Great Voice, Heart in World's Embrace

Musician Allison Crowe and her tour-mates, photographer-musician Billie Woods and road manager-driver Axel Dollheiser, depart today from lovely Quedlinburg, birthplace of the German nation.

This marks the final point in a magical concert tour – the stuff of legend.

Andreas Wiesentau reports of last night’s show “there was applause, applause, applause, applause, applause, applause, applause, applause!”

The standing ovations, and, on average, three encores a night, across this European tour are emblematic of a deep, and broadening, love between artist and audience.

Thank you, danke, grazie, merci – Mampf, Frankfurt, Osterkirche, Berlin, SHAPE Club, Mons, Inninger Spectacel, Inning am Ammersee, Teatro del Sale, Firenze, Palais Salfeldt, Quedlinburg – and all the people of Germany, Belgium, Italy, and all countries, encountered in every way!!!

May we meet again :)

Quedlinburg, Germany - nestled in the Harz Mountains, host to the final concert of the tour - Allison Crowe foto


Allison Crowe, one of the great artists of this, or any, time, soon returns home to Canada – following a loving, and smashingly fun and successful, European concert tour.

In North America, she’s been likened to Joni Mitchell, Eddie Vedder, Edith Piaf, Elton John… To these, continental perception now adds the names of modern-day composer, author and actor, Konstantin Wecker, one of Germany’s best-known singer-songwriters, and Modest Mussorgsky, innovative Russian composer.

Christian Meindl kindly provides us with this translation of a konzert review – published recently in Germany's largest paid circulation newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung. Chris notes that he's not a "native speaker" - still, this translation sure helps the English-language reader appreciate the universal appeal of Allison Crowe:

GREAT VOICE

The Canadian singer Allison Crowe at the „Spectacel“ in Inning

Of course, she had to play her absolute hit, the song which was written by Leonard Cohen and gained her fame: „Hallelujah“. In doing so, Allison Crowe performs the song without any trace of kitsch, sings with a high sound intensity, a bit blues orientated and with a dedication which shows almost religious tendencies. Gooseflesh music. The renters of Inning’s musical center, the “Spectacel”, made it to commit Allison Crowe for one evening.

Already with her first introductions, Allison Crowe wins the favor of the audience and increases the expectations with her coloratural laugh. Allison Crowe plays the piano with a strong grip. Its sound fits perfect to her light-smoky, expressive, in short: great voice. Sometimes, her play remembers to the keyboard-capers of Konstantin Wecker and in the following moment to Modest Mussorgsky’s „Pictures at an Exhibition“.

Crowe’s vocals stay also steady at higher tones and enthused at the lows. Wonderful ballads alternate with hard played songs. The lyrics are always well articulated. Allison Crowe plays guitar as well, accompanies her vocals with mellow sounds. Followed by hard rhythms on the piano. She starts the „Hallelujah“ with a wonderful melancholic introduction, sings with great fervor and shows what her voice is able to perform.

Another strong voice has Billie Woods who opens the concert with her songs. The as well attractive as high-musical singer and guitarist surprises with her unusual chord structure for what she’d to retune her instrument a few times. And that the guitar is intrinsically a rhythm-instrument is proofed by Billie Woods with lots of persuasiveness.

Of course, both musicians have to play encores.

PETER BAIER

Süddeutsche Zeitung, Tuesday, October 16, 2012