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A high point of the documentary "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man," filmed around a 2004 tribute concert in New York, comes toward the end when backup singers Perla Batalla and Julie Christensen step up to sing "Anthem."

The duet is soulful and uplifting, the two women in perfect sync vocally and spiritually.

Their sisterhood was earned during years on the road as members of Cohen's touring band. And it brought a welcome energy to the 2004 concert of Cohen covers by such indie players as Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave and Teddy Thompson.

"I couldn't see not being a part of that concert," says Batalla, who comes to Albuquerque on Thursday for a show at the Lobo Theater. "Leonard was such a huge part of my life. It felt wrong not to be there."

Sixteen years earlier, in 1988, Batalla was in Los Angeles when the call went out for backup singers for a Cohen tour. She had other jobs lined up.

"Everyone in town went to interview for Leonard," she says. "I wasn't really thinking about going on the road."

But she got a call from the tour's musical director, Roscoe Beck, who said band member Christensen thought Batalla, with her rich contralto, would be a great fit.

"Julie and I had performed a lot together in different groups through the years, but I hadn't seen her in a while," Batalla says. "I remembered how fun it was to sing with her. When we get together, there is some kind of magic at work there."

Cohen saw the magic when Batalla auditioned.

"Julie and I slipped right back into our way of working - we sing back and forth with the different parts, high, low, switching in the middle," Batalla says. "It really impressed Leonard."

Her answering machine was flashing when she got home.

"They said `Get back here tomorrow,' " she recalls. "I had to quit my job. They had been rehearsing for weeks. I had to jump in and learn three hours of material."

When Cohen quit doing concerts in the mid-1990s, Batalla, who had also sung backup for K.D. Lang, the Gipsy Kings and Iggy Pop, resumed a solo career, writing songs, making CDs and touring. She signed with Warner Bros. but didn't like suits breathing down her neck.

"The record company experience is doing things by committee," she says.

Batalla, a California native who is half Argentinian and half Mexican, wanted to do multicultural music. Writing in English and Spanish, she self-produced her 1998 CD "Mestiza" and marketed it on Amazon.com.

"That was the outlet for indie music," she says. "The Internet has become a huge part of self-marketing. It's a relief to know I can do my own thing and not rely on how record companies work."

At the Lobo Theater, Batalla will be joined by Albuquerque's Handsome Family, an alt-country duo who also performed at the Cohen concert.

"They're always travelling," Batalla says. "This time they're actually here. I'm thrilled."

The song list includes Latin-flavored numbers, Batalla originals and Cohen covers.

Asked what she learned from Cohen all those years on the road, Batalla says: "He's a real gentleman, a dear soul. He treated people really well, gave the musicians gifts, great wine, fabulous food. We all worked really hard for him."

"I loved watching him every night," she says. "He loves to tell stories. I found myself looking forward to them, enjoying and laughing. I always knew I would have a good time."