Song of the Year 2013, Top Album Nods for Allison Crowe ~ December 30
“The difficult I’ll do right now, the impossible’ll take a little while”. That’s pretty much always been the way of musician Allison Crowe.
This year proves ”weirdly typical” as ever for the amazing bi-coastal Canadian artist - to quote a phrase from one of 2013’s fine reviews.
In it, Crowe’s released three peerless albums (“Newfoundland Vinyl”, “Heavy Graces”, and the compilation “Songbook”), musically directed a hit theatre show (TNL’s “Newfoundland Vinyl”), saw one song recording used brilliantly in a trailer for a major independent motion picture (“Hallelujah” w. “The Pardon”), and appeared, pretty much as herself, in one of the year’s biggest Hollywood blockbusters (“Man of Steel”).
Now ‘Top Song of the Year’ nod for Allison Crowe's "Words" comes from the annual list of Muruch, the passionate and uncompromising culture blog that’s been sharing favourite albums, live performances, films and literature online since 1999.
“Words”, from the album “Heavy Graces”, features, for the first time, Allison playing her Great-Grandfather’s fiddle (along with her singing, playing guitar, arranging, engineering, producing and all those things she regularly does!). A trio of songs from her "Newfoundland Vinyl" album, also released this year, are found in the Top 50: "Black Velvet Band" (12); "Men Who Die for a Living" (18); and "Skipper Billy's Wake" (28).
Artists joining Allison Crowe in the top ten picks are: Alice Boman; Trent Dabbs; Lorde; Vienna Teng; Foxygen; Imagine Dragons; MS MR; & Janelle Monae (feat. Erykah Badu). Enjoy videos and music – of “Words” and all of Muruch’s ‘Top 50 Songs’ @ http://www.muruch.com/2013/12/muruch-2013-top-songs.html
The West Virginia-based blog follows the song list with its Top 25 Albums – and Allison Crowe’s two new albums this year both land in the top ten. Remarking: “The top three are really interchangeable, they are far too brilliant and too different from each other to truly rank”, Muruch slots Crowe’s “Newfoundland Vinyl” second, book-ended by Lorde’s “Pure Heroine” (#1) and Foxygen’s “We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic” (#3).
Crowe’s tribute to songs of her Atlantic home region contains traditional tunes, such as “Black Velvet Band” as well as interpretations of such modern classics as “The Mobile Goat Song”, (a Tom Cahill-penned hit for Joan Morrissey), Gary O’Driscoll’s elegiac “Men Who Die for a Living” and Ron Hynes’ anthemic “Sonny’s Dream”. This set, released on vinyl, “plays like a lovely, vintage collection of traditional Irish and Canadian folk ballads, lively sea chanteys and drinking songs, parlour songs and country tunes with surprising retro, girl-pop harmonies woven throughout…full of dazzling melody and such a unique charm…Allison’s voice is so strong and spectacular,” says Muruch. “It has the timeless beauty of a classic folk album.”
“Heavy Graces” combines Allison Crowe’s newest original song recordings with singular covers of Leonard Cohen (“Famous Blue Raincoat”) and Pearl Jam (“Better Man”) – and this album occupies the tenth spot on the albums of the year list, as described by Muruch: “what a lush piece of work…a touch of Celtic folk in the instrumentation, haunting backing vocals and a slow building, seething tension until Allison unleashes her wail”. The complete list of top album picks – which also includes this year’s releases from Elton John, Molly Drake, Hem, Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, Janelle Monae and more – is available @ http://www.muruch.com/2013/12/muruch-2013-top-albums.html
Here’s to a very happy, healthy, New Year – one and all!
Press Quotes - A Collection (click here)
Click a date/line for 2013 and earlier news:
12/30 ~ Song of the Year, Top Album Nods for Allison Crowe
12/23 ~ Words - Song of the Year
12/20 ~ Easy Livin', Lovin' Joy!
12/14 ~ What Child Is This (Greensleeves)
12/11 ~ Allison Crowe in Be-CREATIVE: Found in Translation
12/08 ~ Be-CREATIVE Covers Allison Crowe
12/04 ~ In France they kiss... AND skate on Main Street!
11/30 ~ Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet Opens "Doorway" Anew
11/22 ~ Human Voices: Muruch's "Words" Video Premere
11/20 ~ Fun Universe Brings Allison Crowe’s Music Home this Holiday Season
11/12 ~ Up, Up and Away... Man of Steel flies into home theatres
11/02 ~ By Your Side + Autumn Fire
10/21 ~ By Your Side + Autumn Fire
10/18 ~ Allison Crowe's Timeless Voice Lifts "Heavy Graces"
10/16 ~ "You All Haunt Me" mash-up
10/15 ~ "Heavy Graces" out now
10/14 ~ "Through These Heavy Graces" mash-up
10/10 ~ "Famous Blue Raincoat" (choral)
10/06 ~ Heavy Graces Track Listing + Release Date
09/26 ~ "Through These Heavy Graces"
09/12 ~ Allison Crowe in Triple-Billof Summer Hits
09/06 ~ East Coast Kitchen Party Spins Newfoundland Vinyl
09/02 ~ This Little Bird flies free
08/25 ~ Dishing on the "Man of Steel"
08/13 ~ "Canadian Music Rocks the Global Stage" reports Epoch Times
08/02 ~ "I saw rock and roll future..."
07/30 ~ Muruch + Music = Win, Win
07/25 ~ Hail Atlanti-Con! Fantastic Forum Coming Soon to Grenfell
07/19 ~ Muruch blog shares music joy many ways
07/12 ~ "Newfoundland Vinyl" Revolution at GMTF
07/05 ~ Newfoundland Vinyl's "timeless beauty" praised + Man of Steel soars
07/02 ~ "Easy" + "Cliffs of Baccalieu"
06/28 ~ "Man of Steel" Set Pics
06/26 ~ Superman to Super Songs: Allison Crowe Changes Tack as "Newfoundland Vinyl" Sets Sail
06/25 ~ "Newfoundland Vinyl" Launch
06/17 ~ Allison Crowe's Synchronous Orbit with "Man of Steel"
06/10 ~ Man of Steel - NYC After-Party
06/10 ~ Super Night of Nights - Man of Steel Premiere
05/24 ~ Allison Crowe's Super Summer Launches with "Man of Steel"
05/17 ~ "Newfoundland Vinyl" LP Readies to Set Sail
04/26 ~ New, Vinyl, Album This Summer
03/03 ~ Curtain Rises on "The Pardon"
02/25 ~ A Case of You's Blue Stroke of Genius
02/14 ~ No Matter the Battle + Le Voyage dans la Lune (Excerpt II)
02/12 ~ Going Home Tonight + Le Voyage dans la Lune (Excerpt I)
02/12 ~ How Long + Romance Sentimentale (excerpt)
02/06 ~ Crayon and Ink + Destino
02/02 ~ Secrets (That Aren't My Own) + Ménilmontant
02/01 ~ Skeletons and Spirits + Le Manoir du diable
Allison Crowe's music in digital + physical formats ~ click here
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