Allison Crowe's Tidings Concert w. special guest Stacy Burke November 28, 2008

Expect plenty of holiday cheer, laced with overtones of Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, jazz and Broadway, as Canada’s popular bicoastal singer-songwriter Allison Crowe, with special guest, Stacy Burke, brings “Tidings” to Toronto’s Heliconian Hall (8:00 p.m., Friday, November 28, 35 Hazelton Ave. in Yorkville - the neighbourhood where Joni Mitchell and folks made the Village scene in the '60s).

"Music for the season and all time." Tidings stirs together traditional Christmas carols and holiday favourites with an organic blend of rock, jazz, folk, gospel and soul. "The Yuletide find of the year," says The Record. "Be prepared to be amazed," chimes ChristmasReviews.com, "Allison Crowe is a stunningly talented performer." Longtime NPR broadcaster Ross Hocker calls Allison Crowe's show, "The most honest, heartfelt, and directly intimate concert in my entire life."

"Treat yourself to one of the mightiest talents on the singer-songwriter scene today," says Bob Muller, song curator at JoniMitchell.com "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," writes Robert Reid in The Record.

Crowe's rare gift and talent in communicating emotions not only make her a thrilling original act, her role as an interpreter is getting much recognition. "Her version of 'I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)' would give Aretha Franklin goose-bumps," notes Robert Moyes in Boulevard. This month, two major tributes to Leonard Cohen have featured her song contributions.

BBC Radio 2 interviewed and recorded Allison Crowe in Liverpool performing "Hallelujah" for an hour-long documentary, "The Fourth, The Fifth, The Minor Fall", that explores the many facets of this Leonard Cohen creation. Other participants include musicians Imogen Heap and Kathryn Williams alongside producers John Lissauer (Leonard Cohen) and Andy Wallace (Jeff Buckley).

UK-based MOJO magazine pays tribute to Leonard Cohen with its December '08 issue which celebrates "deep and moving music, the kind of stuff we need in the run up to the holiday period". Of Allison Crowe's contribution of "Joan of Arc" to its 'All Star Tribute", 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."

Joining the fun on this festive occasion is guest artist Stacy Burke. Hailing from the hotbed of talent and creativity known as Salt Spring Island, BC, Burke’s recording projects have involved such prominent west-coasters Randy Bachman and Tom Hooper (Grapes of Wrath, Ginger). Now living in Toronto, Burke is set to begin recording her debut full-length album - slated for an early ’09 release. A captivating, rootsy, performer, with a warm, confident voice, Stacy Burke charms audiences live and is readying to capture that magic on disc. Her performance at the Heliconian, featuring a selection of her new, poetic, songs, adds to her naturally building momentum.

Advance tickets are $20 general/$15 students and seniors @: www.maplemusic.com and www.allisoncrowe.com

For music visit: www.allisoncrowe.com and www.myspace.com/stacyb

Official Website: http://www.allisoncrowe.com/tour.html