A Case of You - Oh Canada Day...

Steppin' lightly (just like, just like a ballerina) into this July 1 - Canada Day weekend. Here's a most Canadian song, born of a relationship between two artists - Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. "Love is touching souls. Well surely you touched mine..." Here's Allison Crowe's recording of "A Case of You" (from her "This Little Bird" album/CD) - live as can be...

New Double-A-Side-Single, and Album Plans

Acclaimed musician is ready with new recordings and fresh direction

Musician Allison Crowe, one of the world’s great songwriters and live performers, releases a double-A side digital single this Summer featuring a piano-based original song “Arthur” and an interpretation of Patty Griffin’s “Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)” on guitar.

The bicoastal Canadian artist is in pre-production of her eighth album - advancing a series of critically and commercially successful recordings. Her label, Rubenesque Records Ltd., is celebrating ten years of establishment-free creation.

In a recent interview with Helen Jayne Reid of CornerBrooker.com Crowe reveals some of the creative impetus to her next full-length release. She cites the heavier, industrial, production sound heard in “from the choirgirl hotel”-era Tori Amos, and the recordings of Nine Inch Nails. NIN’s Trent Reznor is also exemplary as a creator not bound by the corporate calculation of popular music today.

Recognizing the truth of John Lennon’s lyric, “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans”, Allison Crowe is giving a window of 12 – 18 months to solve intricate production puzzles with the current album collection of ten songs and a poem, "Snow".

While in pre-production this Summer, Crowe performs a single live show – as part of TNL's Gros Morne Theatre Festival concert series in Cow Head, near her Atlantic home of Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

Allison Crowe’s double-A-side single, “Arthur” and “Up to the Mountain” is set for release next month (July, 2011 – on iTunes et al).

"Wiener dogs, school treats and a slice of cheesecake"

It's Wien-Wien-Wien!!!

Today, an extravaganza on Allison Crowe's "7 Thumbs Up" blog. It's the second birthday of Link, Allison's daschund pal. Today's post leads off with "Wiener-shaped Dog Cookies", (or is that "Dog-shaped Wiener Cookies"...), and flows into "Man-Woman-and-Everything-Else-Friend Churros and Chocolate Sauce", for lovers and friends, and "Savoury Cheesecake" for all creatures, great and small.

Meus amigos com Wedding Song

Also from South America - 62-year-old Oswaldo Monteiro of Brazil's tribute using Allison Crowe's "Wedding Song". Roughly translated: "The video was made in honor of the couples friends and family at Valentine's Day. Assemble wedding photos and recent photos (in both cases, I had available) of these couples. The video also shows an excerpt of the poem 'Conselho De Um Velho Apaixonado', by Carlos Drummond de Andrade."

Little Light - cover colored by moomki

Argentina-based visual artist moomki colorizes the b/w album/CD of Allison Crowe's "Little Light". In this very cool video, you can see the transformation of the cover imagery - which arises from a photo by Billie Woods, taken when Allison was visiting Pender Island, Canada for a concert. The music is "There Is" - the version from "This Little Bird".

Why v2

And, so, "Spiral" closes with this cover of the Eurythmics (Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart) song "Why". Allison Crowe - voice, guitar, engineer & Kayla Schmah - orchestrator, string arranger, producer. "This is how I feel..."

silence (82 seconds of) + Throw Your Arms Around Me v2

BBC Radio's 'Desert Island Discs' speaks with Maurice Hopper, of Exeter, UK. As a peace observer, he carried eight pieces of music to the Middle East. Transferring music from CD to computer some spaces in between got lost. "It emphasized the huge importance of silence in musical performances," he says. This track is a "silence" break before encore, "producer's cut", versions on "Spiral".



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On this, a second version of the Hunters & Collectors' anthem Throw Your Arms Around Me on Allison Crowe's "Spiral" album, producer Kayla Schmah's mix enriches the encore - bringing Allison's vocals to the fore - after they'd been immersed in the pub-style-group-sing-along that wraps the first. Building up to one more, final, gorgeous, song production...

Newest Last.fm Hall of Fame Singer-Songwriter Nod

In March 2011, Allison Crowe was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Singer Songwriter group on Last.fm (the world's largest online music catalogue and recommendation site). Today, more recognition - Allison joins Ani DiFranco, Joni Mitchell, Patty Griffin, Carole King, Tori Amos and a mix of artists in the Female Singer-Songwriter Hall of Fame - creators of dance/electronica, Americana, folk, soul+ music.

No Matter the Battle

"I still hold secrets", Allison Crowe declares at the outset of "No Matter the Battle". But, it's a different journey from that which inspired her debut full-length album five years earlier. Allison and the full band, including strings/orchestration from Kayla Schmah, close out this set on her "Spiral" album exultantly.

Going Home Tonight

The first songs bringing Allison Crowe, (voice, piano, composer, engineer) and Kayla Schmah, (orchestrator, string arranger, producer), together on "Spiral" were "Why" and "Going Home Tonight". It's an inspired and gorgeous combination from the start.



This vid...



rolls from Pretzel Motors, shop of Axel Dollheiser, Allison's friend, driver, and oft-times road manager, to the home of Rubenesque Records, Allison's label - on Salt Spring Island, Canada.

Why

Paris Voice declares Allison Crowe "One of the best interpreters to come along since Joe Cocker." And, in 40+ years since Cocker made his name, no artist combines such interpretative powers with original song-writing talent in one amazing voice. Crowe brings new emotional colours to the Eurythmics (Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart) pop classic "Why" - joined by Kayla Schmah's simply beautiful string arrangement.

Relay for Life

Allison Crowe and team-mates, Lil Alexander, Louise Brake, Debbie Callahan, Mary Cashin, Sharon Fifield, Janine Gillis, Veronica Hunt, Judy Scott, and Captain Joanne Fiander, collectively known as the "Freedom Fighters", were part of the "Relay for Life" that happened this weekend in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador. They raised over $1000 for cancer research, alongside numerous other teams all passing the torch in this same great cause.

You can enjoy images of the event, shot by Allison and her bf, noted thespian, Adam Brake, at CornerBrooker.com

Throw Your Arms Around Me

"Throw Your Arms Around Me" on a sing-along-Sunday, in the sunshine - or anything. Australia's "Hunters & Collectors" created this anthem, and, here, Canada's Allison Crowe (voice, piano, engineer), the band, Billie Woods (acoustic guitar, bgs), Dave Baird (bass, bgs), Laurent Boucher (percussion), engineer Larry Anschell and producer Kayla Schmah bring the love from down under to all over.

Spiral

Allison Crowe and the same musical team that came together for the gentle "Oceans" dive into rocky territory with the album title song, "Spiral". The character of Allison’s 100+ year-old upright grand piano is also a key element.

I Don't Know

"I Don't Know": another rediscovery for Allison Crowe's "Spiral" is this song, which prior to this album/CD release had been performed only once - on Denman Island, Canada, in 2006. Audio archivist John MacMillan preserved the song and it's an ideal fit for Allison's passionate vocals and piano wedded to Kayla Schmah's urgently beautiful string arrangements and orchestration.