Some songs don’t plead for your attention. They actually demand it. “There Is A War” by Anana Kaye isn’t merely a cover—it’s a takeover. And if you’ve got any sense, you’ll surrender on the first listen.
Leonard Cohen’s catalogue is hallowed ground. You don’t step on it lightly. But Kaye? She doesn’t tiptoe. She plants a flag. This ain’t some polite, candlelit tribute. This is a loud cry dressed in shadow and silk.
Kaye—Nashville-based, Georgia-born—has been quietly assembling a resume that’d make most artists weep. She’s worked with Americana legend David Olney. She’s on The Waterboys’ recent record alongside Bruce Springsteen and Fiona Apple. Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams? Yeah, she’s shared space with them too. But none of that pedigree matters if the track don’t hit. Spoiler: it hits.
So who’s in the room? Irakli Gabriel, her long-time musical partner and co-writer, layers in screaming guitars and sonic treatments that don’t only support the song—they antagonize it. Charlie Chamberlain’s at the helm, building tension brick by brick. Chris Benelli overdubs acoustic drums and percussion that kick like a mule. And David Conrad? Dude brings an upright bass that feels like casting against type, but man, it works.
Kaye starts at the piano. Alone. Vulnerable. Then the rhythm creeps in. Then the noise. Then the war.
And that’s what this song is. A war. Not just Cohen’s war—the one in the lyrics about choosing sides and dodging shrapnel—but the one happening right now. Ukraine. Georgia’s struggle for freedom. The chaos seething everywhere you look. Kaye and Gabriel call this new album ‘Are You There?’ a “musical silk road.” We call it a punch to the gut wrapped in velvet. The cover art is traditional Georgian garment and mask, designed by Ana Dvali, shot by Giorgi Kolbaia. Kaye’s roots run deep, and she ain’t hiding ‘em.
Apple Music threw “Cordelia” on their ‘New In Alternative’ global playlist for four weeks straight. The Huffington Post called her “gorgeous. Rich and strong, yet tender and translucent.” All true. But “There Is A War” is something else entirely. It’s beautiful.