prayer. In this regard, interested listeners might want to investigate Holy Harmony by Jonathan Goldman, subtitled Healing Code Tuning Forks & Ancient YHSVH Chant. Those who love Van Morrison in his more spiritual moments, or the classical work Tehillim (Psalms) by Steve Reich, will definitely love this graceful work of devotion. Amongst female artists, this spiritual undertone is also present in the work of vocalists like Emmylou Harris, Jennifer Warnes and Jane Siberry. The CD case contains a glossary of Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Syriac (Aramaic) terms derived from The Book of Knowledge by Dr James J Hurtak. The Sacred Names is a real find, and I thank Leonard Cohen who, by using Anjani's voice on many of his albums put me on her trail. Let all that breathes praise the Eternal. --Pieter Uys