The plucky do-it-yourself songstress Allison Crowe was just a wee babe when she decided to do things the way she wanted them. That’s how Rubenesque Records was born. Fans of Joni Mitchell and Jann Arden will be delighted to discover another incredible Canadian songstress. This Little Bird, Crowe’s third album (sixth, if you count her first two EPs and a double live), should give her the wide audience she deserves.

At the tender age of 25, she’s writing and producing and engineering her own work, playing piano and guitar, and touring for her legions of fans. Of course, all that work is just the backdrop for the real thing: her voice. Crowe has been compared to Tori Amos, Mahalia Jackson, and Ani DiFranco. I can feel those influences in her selections and style but Crowe’s alternately soaring and brooding vocals are all her own, taking jazzy leaps and bounds through a gamut of rollercoaster emotions.

Crowe famously said, “Why music? Why breathing?” The opening track, Effortless, is effortlessly heartbreaking and gut-wrenching and if you’re trying to lock your emotions away, forget about listening further. You may be sobbing by the end of the record. I’m sure Joni Mitchell is proud and honoured by the Crowe’s rendition of A Case of You. Most of the 12 songs are similarly styled torch songs that feel uniquely Canadian and clearly Crowe.

This Little Bird wraps things up with a livelier, upbeat outlook because nothing can or will hold this girl down. Though this album is probably the nicest way to pass a rainy afternoon writing letters to forgotten lovers, Crowe cultists have told me it’s even more emotional watching her live, where her impressive physicality on the piano gives visual depth to her songwriting’s intensity. Bravo, Crowe. Grab a box of Kleenex and then check the tour schedules.

For more information about Allison Crowe, visit www.allisoncrowe.com

Artist: Allison Crowe
Album: This Little Bird
Label: Rubenesque Records Ltd.