Peace. This, track 12 on "Spiral", is the sounds of silence which follows the first 11 songs on the album, and comes before the final two, encore/reprise, tracks. It's 76 seconds longer than the Nutopian International Anthem. It needs to be. Time enough for a wee break, or to check out who's created this music album - before the two encore/reprise performances to come... ♫ Music ♫ now on Allisons site @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/spiral-2 , CD Baby http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/crowe8 , iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/spiral/id361486487 and soon everywhere ( : Allison Crowe ~ vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, composer/songwriter & engineer Brendan Millbank ~ cello Larry Anschell ~ electric guitar, & engineer (http://www.turtlerecording.com ) Dave Baird ~ bass, backing vocals Billie Rocha-Woods ~ acoustic guitar, backing vocals Laurent Boucher ~ percussion Kayla Schmah ~ orchestrator, string arranger, & producer Music created in: Corner Brook, NL + Nanaimo, Chilliwack, White Rock, Denman Island and Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada; Vienna, Austria; & Hollywood, CA, USA Engineered by: Allison Crowe (Canada + Europe); & Larry Anschell, (Turtle Recording studios, White Rock, Canada) except: 'Wake Up' Engineered by B.R.N. (Condor) and John MacMillan; & 'I Don't Know' Engineered by John MacMillan Orchestrated, Arranged and Produced by: Kayla Schmah (http://www.kaylaschmah.com ) Cover paintings: 'Look at Me' (front), 'I Found You' (inside) by Tara Thelen (http://www.tara-artwork.com ) Image of 'Look at Me' graciously provided by Maurits Godschalx from his collection Photos of Allison, Billie, Dave & Laurent: Billie Rocha-Woods (http://www.billiewoods.com ) Photo of Kayla: Dan Goldwasser (http://www.ScoringSessions.com ) Art Direction & Design: Alix Whitmire Ginga font: Billy Argel (http://www.billyargel.blogspot.com ) Driver & Road Manager: Axel "Rock and Roll" Dollheiser Personable Manager: Adrian du Plessis (http://www.allisoncrowe.com ) ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVOxE9ZQZn4

On her debut album "secrets" Allison Crowe covers this Leonard Cohen song. Her voice and piano is accompanied by Jo Lundstrom (Rosehip Jam, Black Velvet Band) on accordion. Crowe engineered the recording, with production by Rainer Willeke (of Victoria, B.C.'s Raindog Studios). http://music.allisoncrowe.com/track/joan-of-arc The photo of Allison Crowe is by Billie Woods. MOJO magazine's December '08 issue paid tribute to "Rock's Greatest Poet" Leonard Cohen with a celebration of his "deep and moving music". Of Allison Crowe's contribution of "Joan of Arc" to its 'All Star Tribute", (featuring Judy Collins, Nick Cave, Katie Melua, Martha Wainwright, Dion and others), a cover-mount CD titled "Cohen Covered", MOJO says: "Once famously described by the Vancouver Courier as possessing a style akin to 'Elton John meets Edith Piaf', the Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe is renowned for her ability to blend control and melodrama. Certainly she does so on this spirited cover of Cohen's 'Songs of Love and Hate' classic, a track which also powerfully showcases her considerable talent as a fine interpreter of song." "Any album that features a track from Leonard Cohen is certainly heading in the right direction. But when it is covered so beautifully, it makes you realise what an amazing lyricist Leonard Cohen is. Joan of Arc is the Cohen song covered on this album and it's certainly in my top 10 of Cohen covers. It's also my favorite track on (Secrets)" ~ Colin Meeks, indielaunchpad.com (USA) Joan of Arc Words & Music by Leonard Cohen As performed by Allison Crowe Now the flames they followed Joan of Arc as she came riding through the dark; no moon to keep her armour bright, no man to get her through this dark and smoky night. She said, "I'm tired of the war, I want the kind of work I had before, A wedding dress or something white to wear upon my swollen appetite." Well, I'm glad to hear you talk this way, I've watched you riding every day and there is something in me that yearns to win such a cold, such a lonesome heroine. "And who are you?" she sternly spoke to the one beneath the smoke. "Why, I'm fire," he replied, "And I love your solitude, I love your pride." "Well, then, fire make your body cold, I'm going to give you mine to hold." And saying this she climbed inside to be his one, to be his only bride. Then deep into his fiery heart he took the dust of Joan of Arc, and high above all these wedding guests he hung the ashes of her lovely wedding dress. It was deep into his fiery heart he took the dust of Joan of Arc, and then she clearly understood if he was fire, oh, she must be wood. I saw her wince, I saw her cry, I saw the glory in her eye. Myself I long for love and light, but must it come so cruel, must it be so bright? ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIflJmlmdls

Love is an ocean… or two, the currents buoying this tune from Allison Crowe’s album “Spiral”. Manifestly aboard, Allison (voice, guitar, engineer) is united with musical ’mates: Billie Woods (acoustic guitar); Dave Baird (bass); Laurent Boucher (percussion); Larry Anschell (electric guitar, engineer); and Kayla Schmah (producer): https://allisoncrowe.bandcamp.com/track/oceans Photo of Allison nearby Juliet’s balcony and wall, La Casa di Giulietta in fair Verona, by https://www.billiewoods.com ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-q4Shj3Qrw

After enjoying "The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie" in The New York Times Magazine, I'm encouraged to post more, and more, and then some -- even if it be just a flake of Allison Crowe's life, or, in this instance, a flake of her most recent concert tour. John Jeremiah Sullivan's NYT mag essay tracking early blues recording artists L.V. Thomas and Lillie Mae 'Geetchie' Wiley and cultural field-worker Robert "Mack" McCormick is a reminder that we enrich the world by sharing: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/04/13/magazine/blues.html Here from beautiful Lindenpark Potsdam, Germany (and a decidedly off-kilter camera-style), is the opening of Allison Crowe's performance of the Leonard Cohen classic "Famous Blue Raincoat". For a full recording of this song seek out "Famous Blue Raincoat - Allison Crowe - Teatro del Sale, Florence -- live" @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or2iHTA9X9A Two different versions -- solo and choral -- are heard on her "Heavy Graces" album @ http://music.allisoncrowe.com/album/heavy-graces ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGT3HRWKjF4