Monday, December 29, 2014

Wassail Song

Like souling and caroling, (even the more sonorous of trick-or-treating), wassailing can involve a merry band of people going door-to-door and singing from porch-steps. (Though some go a-wassailing to the orchard where they can serenade the trees.) Fortifying such merriment may be a supply of cider, punch, mulled wine, or spicy ale.

Dipping anew into the bowl of this season’s traditional music, here’s Allison Crowe’s serving of the “Wassail Song


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Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Peace

Joy

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Silent Night (Stille Nacht)


Silent Night - from Allison Crowe's legendary "Tidings" solo sessions.

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Saltwater Joys

Putting a bow on things, here’s Allison Crowe’s version of “Saltwater Joys” – as culture blog Muruch tags it, the “beautiful finale” to “Newfoundland Vinyl II”.

This essential song’s penned by Wayne Chaulk, who plays bass and guitar in Newfoundland and Labrador’s flat out popular, prolific, music and comedy trio, “Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers” – alongside Kevin “Buddy” Blackmore, on mandolin, fiddle and guitar, & Ray Johnson, accordion and fiddle.


Allison Crowe’s a born islander – and, with heart and talent as great as Canada itself, she’s truly one with those saltwater joys from her birthplace of Nanaimo, BC to her adopted hometown of Corner Brook, NL.

http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/newfoundland-vinyl-ii

As the album title suggests, it's a song collection inspired by, and arising from, Allison Crowe's involvement with the hit stage show, "Newfoundland Vinyl" - presented at Canada's Gros Morne Theatre Festival, and produced by TNL.

The album celebrates this creative bond between Crowe, an internationally-loved touring and recording artist, and Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, a professional theatre company founded on Newfoundland's west coast in 1979.

For these past three Summers TNL's engaged Crowe as Musical Director of "Newfoundland Vinyl" - a perennial favourite at the annual GMTF.

TNL AD Jeff Pitcher's conception of a revival of vinyl era, and more, songs of Newfoundland and Labrador put wind in the sails of Allison Crowe's curatorial mission.

"It's here!" says pioneering music blog Muruch, "Allison Crowe just released Newfoundland Vinyl II and it's the perfect follow-up to her traditional folk masterpiece, Newfoundland Vinyl".

Of her immersions as Musical Director with TNL, and the melodic bounty that's landed, Allison Crowe notes: "There is so much wonderful music - you could piece together multiple anthologies and still only scratch the surface of such an extensive and rich collection. Each of these songs is its own story, of land and sea, of people, and each story in-and-of-itself could be an entire show. I'm truly grateful that you are here to hear the story these songs have to offer." She gives special thanks to "the incredibly talented and versatile" casts and crews of TNL's productions for their inspiration.

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That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)

"That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)" is the third song track on "Souling":

Silhouette.animation by the amazing Lotte Reiniger, (whose 1926 creation of "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" is the first animated feature film), is seen here in an excerpt from "The Star of Bethlehem" (1956).


Allison Crowe’s gorgeous voice brings tidings of comfort and joy with “Souling” – her 11th full album release.

http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling

The artist, one of our greatest living musicians, singer-songwriters and performers, has always created authentic music.

With this newest song set her voice is heard wholly a cappella.

The songs themselves have a purity of expression – a 21st century take on music of faith and spirit – sounds and themes aired by carollers and soulers of old.

The genesis of “Souling” is found in the bond Allison Crowe’s formed with the creative family at Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador. Founded in 1979, this professional theatre company presents a dynamic and diverse repertoire of plays and maintains, as well, a strong commitment to youth theatre in the Atlantic Canada community.

For these past three Summers TNL’s engaged Crowe as Musical Director of “Newfoundland Vinyl” - a perennial favourite at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival. Following another hit season at GMTF, in late August of this year TNL Artistic Associate SaraH McDonald invited the Corner Brook, NL-based musician to serve the same role with a vibrant production of “A Christmas Carol”.

The Adaptation of this classic Charles Dickens story by playwright Jeff Pitcher, TNL’s Artistic Director, excited Crowe’s musical imagination – as did the desire of McDonald, the play’s Director, to incorporate songs in the style of Victorian Era carollers.

So inspired, Allison Crowe immersed herself in curating the music for the abundantly-talented, multi-aged, choir of singers who’ll perform in “A Christmas Carol” at the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre from November 27th – 30th, 2014.

This artistic process of selection and arrangement led to her recording solo versions of those songs that will receive another distinct breath of life from the TNL vocal ensemble.

(In parallel fashion, the first season’s run of “Newfoundland Vinyl” brought forth Allison Crowe’s album of the same name – one of 2013’s top recordings. Culture blog Muruch praised it as a “lovely, vintage collection of traditional Irish and Canadian folk ballads, lively sea chanteys and drinking songs, parlour songs and country tunes” possessing “unique charm” and “the timeless beauty of a classic folk album”.)

In 2003, (and expanded in 2004), Allison Crowe released Tidings – an album of singular interpretations - “River” (Joni Mitchell), “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen), “In My Life” (The Beatles) and more from the secular canon – alongside such favourite traditional carols as “Silent Night”, “The First Noel”, and “O Holy Night”. Tidings has proven to be a modern classic – “music for the season and all time”.

This time out, as befits TNL’s telling of “A Christmas Carol”, Allison Crowe gives pure voice to the sacred songbook. “Souling” is:

Soul Cake
I Saw Three Ships
That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Wexford Carol
The Holly and the Ivy
In the Bleak Midwinter (Cranham)
Ding Dong Merrily on High
Once in  Royal David’s City
Wassail Song

Souling” is available now via Allison Crowe’s own website @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling as well as on iTunes @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/souling/id933188580 plus CD Baby @ http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/allisoncrowe10 and all major digital music outlets worldwide.

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Ding Dong Merrily on High

Joy for the child in us all – “Ding Dong Merrily on High”. Originally a French dance tune, "Branle de l'Official", by Jehan Tabourot (1519 – 1593), it’s published as a carol in the early 1900s with English lyrics by composer George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848 – 1934). In our time, it’s been recorded by a range of folks including The Chieftains and The Muppets… and, now, Allison Crowe on “Souling”.


The accompanying visual is an excerpt from “Christmas Comes But Once a Year”, a Fleischer Studios Color Classics animated short released in December, 1936.

http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling

Allison Crowe’s gorgeous voice brings tidings of comfort and joy with “Souling” – her 11th full album release.

The artist, one of our greatest living musicians, singer-songwriters and performers, has always created authentic music. With this newest song set her voice is heard wholly a cappella.

The songs themselves have a purity of expression – a 21st century take on music of faith and spirit – sounds and themes aired by carollers and soulers of old.

The genesis of “Souling” is found in the bond Allison Crowe’s formed with the creative family at Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador. Founded in 1979, this professional theatre company presents a dynamic and diverse repertoire of plays and maintains, as well, a strong commitment to youth theatre in the Atlantic Canada community.

For these past three Summers TNL’s engaged Crowe as Musical Director of “Newfoundland Vinyl” - a perennial favourite at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival. Following another hit season at GMTF, in late August of this year TNL Artistic Associate SaraH McDonald invited the Corner Brook, NL-based musician to serve the same role with a vibrant production of “A Christmas Carol”.

The Adaptation of this classic Charles Dickens story by playwright Jeff Pitcher, TNL’s Artistic Director, excited Crowe’s musical imagination – as did the desire of McDonald, the play’s Director, to incorporate songs in the style of Victorian Era carollers.

So inspired, Allison Crowe immersed herself in curating the music for the abundantly-talented, multi-aged, choir of singers who performed in “A Christmas Carol” at the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre from November 27th – 30th, 2014.

This artistic process of selection and arrangement led to her recording solo versions of those songs that will receive another distinct breath of life from the TNL vocal ensemble.

(In parallel fashion, the first season’s run of “Newfoundland Vinyl” brought forth Allison Crowe’s album of the same name – one of 2013’s top recordings. Culture blog Muruch praised it as a “lovely, vintage collection of traditional Irish and Canadian folk ballads, lively sea chanteys and drinking songs, parlour songs and country tunes” possessing “unique charm” and “the timeless beauty of a classic folk album”.)

In 2003, (and expanded in 2004), Allison Crowe released Tidings – an album of singular interpretations - “River” (Joni Mitchell), “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen), “In My Life” (The Beatles) and more from the secular canon – alongside such favourite traditional carols as “Silent Night”, “The First Noel”, and “O Holy Night”. Tidings has proven to be a modern classic – “music for the season and all time”.

This time out, as befits TNL’s telling of “A Christmas Carol”, Allison Crowe gives pure voice to the sacred songbook. “Souling” is:

Soul Cake
I Saw Three Ships
That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Wexford Carol
The Holly and the Ivy
In the Bleak Midwinter (Cranham)
Ding Dong Merrily on High
Once in Royal David’s City
Wassail Song

Souling” is available now via Allison Crowe’s own website @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling as well as on iTunes @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/souling/id933188580 plus CD Baby @ http://cdbaby.com/cd/allisoncrowe10 and all major digital music outlets worldwide.

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Paddy McGinty's Goat

P’raps there is not yet a website for goat songs and lyrics – but there well could be – from Joni Mitchell’s “California” to Tom Cahill’s “Mobile Goat Song”- which featured last year on Allison Crowe’s first album of “Newfoundland Vinyl” songs – there’s plenty of music referencing the curious and clever creature to be herd… uh, heard.

Paddy McGinty’s Goat” comes from the stable of the prolific English music hall+ songwriting team of R.P. Weston (1878 – 1936) and Bert Lee (1880 - 1946) – joined for this particular composition by Bob Adams and Bob Allen (aka “the two Bobs”). It was a worldwide hit for the Irish crooner, Val Doonican, in the swinging 1960s.


On the lovely isle of Newfoundland, it’s recorded by Jack Houlihan of Flat Rock, NL – a town with rich Irish heritage. It’s here now sung and played with characteristic kidding and joy by Corner Brook’s Allison Crowe on “Newfoundland Vinyl II”:

http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/newfoundland-vinyl-ii

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Out From St. Leonard's

Gary O’Driscoll, in both of his songs which Allison Crowe’s recorded, exemplifies how, in the best way possible, our artists, in this case, musicians, can be our true historians – telling the reality of flesh and blood. Far away from the bureaucratese of politicians and government appointees, and the sometimes less-than-pointed renderings of journalists, the songwriter seeks to express from an individual heart the community experience.

With “Out from St. Leonard’s” – on Allison’s “Newfoundland Vinyl II”, (following her recording of O’Driscoll’s “Men Who Die for a Living” on NV I), the award-winning songwriter and music producer, born in Bay Bulls on Newfoundland's southern shore and raised in his Mom's hometown of St Lawrence, NL, delivers another topical song that, in a Canadian context, is counterpart to the 1960s work of such American songsmiths as Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan.

From the mid-1950s through the early 1970s, provincial and federal governments in this country engaged in a social engineering experiment impacting generations of Newfoundlanders. Lyrically, “Out from St. Leonard’s” tells of this campaign of “resettlement” or “centralization”, (ramped up with "The Resettlement Act, 1965"), that propelled people to abandon their homes outside urban “growth poles”.

The musical recording is set to visual excerpts of historical records and references a document central to this program, the 157-page “Report on Resettlement in Newfoundland” dutifully submitted in 1960 by Robert Wells, Provincial Economist (1958 – 1960), now stored in the archives of Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), St. John’s, NL and cited to this day.


Out from St. Leonard’s” is on the just-released album “Newfoundland Vinyl II”: http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/newfoundland-vinyl-ii Lead vocals, all instruments, engineering and production by Allison Crowe. Backing vocals by Adam Brake.

As the album title suggests, it's a song collection inspired by, and arising from, Allison Crowe's involvement with the hit stage show, "Newfoundland Vinyl" - presented at Canada's Gros Morne Theatre Festival, and produced by TNL.

The album celebrates this creative bond between Crowe, an internationally-loved touring and recording artist, and Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, a professional theatre company founded on Newfoundland's west coast in 1979.

For these past three Summers TNL's engaged Crowe as Musical Director of "Newfoundland Vinyl" - a perennial favourite at the annual GMTF.

TNL AD Jeff Pitcher's conception of a revival of vinyl era, and more, songs of Newfoundland and Labrador put wind in the sails of Allison Crowe's curatorial mission.

"It's here!" says pioneering music blog Muruch, "Allison Crowe just released Newfoundland Vinyl II and it's the perfect follow-up to her traditional folk masterpiece, Newfoundland Vinyl".

Of her immersions as Musical Director with TNL, and the melodic bounty that's landed, Allison Crowe notes: "There is so much wonderful music - you could piece together multiple anthologies and still only scratch the surface of such an extensive and rich collection. Each of these songs is its own story, of land and sea, of people, and each story in-and-of-itself could be an entire show. I'm truly grateful that you are here to hear the story these songs have to offer." She gives special thanks to "the incredibly talented and versatile" casts and crews of TNL's productions for their inspiration.

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Thursday, December 18, 2014

Once in Royal David's City

The words to "Once in Royal David's City" are written by Dublin, Ireland-born Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander (1818-1895) and first published in her 1848 collection, "Hymns for Little Children". This text by C.F. Alexander, wife of the Bishop of Derry, was later set to music by English composer Henry John Gauntlett (1805-1876).

Allison Crowe now tells the song's story:


http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling

Allison Crowe’s gorgeous voice brings tidings of comfort and joy with “Souling” – her 11th full album release.

The artist, one of our greatest living musicians, singer-songwriters and performers, has always created authentic music. With this newest song set her voice is heard wholly a cappella.

The songs themselves have a purity of expression – a 21st century take on music of faith and spirit – sounds and themes aired by carollers and soulers of old.

The genesis of “Souling” is found in the bond Allison Crowe’s formed with the creative family at Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador. Founded in 1979, this professional theatre company presents a dynamic and diverse repertoire of plays and maintains, as well, a strong commitment to youth theatre in the Atlantic Canada community.

For these past three Summers TNL’s engaged Crowe as Musical Director of “Newfoundland Vinyl” - a perennial favourite at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival. Following another hit season at GMTF, in late August of this year TNL Artistic Associate SaraH McDonald invited the Corner Brook, NL-based musician to serve the same role with a vibrant production of “A Christmas Carol”.

The Adaptation of this classic Charles Dickens story by playwright Jeff Pitcher, TNL’s Artistic Director, excited Crowe’s musical imagination – as did the desire of McDonald, the play’s Director, to incorporate songs in the style of Victorian Era carollers.

So inspired, Allison Crowe immersed herself in curating the music for the abundantly-talented, multi-aged, choir of singers who performed in “A Christmas Carol” at the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre from November 27th – 30th, 2014.

This artistic process of selection and arrangement led to her recording solo versions of those songs that will receive another distinct breath of life from the TNL vocal ensemble.

(In parallel fashion, the first season’s run of “Newfoundland Vinyl” brought forth Allison Crowe’s album of the same name – one of 2013’s top recordings. Culture blog Muruch praised it as a “lovely, vintage collection of traditional Irish and Canadian folk ballads, lively sea chanteys and drinking songs, parlour songs and country tunes” possessing “unique charm” and “the timeless beauty of a classic folk album”.)

In 2003, (and expanded in 2004), Allison Crowe released Tidings – an album of singular interpretations - “River” (Joni Mitchell), “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen), “In My Life” (The Beatles) and more from the secular canon – alongside such favourite traditional carols as “Silent Night”, “The First Noel”, and “O Holy Night”. Tidings has proven to be a modern classic – “music for the season and all time”.

This time out, as befits TNL’s telling of “A Christmas Carol”, Allison Crowe gives pure voice to the sacred songbook. “Souling” is:

Soul Cake
I Saw Three Ships
That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Wexford Carol
The Holly and the Ivy
In the Bleak Midwinter (Cranham)
Ding Dong Merrily on High
Once in Royal David’s City
Wassail Song

Souling” is available now via Allison Crowe’s own website @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling as well as on iTunes @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/souling/id933188580 plus CD Baby @ http://cdbaby.com/cd/allisoncrowe10 and all major digital music outlets worldwide.

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Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Woman of Labrador

Canadian poet, singer-songwriter, sailor and islander Andy Vine (http://www.andyvine.com) composed this song in the late 1970s. While music-making in St. John’s, Newfoundland he discovered “Woman of Labrador”, the remarkable autobiography of Elizabeth Goudie. Of Inuit, Indian, French and English roots, Goudie (née Blake) was born in 1902 in Mud Lake, Labrador. At 18 she’d wed a trapper, raising their eight+ children in the brush – her memoirs recounting life and travails and dwellings from a trapper’s “tilt”, and log cabins to a Summer lake-shore fishing house and beyond – all that comes with and from such a pioneering existence in territory that encompassed family homes in Mud Lake, North West River and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Inspired by Goudie’s story, Vine distilled things into music – and a song popularized by legendary NL folk-rock group Figgy Duff (Pamela Morgan singing this tune with that band of pioneers in their own field).


The image accompanying the music in this video, of “The Labrador ‘liveyere’ ”, is found in “The Story of Grenfell of the Labrador”, a biography of medical missionary Wilfred T. Grenfell (1865 – 1940) – first published in 1922, and, then, digitally, in 2005 as an ebook by Project Gutenberg’s Jeannie Howse and team.

Sir Grenfell’s biographer explains that liveyeres are those hardy souls who permanently reside in the region (as distinct from folks who come for Summer-fishing or other activities, and don’t stay in Wintertime). As well, for his international audience, the author Dillon Wallace notes: “It will be interesting to turn to a map and see for ourselves the country to which Doctor Grenfell was going. We will find Labrador in the northeastern corner of the North American continent, just as Alaska is in the northwestern corner.”

And so lives and events mingle and tales are passed on – through oral and written histories. Through song.

Of musician Allison Crowe, veteran Canadian playwright, and Artistic Director of Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, Jeff Pitcher (http://www.jeffpitcher.ca), says: "No matter where she is in this world, that voice, that conviction, it crosses all borders. She's one of those rare artists that fits into any culture, any community because she is who she is - an incredible talent."

Woman of Labrador” finds home again on “Newfoundland Vinyl II”, Crowe’s just-released album: http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/newfoundland-vinyl-ii

As the album title suggests, it's a song collection inspired by, and arising from, Allison Crowe's involvement with the hit stage show, "Newfoundland Vinyl" - presented at Canada's Gros Morne Theatre Festival, and produced by TNL.

The album celebrates this creative bond between Crowe, an internationally-loved touring and recording artist, and Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, a professional theatre company founded on Newfoundland's west coast in 1979.

For these past three Summers TNL's engaged Crowe as Musical Director of "Newfoundland Vinyl" - a perennial favourite at the annual GMTF.

TNL AD Jeff Pitcher's conception of a revival of vinyl era, and more, songs of Newfoundland and Labrador put wind in the sails of Allison Crowe's curatorial mission.

"It's here!" says pioneering music blog Muruch, "Allison Crowe just released Newfoundland Vinyl II and it's the perfect follow-up to her traditional folk masterpiece, Newfoundland Vinyl".

Of her immersions as Musical Director with TNL, and the melodic bounty that's landed, Allison Crowe notes: "There is so much wonderful music - you could piece together multiple anthologies and still only scratch the surface of such an extensive and rich collection. Each of these songs is its own story, of land and sea, of people, and each story in-and-of-itself could be an entire show. I'm truly grateful that you are here to hear the story these songs have to offer." She gives special thanks to "the incredibly talented and versatile" casts and crews of TNL's productions for their inspiration.

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Celtic Music Fan Twins Musical Joy

The Celtic Music Fan has just published a daily-double – reviewing both of Allison Crowe’s new albums out now.
 
Of her a cappella Christmas collection, TCMF’s Baxter Labatos writes: “Souling is an album that redefines the usual traditional holiday tunes and also about how they are being rendered.”
 
And, of “Newfoundland Vinyl II”, the culture blogger says: “It is about singing from the heart. It is about singing the songs of people that have been passed from every generation.”
 
Enjoy the sounds of each new recording and Celtic Music Fan blog’s perceptions in full stereo @ http://celticmusicfan.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/two-new-albums-by-allison-crowe 

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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

This traditional Christmas carol dates originally to 18th century England - and makes an appearance in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" almost 100 years later. In this new millenium, Allison Crowe delivers the song a cappella - on her album "Souling".

The music's visual accompaniment is an excerpt from "Peace on Earth", a 1939 Academy Award-nominated cartoon directed by Hugh Harman.


http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling

Allison Crowe’s gorgeous voice brings tidings of comfort and joy with “Souling” – her 11th full album release.

The artist, one of our greatest living musicians, singer-songwriters and performers, has always created authentic music. With this newest song set her voice is heard wholly a cappella.

The songs themselves have a purity of expression – a 21st century take on music of faith and spirit – sounds and themes aired by carollers and soulers of old.

The genesis of “Souling” is found in the bond Allison Crowe’s formed with the creative family at Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador. Founded in 1979, this professional theatre company presents a dynamic and diverse repertoire of plays and maintains, as well, a strong commitment to youth theatre in the Atlantic Canada community.

For these past three Summers TNL’s engaged Crowe as Musical Director of “Newfoundland Vinyl” - a perennial favourite at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival. Following another hit season at GMTF, in late August of this year TNL Artistic Associate SaraH McDonald invited the Corner Brook, NL-based musician to serve the same role with a vibrant production of “A Christmas Carol”.

The Adaptation of this classic Charles Dickens story by playwright Jeff Pitcher, TNL’s Artistic Director, excited Crowe’s musical imagination – as did the desire of McDonald, the play’s Director, to incorporate songs in the style of Victorian Era carollers.

So inspired, Allison Crowe immersed herself in curating the music for the abundantly-talented, multi-aged, choir of singers who performed in “A Christmas Carol” at the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre from November 27th – 30th, 2014.

This artistic process of selection and arrangement led to her recording solo versions of those songs that will receive another distinct breath of life from the TNL vocal ensemble.

(In parallel fashion, the first season’s run of “Newfoundland Vinyl” brought forth Allison Crowe’s album of the same name – one of 2013’s top recordings. Culture blog Muruch praised it as a “lovely, vintage collection of traditional Irish and Canadian folk ballads, lively sea chanteys and drinking songs, parlour songs and country tunes” possessing “unique charm” and “the timeless beauty of a classic folk album”.)

In 2003, (and expanded in 2004), Allison Crowe released Tidings – an album of singular interpretations - “River” (Joni Mitchell), “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen), “In My Life” (The Beatles) and more from the secular canon – alongside such favourite traditional carols as “Silent Night”, “The First Noel”, and “O Holy Night”. Tidings has proven to be a modern classic – “music for the season and all time”.

This time out, as befits TNL’s telling of “A Christmas Carol”, Allison Crowe gives pure voice to the sacred songbook. “Souling” is:

Soul Cake
I Saw Three Ships
That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Wexford Carol
The Holly and the Ivy
In the Bleak Midwinter (Cranham)
Ding Dong Merrily on High
Once in Royal David’s City
Wassail Song

Souling” is available now via Allison Crowe’s own website @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling as well as on iTunes @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/souling/id933188580 plus CD Baby @ http://cdbaby.com/cd/allisoncrowe10 and all major digital music outlets worldwide.

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Monday, December 15, 2014

Northern Lights of Labrador

NL’s Don Fulford wrote “Northern Lights of Labrador” for his sister, Trina – of the renowned duo Corey & Trina (Crewe) and they had a tremendous hit with this song - naturally popular across Newfoundland and Labrador on Canada's Atlantic coast.


Love for beauty and home shines through Allison Crowe and her newest album of music, "Newfoundland Vinyl II": http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/newfoundland-vinyl-ii

As the album title suggests, it's a song collection inspired by, and arising from, Crowe's involvement with the hit stage show, "Newfoundland Vinyl" - presented at Canada's Gros Morne Theatre Festival, and produced by Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador.

The album celebrates this creative bond between Crowe, an internationally-loved touring and recording artist, and Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, a professional theatre company founded on Newfoundland's west coast in 1979.

For these past three Summers TNL's engaged Crowe as Musical Director of "Newfoundland Vinyl" - a perennial favourite at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival.

TNL Artistic Director Jeff Pitcher's conception of a revival of vinyl era, and more, songs of Newfoundland and Labrador put wind in the sails of Allison Crowe's curatorial mission.

"It's here!" says pioneering music blog Muruch, "Allison Crowe just released Newfoundland Vinyl II and it's the perfect follow-up to her traditional folk masterpiece, Newfoundland Vinyl".

Of her immersions as Musical Director with TNL, and the melodic bounty that's landed, Allison Crowe notes: "There is so much wonderful music - you could piece together multiple anthologies and still only scratch the surface of such an extensive and rich collection. Each of these songs is its own story, of land and sea, of people, and each story in-and-of-itself could be an entire show. I'm truly grateful that you are here to hear the story these songs have to offer." She gives special thanks to "the incredibly talented and versatile" casts and crews of TNL's productions for their inspiration.

Northern Lights photo - by Allison Crowe + thanks to Johnny Cann

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The Holly and the Ivy

The Holly and the Ivy”, this distinctive, ancient, British carol is heard on Allison Crowe’s new Christmas collection, “Souling”.



Allison Crowe’s gorgeous voice brings tidings of comfort and joy with “Souling” – her 11th full album release.

The artist, one of our greatest living musicians, singer-songwriters and performers, has always created authentic music.

With this newest song set her voice is heard wholly a cappella.

The songs themselves have a purity of expression – a 21st century take on music of faith and spirit – sounds and themes aired by carollers and soulers of old.

The genesis of “Souling” is found in the bond Allison Crowe’s formed with the creative family at Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador. Founded in 1979, this professional theatre company presents a dynamic and diverse repertoire of plays and maintains, as well, a strong commitment to youth theatre in the Atlantic Canada community.

For these past three Summers TNL’s engaged Crowe as Musical Director of “Newfoundland Vinyl” - a perennial favourite at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival. Following another hit season at GMTF, in late August of this year TNL Artistic Associate SaraH McDonald invited the Corner Brook, NL-based musician to serve the same role with a vibrant production of “A Christmas Carol”.

The Adaptation of this classic Charles Dickens story by playwright Jeff Pitcher, TNL’s Artistic Director, excited Crowe’s musical imagination – as did the desire of McDonald, the play’s Director, to incorporate songs in the style of Victorian Era carollers.

So inspired, Allison Crowe immersed herself in curating the music for the abundantly-talented, multi-aged, choir of singers who performed in “A Christmas Carol” at the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre from November 27th – 30th, 2014.

This artistic process of selection and arrangement led to her recording solo versions of those songs that will receive another distinct breath of life from the TNL vocal ensemble.

(In parallel fashion, the first season’s run of “Newfoundland Vinyl” brought forth Allison Crowe’s album of the same name – one of 2013’s top recordings. Culture blog Muruch praised it as a “lovely, vintage collection of traditional Irish and Canadian folk ballads, lively sea chanteys and drinking songs, parlour songs and country tunes” possessing “unique charm” and “the timeless beauty of a classic folk album”.)

In 2003, (and expanded in 2004), Allison Crowe released Tidings – an album of singular interpretations - “River” (Joni Mitchell), “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen), “In My Life” (The Beatles) and more from the secular canon – alongside such favourite traditional carols as “Silent Night”, “The First Noel”, and “O Holy Night”. Tidings has proven to be a modern classic – “music for the season and all time”.

This time out, as befits TNL’s telling of “A Christmas Carol”, Allison Crowe gives pure voice to the sacred songbook. “Souling” is:

Soul Cake
I Saw Three Ships
That Night in Bethlehem (Don Oíche úd i mBeithil)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Wexford Carol
The Holly and the Ivy
In the Bleak Midwinter (Cranham)
Ding Dong Merrily on High
Once in Royal David’s City
Wassail Song

Souling” is available now via Allison Crowe’s own website @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/souling as well as on iTunes @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/souling/id933188580 plus CD Baby @ http://cdbaby.com/cd/allisoncrowe10 and all major digital music outlets worldwide.

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Thursday, December 11, 2014

(Area Code) 709

The directory of phone songs lists some great tunes - among them: Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee" and Shel Silverstein's "Sylvia's Mother" (a memorable hit for Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show).

In Canada, Eddie Coffey and Dennis Adamson dialed up the fun with their ode to "709" - the area code assigned to Newfoundland and Labrador since 1962.

Ringing in a new version is Allison Crowe on her latest album, "Newfoundland Vinyl II": 
http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/newfoundland-vinyl-ii


As the album title suggests, it's a song collection inspired by, and arising from, Crowe's involvement with the hit stage show, "Newfoundland Vinyl" - presented at Canada's Gros Morne Theatre Festival, and produced by Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador.

TNL's Artistic Director Jeff Pitcher conceived the musical production and Allison Crowe has served as the show's Musical Director for three Summers now at GMTF.

The album celebrates this creative bond between Crowe, an internationally-loved touring and recording artist, and Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, a professional theatre company founded on Newfoundland's west coast in 1979.

For these past three Summers TNL's engaged Crowe as Musical Director of "Newfoundland Vinyl" - a perennial favourite at the annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival.

TNL Artistic Director Jeff Pitcher's conception of a revival of vinyl era, and more, songs of Newfoundland and Labrador put wind in the sails of Allison Crowe's curatorial mission.

"It's here!" says pioneering music blog Muruch, "Allison Crowe just released Newfoundland Vinyl II and it's the perfect follow-up to her traditional folk masterpiece, Newfoundland Vinyl".

Of her immersions as Musical Director with TNL, and the melodic bounty that's landed, Allison Crowe notes: "There is so much wonderful music - you could piece together multiple anthologies and still only scratch the surface of such an extensive and rich collection. Each of these songs is its own story, of land and sea, of people, and each story in-and-of-itself could be an entire show. I'm truly grateful that you are here to hear the story these songs have to offer." She gives special thanks to "the incredibly talented and versatile" casts and crews of TNL's productions for their inspiration.

Photograph by Billie Woods

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Tuesday, December 09, 2014

In the Bleak Midwinter (Cranham)

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Monday, December 08, 2014

The Wild Rover

Like Edith Piaf, John Lennon, Luke Kelly, and other such vital, visceral, music-makers, Allison Crowe rocks.

Singing and playing everything, here's Allison's take on what's said to be the most widely-performed of Irish and/or Scottish tunes, "The Wild Rover". (The original author is unknown.) This be the newest recording of a song that's sailed forward from the 12th century lapping along the foggy shores of time.


The Wild Rover from Allison Crowe on Vimeo.

The song is found on "Newfoundland Vinyl II", Allison Crowe's latest album, (and her third album globally released in 2014).

http;//music.allisoncrowe.com/album/newfoundland-vinyl-ii 

As the album title suggests, is another song collection inspired by, and arising from, Allison's involvement with the hit stage show, "Newfoundland Vinyl" - presented at Canada's Gros Morne Theatre Festival, and produced by Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador.

TNL's Artistic Director Jeff Pitcher conceived the musical production and Allison Crowe has served as the show's Musical Director for three Summers now at GMTF.

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Friday, December 05, 2014

Wexford Carol


The "Wexford Carol", a traditional Irish Christmas carol dating to the 12th century, is the fifth song heard on Allison Crowe's new album "Souling": The carol originates from Enniscorthy in County Wexford.

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30 for 60


Dealing from the deck of "Newfoundland Vinyl II" - Allison Crowe lays down "30 for 60" - suiting the existential gambit of Ron Hynes and the late Al Pittman.

          

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Monday, December 01, 2014

Newfoundland Vinyl II

"Newfoundland Vinyl II", Allison Crowe's newest album, (and her third album globally released in 2014), comes out this week.

Right now, here's the front cover art of this album - which, as the title suggests, is another song collection inspired by, and arising from, Allison's involvement with the hit stage show, "Newfoundland Vinyl" - presented at the Gros Morne Theatre Festival, and produced by Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador.

TNL's Artistic Director Jeff Pitcher conceived the musical production and Allison Crowe has served as the show's Musical Director for three Summers now at GMTF.

Newfoundland Vinyl II - Allison Crowe album cover 500px
 
Album cover photo by Allison Crowe

Here’s the flip-side of the album art for “Newfoundland Vinyl II” – Allison Crowe’s next album. The music and more will be released tomorrow – via Allison’s own music pages @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com plus iTunes and all online outlets.

Newfoundland Vinyl II - Allison Crowe - album back cover 

John Lennon envisioned making records as immediate as newspapers. In these times, Allison is doing  that – figuratively and literally.

NV II track-list and more song tracks and videos to come… to join "The Water Witch" vid posted @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEM9DIRAGyk


Album photo/art by Allison Crowe
          

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