Bird on a Wire: New Recording + Newfoundland Play for Allison Crowe

July 3, 2012 - PRLog -- Alighting in time for July 1 Canada Day and July 4 Independence Day celebrations is the newest recording from Allison Crowe - a cover of "Bird on the Wire":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ik8_WNTfz4

This Leonard Cohen classic has been covered by Jennifer Warnes (on 1987's "Famous Blue Raincoat" collection AKA "Jenny Sings Lenny"), as well as by Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Joe Cocker, Bob Benvenuti, Katey Sagal (for the US tv program "Sons of Anarchy"), Tim Hardin, The Neville Brothers... in total, more than 140 recording artists since its release on Cohen's 1969 album "Songs from a Room".

Nearly a decade ago, Crowe's singular cover of another Leonard Cohen masterwork, "Hallelujah", had the rare distinction of twice being featured by UK trade Journal "Record of the Day" - before becoming a world-wide favourite. Now, her version of "Bird on a Wire" receives encore coverage from DrHGuy, AKA Allan Showalter, the erudite and entertaining blogger behind the web's go-to sites for "a pastiche of posts with song, dance, snappy chatter, and notes on prose, poesy, love, lust, life, & Leonard Cohen":
http://drhguy.posterous.com/allison-crowe-performs-bird-o...

Says the good Doctor:

"Allison Crowe's cover of Leonard Cohen's classic 'Bird On The Wire' is mournful and, true to the lyrics of the song, conscientiously abjures cheap conventional sentiment or ginning up the type of pseudo-consolation that relies on false promises of living happily ever after, e.g., that irreparable  conflicts will somehow be resolved, emotional damages repaired, or the pain of personal loss alleviated. Yet, Crowe's voice and phrasing convey such empathy and intimacy that solace and succor are nonetheless granted through grace.

It's a great cover of a great song."

This holiday week Allison Crowe is busy rehearsing the cast of "Newfoundland Vinyl": http://www.theatrenewfoundland.com/play_Vinyl.html She's Music Director of this play - a rollicking ride through popular music's coming of age in Canada's most eastern province, the beautiful island of Newfoundland. Written and directed by Jeff Pitcher, the show debuts at the Gros Morne Theatre Festival this July 13.