Other bands influenced by Aretha Franklin
| On Project Opus since: | April 23, 2007 |
| Last seen: | 1 week 1 hour ago |
| Biography: | Vincent Van Gogh “loved life so bad, his paintings had twice the color other paintings had”. So sings Jonathan Richman (on Rockin’ and Romance). And that tells you something about musician Allison Crowe. A modern lover of music, blogger Muruch frames it like this: "There's really no way to convey through mere words how much the music... moves me, or how I want other people to listen to and adore it as much as I do. Allison sings with such an intensity of emotion, it's easy to see why she's often quoted as saying 'Why music? Why breathing?'... that kind of artistic passion seems extremely rare these days." "I love singing for people," says Allison Crowe. "It's a way to connect and share with others. Communication is crucial. Just being able to do what I do, to write and sing and perform, makes me feel not only alive, but incredibly lucky. Knowing at any moment everything could change, I don't take one second for granted." Born 26 years ago, on an island, in the harbour city of Nanaimo, B.C., today Crowe's reach is global. The audience for her music videos and song downloads numbers in the millions. "Allison Crowe has a voice to fall in love with," says UK music industry journal Record of the Day. "She is from Vancouver Island in Canada, descended from Scottish, Irish and Manx stock. She's exactly the sort of artist who can make serious headway on her own label and that's just what she's doing." When this phenomenon 'from the islands' reached the mainland she steered a path clear of what Joni Mitchell knowingly calls the record industry’s “style inventions”. With Ani DiFranco and Loreena McKennitt as models Crowe created her own label. Since 2003, Rubenesque Records Ltd has released five critically and commercially successful albums: Lisa's Song+ 6 Songs; Secrets; Tidings; Live at Wood Hall; and This Little Bird. "The first thing you notice about Allison Crowe is her voice. Rich and dark, it seems to come from a place most singers can only dream of accessing. Then there are the songs. Filled with raw passion and accompanied by Crowe's eloquent piano playing," writes Clodagh O'Connell (The Courier). Hers is a joyous sound: "Elton John meets Edith Piaf." A sensation at the UK’s John Lennon Northern Lights Festival, “Canadian angel Alison Crowe gave one of the weekend's most magical moments," says The Scotsman. Festival Director Mike Merritt describes Crowe as "awesome" and "spine-tingling", noting her performance “put hairs on the back of your neck! She brought the house down." A true grassroots success, Crowe’s praised not only as a singularly talented songwriter - on themes personal as well as worldly - and as a visceral performer, but, also, as a supreme interpreter of song. Her vital takes on such 21st century standards as Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and Joni Mitchell's "River" are applauded as "truly transcendent". Her Tidings CD, a mix of traditional carols plus songs of joy, peace, and redemption from the secular songbook, is an emerging classic: "music for the season and all time". "Her voice celebrates the music with a bluesy rock-gospel intensity; her controlled vibrato, silken rasp, and powerful projection rivet your attention. This is no casual background music. be prepared to be amazed," says Hamline University Professor Of Law - and CD reviewer - Carol Swanson. "Every song radiates sincerity, creative flair, and emotional intensity." ”It takes a lot of self-confidence to tackle Aretha (Franklin)'s version of 'I Never Loved a Man...' but Allison does and nails it just as good as the Queen of Soul herself. Her piano playing is equally exquisite," says Bob Muller, curator of song covers at JoniMitchell.com in his review of Crowe’s newest album, This Little Bird. He sums up: "Treat yourself to one of the mightiest talents on the singer-songwriter scene today." David Powell, Welsh-based tech writes: "I'm listening to 'Effortless' on (Allison Crowe's) This Little Bird album with my Pro-Ject headphone amplifier turned up about a quarter more than on most modern records. It sounds fantastic because unlike most modern records it hasn't had the **** compressed out of it to raise the loudness." Vocalist, pianist, guitarist, songwriter, engineer, producer and arranger, Allison Crowe now lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia and Corner Brook, Newfoundland. From these home-bases, (spanning the full 7000 km breadth of Canada), she tours steadily, earning a reputation for exciting live shows that stir together her original songs with much-loved interpretations in an organic blend of rock, jazz, folk, Broadway, gospel and soul. "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. "Allison has a special gift that is so very rare in musicians today. She is true to her mind, heart and spirit," says Ross Hocker, long-time public broadcaster with NPR affiliate WGTE. Hocker, whose musical taste embraces Thelonious Monk, Bela Bartok and Charles Gounod, calls Allison Crowe's live performance "the most honest, heartfelt, and directly intimate concert in my entire life." "In an entertainment world that increasingly genuflects at the altar of instant fame, Crowe seems an anomaly, building her career slowly and carefully," notes Adrian Chamberlain, of Canada's Times Colonist newspaper. "Soulful. Alive. Joyous. Grievous. Real, true, music is what I want to make," says Allison Crowe. You can lend an ear... |
| Albums: | Little Light,Tidings,Lisa's Song + 6 Songs,Secrets,Live at Wood Hall,This Little Bird |
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| On Project Opus since: | November 22, 2007 |
| Last seen: | never |
| Biography: | Do you believe in Cinderella? Often called "The Next Selena," Liz Ester is an elastic talent who moves effortlessly from ballads to pop to salsa. And although she enjoys the comparison to the legendary Mexican-American singer, she prefers the nickname Cinderella. Liz is a young Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and poet -- singing and writing are two of her biggest passions in life. To date Liz has written thirteen songs with several others she's currently penning. Liz wrote and recorded her first song "Me Haces Sonar" (You Inspire Me to Dream) in 2007, and is balancing life as a daycare teacher by weekday and a singer/songwriter by weekend. In April of 2008, she'll release a string of tracks, the first of which is "Grabado," a Spanish cover of American Idol Winner Jordin Spark's Tattoo. Besides singing, Liz has the talent to interpret songs in pantomime. And also, she loves acting, since she was little she was always participating in dramas and acts, and people who know her say that she puts all her heart to the roles she is playing. Liz has leveraged the new digital age of music to help gather fans across a variety of social networking and video-based sites, including her popular Spanish covers on YouTube which has garnered almost 100,000 views, as well as widgets and plays through MySpace, Facebook and iLike. Since she was little she has been singing. Liz has participated in different talent shows taking first place in many of them and was part of her church's choir and band. Liz has been invited to sing in different places around Puerto Rico and after having moved back to the northeast U.S.she's trying to pursue the dream she's always had hidden in her heart -- inspiring and touching people's lives through music. But for Liz Ester, her story goes much deeper than just music and songwriting. She hails from the city of Mayaguez, of the little isle of Puerto Rico, yet was born in Camden, NJ-- the United State's poorest city. At seven years old, her family moved to Puerto Rico with the promise of a better life, but her life was quickly wraught with disaster-- her parents separated before she turned 12, and her entire family lived in one room and used food stamps to survive. Staying in her father's mother's house, they were not treated like the rest of the family. She never had an quinceañera --a parallel to "sweet sixteens" in the U.S. --- she never went to prom, or did many of the things that other girls were lucky enough to enjoy. When she was twelve she was born again after suffering a car accident, where a car left her almost dead in the ground, people who witnessed this event say that the fact she was alive was a miracle. In spite of what happened to her that day, she sang a song she loved "You can have peace in the storm". But in spite of the troubles -- in fact because of them, she kept on singing. "Every difficult moment, but also every joyful and uplifting moment, filled my mouth with beautiful words and inspired poems," she says. Now, this Puerto Rican Cinderlla wants to break into the music industry and inspire others and touch lives with her music. Never Lose Hope |
| Albums: | Quiero....,Grabado |
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| On Project Opus since: | July 24, 2007 |
| Last seen: | never |
| Biography: | Hello, Lovies, and welcome! I'm a nutty musician who somehow got herself known in the European metal scene, even though I'm not really a super-mega-metal-diva girl. But that's not a secret. Not one I'm keeping, anyway! You might know me from the various work I've done with other bands, but you might be surprised at what else I have to offer and I invite you to look around, have a listen and let me know what you think! OK, now on to the more serious, official stuff. Enjoy! xx Singer-songwriter with a razorblade edge. In a business where image often overshadows substance, Amanda Somerville gives the industry CPR with a breath of sincerity through music that is so real, it's goosebump-inducing. The windows to this songwriter's soul are her songs, which are ambient and groovy, yet extremely radio-friendly. Combining heart and soul with hit songwriting, you're bound to be moved. Since 2000, Amanda has resided and worked mainly in Germany and the Netherlands . In that time, she has independently sold over 7,000 CDs of her solo work and gained thousands of fans all over the world. She is currently engaged in both studio and live work in Europe and is exploring options for her latest solo album, "Windows." Discography Solo: Other bands & projects: |
| Albums: | Windows |
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