Allison Crowe performs Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, Joan of Arc, + Tonight Will Be Fine - videos + mp3s
Tonight Will Be Fine
Allison Crowe's unreleased recording of a tune from Leonard Cohen's Songs from a Room is a simple, guitar-backed, reading.
| Tonight Will Be
Fine (Leonard Cohen ~ Leonard Cohen Stranger Music Inc.) |
4:10 | 
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Joan of Arc
This recording of a song which first appeared on Leonard Cohen's Songs of Love and Hate, was recorded by Allison for her debut full-length album, Secrets. Jo Lundstrom plays the accordion on this version.
| Joan of Arc (Leonard Cohen ~ Leonard Cohen Stranger Music Inc.) |
4:51 |
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Joan of Arc Lyrics as performed by Allison Crowe
Hallelujah
"It's, as I say, a desire to affirm my faith in life, not in some formal religious way but with enthusiasm, with emotion.... It's a rather joyous song." ~ Leonard Cohen
Hallelujah (512) ~ Hallelujah (128)
Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen's song, fittingly described by Allison as "awesome", is seen/heard here in live performance by Alley. It's part of her Tidings television special ~ broadcast nationally in Canada each holiday season since December 2003 by CHUM's A-Channel network (formerly the NewNetwork). The one-hour Tidings special was created by Producer Doug Slack and the New VI's team "Inside Pandora's Box" (CHUM's street-front studio in Victoria, B.C.).
"It's not hard to see why Crowe's Hallelujah -- recorded in a single take -- is popular. It's one of Leonard Cohen's most affecting songs, and the 26-year-old, accompanying herself on piano, makes it her own with raw honesty and formidable vocal power. It's simultaneously heart-breaking and redemptive, and it has captured the imaginations of people around the world. 'The song itself is just so emotionally resonant,' Crowe said modestly this week." ~ Adrian Chamberlain, Times Colonist (Canada)
"Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen. This song has
somehow become Crowe's signature, if a singer who defies description
as stubbornly as she does has a signature...
Cohen's original version is a spoken poem, all of the meaning
contained in the words. Crowe's version is a living thing, a
meditation and a celebration and a benediction." ~ anacronyms
(Canada)
Hallelujah ~ Lyrics and Sheet Music ~ as Performed by Allison Crowe
(NB Allison performs songs a bit differently each time. So, as noted by alert musician, Camilo, you'll find the sheet music/transcription to be similar, though not identical, to any of the recordings of Allison performing Hallelujah.)
Hallelujah (512) ~ Hallelujah (128)
"I love singing Hallelujah. It's such an awesome song. I just feel humbled. " ~ Allison Crowe
"Bet you thought you heard all the versions you need to hear of this song, right? Think again, because Allison Crowe has a voice to fall in love with. She is from Vancouver Island in Canada, descended from 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." ~ Record of the Day (UK - Allison's recording of "Hallelujah", has the remarkable distinction of twice being selected "Record of the Day" by this premiere UK music newsletter/tip sheet ~ in August 2004 and November 2005.)
"Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah'... it's one of the most beautiful songs ever written. I am happy to report that Allison Crowe does it justice and then some. Her voice will give you chills. If it doesn't, check your pulse, you may not be alive. It's incredibly moving." ~ Amy Lotsberg, Collected Sounds (USA)
"a thunderously moving aural experience" ~ Teri McIntyre, Empowerment4Women (USA)
"j'ai rarement été bouleversée à ce point par une voix féminine. Pure comme de la glace, puissante et même violente sur la reprise de l'Hallelujah de Leonard Cohen." (en Francais - English translation follows) "I have never been so moved by a woman's voice. Pure as ice, powerful and even violent on the cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah." ~ SplinterMuse (France)
"(Jeff) Buckley especially just blew the song to pieces and every artist after him has tried and failed to put it back together. Until now. Allison Crowe manages to pump 'Hallelujah' full of all the soaring vocals and raw emotion that it requires. And the result is a big beautiful lump in the throat." ~ Muruch (USA)
"HALLELUJAH is absolutely the best version I have ever heard of that song...and there have been some almost perfect recordings of it. But yours takes the cake. Powerful, yet vulnerable. Sexy and innocent. Just amazing." ~ Steven Stewart, MusicFreedom (Finland)
"...a radiant, rousing, celebratory rendition of Leonard Cohen's lovely 'Hallelujah' " ~ Shirley Goldberg, Mo Magazine (Canada)
"Fall Out Boy's 'Hum Hallelujah' includes a choir singing Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah,' which, as performed by Allison Crowe, may be one of the most amazing things ever recorded onto magnetic tape. While 'Hum Hallelujah' isn't as good as Allison's song, it's still pretty good. It's also interesting to hear the Cohen song mixed into a pop punk song." ~ Semper Ubi Sub Ubi (USA)
In a (May 2007) roundup of "The Best Songs of All Time", alongside recordings by Johnny Cash ("Hurt"), Bruce Springsteen ("Jungleland"), and more, Semper Ubi Sub Ubi blog selected "Hallelujah" by Allison Crowe on Tidings, with this explanation: "Quite possibly the single greatest song ever recorded. Undeniably the best female vocal performance ever recorded. This song is best listened to during the winter, near a fireplace, while it's snowing outside. Any room will do, though, so long as it is equipped with good speakers and a light switch."
Allison's hometown covers the whole of Canada - from Nanaimo, Vancouver Island to Corner Brook, Newfoundland. It's a land rich with songs of glory, joy and rare, natural, beauty.
| Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen ~ Leonard Cohen Stranger Music Inc.) |
4:33 |
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Hallelujah - piano instrumental version
Studio A (released tracks) ~ Studio B (rarities, boots+)
Web 2.0 Videos #1 + Web 2.0 Videos #2