Allison Crowe
Encyclopedia
Allison Louise Crowe is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist
and pianist
from Nanaimo
, British Columbia
who lives in Corner Brook
, Newfoundland and Labrador
, communities spanning the breadth of Canada.
Crowe records on her own record label
, Rubenesque Records Ltd. (incorporated in 2001) and releases her original music under Creative Commons
licensing.
. Crowe's recording debut came in 2001, with an EP subsequently reissued (in 2003) as Lisa’s Song + 6 Songs
. Her first full-length album
s, Secrets
and Tidings
, were released in 2004, when Crowe was 22. (Tidings
was originally released in EP form in 2003.) Allison Crowe: Live at Wood Hall
, a double concert album, was released in July 2005. A DVD
featuring live-in-the-studio performances of Tidings songs was created for her fan club in November 2005.
Crowe, of Scottish, Irish, and Manx
descent, grew up surrounded by jazz
, classical and rock
music
, and discovered additional influences on her own such as Ani DiFranco
, Pearl Jam
, Tori Amos
and Counting Crows
. She plays music of all these genre
s, making her difficult to categorize: in Amazon.com
’s downloads, she has simultaneously been in the top three on the Rock Singer-Songwriters, Hymns, Blues
, Jazz
, Broadway
and British & Celtic Folk charts. "Drawing from classical, jazz, pop and gospel sources, the young singer has created singular, inspiring music both in the studio and in the concert hall.” (Joseph Blake, Victoria Times Colonist, March 24, 2005).
Crowe’s most mentioned characteristics are her remarkable live performance ability and her distinctive voice
, the natural force of which has been compared to that of Mahalia Jackson
. "With the soul of Janis Joplin
and the tenderness of fellow Canuck Sarah McLachlan
, Crowe rocks with her own unique brand of roots charm." (David McPherson, Exclaim!
, October 5, 2004). She accompanies herself on guitar
and the piano
, on which she has been classically trained. Her physical, percussive, piano style has been likened to that of R&B and rock and roll
pioneers such as Fats Domino
. She is largely a solo
performer, though she has been part of bands as well, notably in a trio format as the Allison Crowe Band (2000 to 2003). Her passionate, visceral style has been referred to as “Elton John
meets Édith Piaf
” (Clodagh O’Connell, Vancouver Courier
, May 23, 2001).
Crowe mostly performs her own song
s, which she has been quoted as saying vary among rock
, jazz
and folk
, with lyrics
and an intensity that has been compared to that of Laura Nyro
, Eddie Vedder
, Tori Amos
and Patti Smith
. "Ever wonder what it would have been like to listen to a gifted singer/songwriter from Saskatchewan in a small, intimate hall before she became Joni Mitchell? Don't fret the missed opportunity. There's no need to turn back the clock. Check out Allison Crowe," says Robert Reid in The Record.
"Whether I'm Wrong", an original song of social conscience penned in early 2003, has been featured by the UNESCO-endorsed New Songs for Peace initiative. Crowe is also acclaimed for her interpretations of songs by a wide variety of composers, from Jerome Kern
to Pearl Jam
, including Lennon/McCartney
and fellow Canadians Joni Mitchell
and Leonard Cohen
. Her cover
of Cohen’s "Hallelujah" was named Record of the Week by Record of the Day (UK) in August 2004 and again in November 2005.
Crowe has toured across Canada and in the northeastern United States as headliner. Two one-hour television
specials have been broadcast across Canada, with her Allison Crowe: Tidings special telecast each December since 2003.
In late 2005 she performed for the first time in western Europe
, with concerts in Dublin, London, Munich
, Frankfurt
, Amsterdam
and Paris.
In the Spring of 2006, Allison Crowe toured coast-to-coast in her homeland, covering most of the distance by Via Rail Canada train on the "Rock'n'Rail Revue".
In October 2006, Allison Crowe released a new album, This Little Bird
, which she began recording in February 2006 in her new home of Corner Brook. The album was completed some 6000 kilometres west, on Vancouver Island
, and Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
.
Following the release of This Little Bird
, Allison Crowe visited England, Ireland, and Scotland on a concert tour. In 2007 Crowe's touring included a series of concerts across North America and a return to Europe where she performed to great acclaim at the John Lennon Northern Lights Festival in Durness
, Scotland. The event was subsequently crowned the "UK's Best New Festival".
Piano, guitar and lead vocal tracks for two albums were recorded by Allison Crowe throughout 2007 and early 2008. One release, with the working title of Aquarius Rising, is anticipated to include expanded instrumentation and orchestration. In May 2008 Crowe released an eclectic, acoustic, song collection called Little Light.
In May 2009 she was prevented from performing in Edinburgh, Scotland and London, England after being turned away by British officials at Gatwick Airport for not having a "Certificate of Sponsorship". This requirement of a controversial new "anti-terrorism" and "illegal immigration" policy in the UK is not shared by countries of continental Europe and Crowe's tour with her band resumed days later in Germany.
Crowe's touring band, her first since 2003, comprises Billie Woods on guitar, Dave Baird on bass, and Laurent Boucher on percussion. This quartet has toured Canada's Pacific and Atlantic coasts, as well as continental Europe.
Following a string of successful concert performances in Germany
, the Czech Republic
, and Austria
, Allison Crowe returned home to Canada and during the Summer of 2009 selected songs for a new album to be titled Spiral. Some of this collection comprises never-heard songs from Aquarius Rising (those for which orchestration was not found in 2007), along with new originals and cover songs. The album Spiral was released March 17, 2010.
In July 2011 Allison Crowe released a double-A-side single, featuring two songs: Arthur, a piano original; and Up to the Mountain (MLK Song), a guitar version of the Patty Griffin
song.
and Loreena McKennitt
, and Creative Commons
licensing opening new avenues for musicians, Allison Crowe launched her own record label, Rubenesque Records Ltd. She has released the following albums independently.
.
This unique aspect of Crowe's artistry, combining original material with a range of covers to equal praise and draw, has been commented upon extensively in print and broadcast media, including a November 2008 BBC
radio documentary, "The Fourth, The Fifth, The Minor Fall". Her interpretations of Leonard Cohen
songs have received particular recognition in features by BBC Radio
and MOJO
magazine. Crowe's single/first take recording of Hallelujah was slated to be the soundtrack to a quirky scene in the 2009 Hollywood blockbuster, Watchmen
, before being replaced by a Cohen recording. "I originally had a different version of 'Hallelujah' on that scene (involving Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II) - it was the version by Allison Crowe, and it was really beautiful. Too beautiful, as it turned out..." explains the movie's Director Zack Snyder
. In another interview, Snyder explained that Crowe's recording is "too romantic" and "too sexy" for the scene which is meant to come across as ironic and "ridiculous".
Some of the most artistically and commercially successful cover songs in Crowe's recorded and published repertoire include:
In addition to these prominent examples of studio and live tracks there are numerous other cover songs which have been performed by Allison Crowe. Only those interpretations which have been officially released on recordings are noted here.
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
from Nanaimo
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Nanaimo is a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It has been dubbed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" and "Harbour City". Nanaimo is also sometimes referred to as the "Hub City" because of its central location on Vancouver Island and due to the layout of the downtown...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
who lives in Corner Brook
Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador
Corner Brook is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada....
, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, communities spanning the breadth of Canada.
Crowe records on her own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Rubenesque Records Ltd. (incorporated in 2001) and releases her original music under Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
licensing.
History
Allison Crowe began performing professionally in 1996, at age 15, doing regular sets in the coffee-houses and bars of Vancouver IslandVancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
. Crowe's recording debut came in 2001, with an EP subsequently reissued (in 2003) as Lisa’s Song + 6 Songs
Lisa's Song
Lisa's Song+ 6 Songs is the debut recording from Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe. Its tracks were recorded live-off-the-floor in two separate sessions. The first tracks were captured July 2001, on an afternoon when Crowe was travelling to Seattle, Washington, to perform concerts for fans...
. Her first full-length album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, Secrets
Secrets (Allison Crowe album)
Secrets, released in 2004 , is the second studio album released by Allison Crowe and her first full-length CD. Following the dissolution of her trio, Crowe recorded this solo, singer-songwriter, collection in Nanaimo, British Columbia...
and Tidings
Tidings
Tidings is the third studio album by Allison Crowe, released in 2003 in EP form and expanded to full album length in 2004...
, were released in 2004, when Crowe was 22. (Tidings
Tidings
Tidings is the third studio album by Allison Crowe, released in 2003 in EP form and expanded to full album length in 2004...
was originally released in EP form in 2003.) Allison Crowe: Live at Wood Hall
Live at Wood Hall
Live at Wood Hall is the fourth album release from Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe. This double-CD set was recorded over two nights of concerts in the converted church chapel of the Conservatory of Music in Victoria, British Columbia....
, a double concert album, was released in July 2005. A DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
featuring live-in-the-studio performances of Tidings songs was created for her fan club in November 2005.
Crowe, of Scottish, Irish, and Manx
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
descent, grew up surrounded by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, classical and rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and discovered additional influences on her own such as Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
, Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
and Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
. She plays music of all these genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s, making her difficult to categorize: in Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
’s downloads, she has simultaneously been in the top three on the Rock Singer-Songwriters, Hymns, Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and British & Celtic Folk charts. "Drawing from classical, jazz, pop and gospel sources, the young singer has created singular, inspiring music both in the studio and in the concert hall.” (Joseph Blake, Victoria Times Colonist, March 24, 2005).
Crowe’s most mentioned characteristics are her remarkable live performance ability and her distinctive voice
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
, the natural force of which has been compared to that of Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson – January 27, 1972) was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel"...
. "With the soul of Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
and the tenderness of fellow Canuck Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
, Crowe rocks with her own unique brand of roots charm." (David McPherson, Exclaim!
Exclaim!
Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...
, October 5, 2004). She accompanies herself on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, on which she has been classically trained. Her physical, percussive, piano style has been likened to that of R&B and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
pioneers such as Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
. She is largely a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
performer, though she has been part of bands as well, notably in a trio format as the Allison Crowe Band (2000 to 2003). Her passionate, visceral style has been referred to as “Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
meets Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
” (Clodagh O’Connell, Vancouver Courier
Vancouver Courier
The Vancouver Courier is a Canadian semiweekly local newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia by Postmedia Network Inc. Currently, it is Canada's largest distributed community newspaper, with a weekly distribtuion of 265,000...
, May 23, 2001).
Crowe mostly performs her own song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s, which she has been quoted as saying vary among rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, with lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
and an intensity that has been compared to that of Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
, Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
, Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
and Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
. "Ever wonder what it would have been like to listen to a gifted singer/songwriter from Saskatchewan in a small, intimate hall before she became Joni Mitchell? Don't fret the missed opportunity. There's no need to turn back the clock. Check out Allison Crowe," says Robert Reid in The Record.
"Whether I'm Wrong", an original song of social conscience penned in early 2003, has been featured by the UNESCO-endorsed New Songs for Peace initiative. Crowe is also acclaimed for her interpretations of songs by a wide variety of composers, from Jerome Kern
Jerome Kern
Jerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A...
to Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, including Lennon/McCartney
Lennon/McCartney
The Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership is one of the best-known and most successful musical collaborations in history...
and fellow Canadians Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
and Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
. Her cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Cohen’s "Hallelujah" was named Record of the Week by Record of the Day (UK) in August 2004 and again in November 2005.
Crowe has toured across Canada and in the northeastern United States as headliner. Two one-hour television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
specials have been broadcast across Canada, with her Allison Crowe: Tidings special telecast each December since 2003.
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
, with concerts in Dublin, London, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Paris.
In the Spring of 2006, Allison Crowe toured coast-to-coast in her homeland, covering most of the distance by Via Rail Canada train on the "Rock'n'Rail Revue".
In October 2006, Allison Crowe released a new album, This Little Bird
This Little Bird
This Little Bird is the fourth studio album by Allison Crowe to be released on her independent label, Rubenesque Records Ltd. Overall, it's the fifth album release from the Canadian singer-songwriter — following Crowe's double-CD ...
, which she began recording in February 2006 in her new home of Corner Brook. The album was completed some 6000 kilometres west, on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, and Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Following the release of This Little Bird
This Little Bird
This Little Bird is the fourth studio album by Allison Crowe to be released on her independent label, Rubenesque Records Ltd. Overall, it's the fifth album release from the Canadian singer-songwriter — following Crowe's double-CD ...
, Allison Crowe visited England, Ireland, and Scotland on a concert tour. In 2007 Crowe's touring included a series of concerts across North America and a return to Europe where she performed to great acclaim at the John Lennon Northern Lights Festival in Durness
Durness
Durness is a huge but remote parish in the northwestern Highlands of Scotland, encompassing all the land between the Moine to the East and the Gualin to the West...
, Scotland. The event was subsequently crowned the "UK's Best New Festival".
Crowe's touring band, her first since 2003, comprises Billie Woods on guitar, Dave Baird on bass, and Laurent Boucher on percussion. This quartet has toured Canada's Pacific and Atlantic coasts, as well as continental Europe.
Following a string of successful concert performances in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Allison Crowe returned home to Canada and during the Summer of 2009 selected songs for a new album to be titled Spiral. Some of this collection comprises never-heard songs from Aquarius Rising (those for which orchestration was not found in 2007), along with new originals and cover songs. The album Spiral was released March 17, 2010.
In July 2011 Allison Crowe released a double-A-side single, featuring two songs: Arthur, a piano original; and Up to the Mountain (MLK Song), a guitar version of the Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16, 1964, is an American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She is especially known for her down-home crafting of songs and her connection to musicians including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, and the Dixie Chicks, who have played with...
song.
Discography
After learning how the mainstream recording industry operates, in 2003, inspired by the examples of Ani DiFrancoAni DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
and Loreena McKennitt
Loreena McKennitt
Loreena Isabel Irene McKennitt, CM, OM, is a Canadian singer, composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. McKennitt is known for her refined, clear soprano vocals...
, and Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
licensing opening new avenues for musicians, Allison Crowe launched her own record label, Rubenesque Records Ltd. She has released the following albums independently.
Albums
- Lisa’s Song + 6 SongsLisa's SongLisa's Song+ 6 Songs is the debut recording from Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe. Its tracks were recorded live-off-the-floor in two separate sessions. The first tracks were captured July 2001, on an afternoon when Crowe was travelling to Seattle, Washington, to perform concerts for fans...
(2003) (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
; earlier versions were 6 Songs and 6 Songs +) - Tidings: 6 Songs for the Season (2003) (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - SecretsSecrets (Allison Crowe album)Secrets, released in 2004 , is the second studio album released by Allison Crowe and her first full-length CD. Following the dissolution of her trio, Crowe recorded this solo, singer-songwriter, collection in Nanaimo, British Columbia...
(2004) singer-songwriter solo debut - TidingsTidingsTidings is the third studio album by Allison Crowe, released in 2003 in EP form and expanded to full album length in 2004...
(2004) (a greatly expanded version of Tidings: 6 Songs for the Season) - Allison Crowe:Live at Wood HallLive at Wood HallLive at Wood Hall is the fourth album release from Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe. This double-CD set was recorded over two nights of concerts in the converted church chapel of the Conservatory of Music in Victoria, British Columbia....
(2005) (double concert album) - This Little BirdThis Little BirdThis Little Bird is the fourth studio album by Allison Crowe to be released on her independent label, Rubenesque Records Ltd. Overall, it's the fifth album release from the Canadian singer-songwriter — following Crowe's double-CD ...
(2006) full-length album with band - Little LightLittle LightLittle Light is the fifth studio album from Canadian singer-aongwriter Allison Crowe and the sixth CD release overall from her record label, Rubenesque Records Ltd...
(2008) solo, acoustic, album - Spiral (2010) full-band album, with orchestration
Compilations
- Open Minds Open Windows: Songwriter's Stories (2003) West coast Canadian musicians
- It Was 40 Years Ago Today (2004) indie, punk, alternative tribute to The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
- Christmas in Rock Vol. 4 (2005) German release of ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
songs - Cohen Covered (2008) Mojo (magazine)Mojo (magazine)MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
tribute compilation - Songs of Hope for Haiti (2010) benefit compilation incl. Crowe's previously unreleased song Aquarius Rising
Videos
- Inside Pandora’s Box: Allison Crowe (2002) (one-hour television broadcast in Canada)
- Allison Crowe: Tidings (2003) (one-hour television broadcast annually in Canada)
- Tidings (2005) (DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
fan-club-only release)
Cover Songs
Acclaimed as a songwriter and live performer, Allison Crowe's reputation and audience worldwide is also based significantly on her intrerpretations of songs in the popular music canon alongside classical and traditional works, and songs from musical theatre, especially BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
.
This unique aspect of Crowe's artistry, combining original material with a range of covers to equal praise and draw, has been commented upon extensively in print and broadcast media, including a November 2008 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio documentary, "The Fourth, The Fifth, The Minor Fall". Her interpretations of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
songs have received particular recognition in features by BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
and MOJO
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
magazine. Crowe's single/first take recording of Hallelujah was slated to be the soundtrack to a quirky scene in the 2009 Hollywood blockbuster, Watchmen
Watchmen (film)
Watchmen is a 2009 superhero film directed by Zack Snyder and starring Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson. It is an adaptation of the comic book of the same name by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons...
, before being replaced by a Cohen recording. "I originally had a different version of 'Hallelujah' on that scene (involving Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II) - it was the version by Allison Crowe, and it was really beautiful. Too beautiful, as it turned out..." explains the movie's Director Zack Snyder
Zack Snyder
Zachary Edward "Zack" Snyder is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer. After making his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead, he gained wide recognition with the 2007 box office hit 300, adapted from writer-artist Frank Miller's Dark Horse Comics...
. In another interview, Snyder explained that Crowe's recording is "too romantic" and "too sexy" for the scene which is meant to come across as ironic and "ridiculous".
Some of the most artistically and commercially successful cover songs in Crowe's recorded and published repertoire include:
- A Case of YouA Case of You"A Case of You" is a song by Joni Mitchell, from her 1971 album Blue. It is one of her most well-known songs.-Writing and recording:Mitchell recorded A Case of You in 1971, during her early folk period. The song was first released on the 1971 album Blue with Mitchell playing Appalachian dulcimer,...
- Joni MitchellJoni MitchellJoni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto... - A Murder of One - Counting CrowsCounting CrowsCounting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
- AngelAngel (Sarah McLachlan song)"Angel" is a song by Sarah McLachlan that originally appeared on her 1997 album Surfacing. As McLachlan explained on VH1 Storytellers, the song is about the Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin, who overdosed on heroin and died in 1996."Angel" was McLachlan's second top 5 hits...
- Sarah McLachlanSarah McLachlanSarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four... - Believe Me If All (Those Endearing Young Charms) - traditional Irish Aire (words by Sir Thomas MooreThomas MooreThomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
) - Bill - Jerome KernJerome KernJerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A...
, P.G. Wodehouse & Oscar Hammerstein IIOscar Hammerstein IIOscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
(from Show BoatShow BoatShow Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...
) - Creep - RadioheadRadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
- Darling Be Home Soon - The Lovin' SpoonfulThe Lovin' SpoonfulThe Lovin' Spoonful is an American pop rock band of the 1960s, named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. When asked about his band, leader John Sebastian said it sounded like a combination of "Mississippi John Hurt and Chuck Berry," prompting his friend, Fritz Richmond, to suggest the name...
- Hallelujah - Leonard CohenLeonard CohenLeonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
- I Dreamed a DreamI Dreamed a Dream"I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the musical Les Misérables. It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron...
- Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönberg (from Les MisérablesLes Misérables (musical)Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
) - Independence Day - Ani DiFrancoAni DiFrancoAni DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
- Indifference - Pearl JamPearl JamPearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
- I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love YouI Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You is the breakthrough 1967 album by Aretha Franklin. It went to number 2 on the Billboard album chart and number 1 on the magazine's Black Albums chart. It was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1967...
- Ronnie Shannon (popularized by Aretha FranklinAretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
) - In Love in Vain - Jerome KernJerome KernJerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A...
& Leo Robin - ImagineImagine (song)"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
- John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music... - In My LifeIn My Life"In My Life" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney . The song originated with Lennon, and while Paul McCartney contributed to the final version, the extent of his contribution is in dispute. George Martin contributed the instrumental bridge...
- The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr... - Joan of Arc - Leonard CohenLeonard CohenLeonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
- Let It BeLet It Be (song)"Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single, and as the title track of their album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was their final single before McCartney announced his departure from the band...
- The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr... - Me and Bobby McGeeMe and Bobby McGee"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, originally performed by Roger Miller. Others performed the song later, including Kristofferson himself, and Janis Joplin who topped the U.S. singles chart with the song in 1971 after her death, making the song the second...
- Fred Foster & Kris KristoffersonKris KristoffersonKristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
(popularized by Janis JoplinJanis JoplinJanis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
) - Playboy Mommy - Tori AmosTori AmosTori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
- Raining in Baltimore - Counting CrowsCounting CrowsCounting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
- Release - Pearl JamPearl JamPearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
- River - Joni MitchellJoni MitchellJoni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
- Running for Home - Matthew GoodMatthew GoodMatthew Frederick Robert Good is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer for the Matthew Good Band, one of Canada's most successful alternative rock bands in the 1990s, before dissolving the band in 2002...
, Dave GennDave GennDavid Robert Madison Genn is a musician and a member of Canadian rock group 54-40. Genn was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on 2 March 1969.-Matthew Good Band:... - Shine a LightShine a Light (song)"Shine a Light" is a song featured on British rock and roll band the Rolling Stones' 1972 album Exile on Main St.Although credited to usual Stones writers Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Shine a Light" was largely a Jagger composition. He began writing the song in early 1968 when the Stones still...
- The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up... - Smells Like Teen SpiritSmells Like Teen Spirit"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind , released on DGC Records...
- NirvanaNirvana (band)Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987... - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)-Personnel:*Annie Lennox – vocals, keyboards, synthesisers, flute*David A. Stewart – guitar, keyboards, synthesisers, programming, backing vocals-Additional personnel:*Robert Crash - Guitar/ E-Drums/ Synth/ Robotic vocals...
- EurythmicsEurythmicsEurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A... - 32 Flavors - Ani DiFrancoAni DiFrancoAni DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
- Time After TimeTime after Time (Cyndi Lauper song)"Time After Time" is a song by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released as the second single from her album She's So Unusual. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 9, 1984, and remained there for two weeks...
- Cyndi LauperCyndi LauperCynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, Rob HymanRob HymanRobert Andrew "Rob" Hyman is an American singer, songwriter, keyboard player, accordion player, producer, arranger and recording studio owner, best known for being a founding member of the rock band The Hooters.-Early life:Hyman started taking piano lessons at the age of four and grew up playing... - Throw Your Arms Around MeThrow Your Arms Around Me-Personnel:Hunters & Collectors members*John Archer — bass guitar*Geoffrey Crosby — keyboards*Douglas Falconer — drums*John 'Jack' Howard — trumpet*Mark Seymour — vocals, lead guitar*Michael Waters — trombone...
- Hunters and Collectors - Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)"Up to the Mountain " is a contemporary folk song written by Patty Griffin. The song touches upon emotions surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous 1968 "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, given the day before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee...
- Patty GriffinPatty GriffinPatty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16, 1964, is an American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She is especially known for her down-home crafting of songs and her connection to musicians including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, and the Dixie Chicks, who have played with... - When I'm Gone - Phil OchsPhil OchsPhilip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
- Who Will Save Your SoulWho Will Save Your Soul"Who Will Save Your Soul" is a folk pop song written by Jewel, and was the first song released from her first album Pieces of You.-About the record:Jewel explained her creative process for "Who Will Save Your Soul" in an interview....
- JewelJewel (singer)Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
In addition to these prominent examples of studio and live tracks there are numerous other cover songs which have been performed by Allison Crowe. Only those interpretations which have been officially released on recordings are noted here.
External links
- Allison Crowe official site
- Allison Crowe @ Last.fm
- Podsafe Music Network
- Allison Crowe at Pandora
- Allison Crowe official UK site
- Allison Crowe at JamendoJamendoJamendo is a music website and a community of music authors. It bills itself as "the world's #1 platform for free and legal music downloads under Creative Commons licenses."...
- The Ruckus - Audio Interview with Allison Crowe from October 2008