This is probably one of the most in-depth posts I've ever read. It was written by a fellow by the name of Anson Phillip as part of a Facebook discussion on a preview of the track, 'Burden', from the 'A Drink Before Going' album.
Anson Phillip (Smile):
"I think Shawn was actually speaking about freedom in this song from the heaviness in life finally in a very peaceful way. It is beautiful...simply beautiful. For those who have actually just heard Shawn like myself were initially revolted by his singing because Shawn breaks every single thing you have ever been taught on how to sing and enunciate words in music but still after all that is said and done if you start to listen you mind will tune in to his voicing then it will not be difficult anymore to understand. I wish I could impart what I am saying to all of you. It is like recognizing letters....after your mind forms the pattern then it is easy to read. It is the same for music. If you struggle to understand someone with a lisp or someone with a cleft pallete at first you cannot but as you tune in to them and let your mind tune into the person their emotions and heart and then bam!!! You begin to understand. Music is so powerful that an instrumentalist can convey what he is saying to you by notes he plays. This what I see .....at the end of a movie where a person stops struggling in their life and finally see after so long and worn out a time...... peace...it can create a very dramatic moment with that guitar playing in the background and Shawn singing.... pure beauty...this is what I see...not someone down and depressed but for once freed of their burdens and peaceful...............fade out picture...... screen credits roll up...."
The track itself is available for purchase at www.shawncrowle.com or on Itunes
Shawn Crowle. Thoughts, News and Reviews.
25 February 2013
1 January 2013
Grayowl Point Review of "A Drink Before Going"
"A while back, a man with a voice perfectly suited to the heartbreaking material he sings about released Elegy, his first collection of songs. It brought to mind images of a barren, dust-blown town in the same vein that it brought to mind the sadness of dealing with the dead.
Shawn Crowle has just recently released his second album, A Drink Before Going. It builds on his previous material, and somehow manages to increase the sadness even more. Arrangements are again fairly simple, usually a guitar with the occasional harmonica and keys. The songs deal with love and loss, but the album doesn’t completely fall into the territory of melancholy.
Still, the heartbreak and loss can be heard uniformly in Crowle’s voice and the slower pacing of guitar chords. “Walking in the Rain” conjures an image that can easily be thought of- walking through rain, thinking about the person one loves. When Crowle sings a line describing that very action, its emotional impact is huge. “Ain’t no one missing me tonight,” Crowle sings in the album title track. The emotion is as raw as it ever will be.
Some songs show happiness in shielding others from adversity- “A Cold & Bitter Wind” is a short song in which Crowle sings about protecting someone else from the cold. “Against the World” is a more positive-sounding song, about two lovers ready to meet any challenges that might have come their way.
Of course there is still more heartbreak to be had. “Sad Songs” tells of an old man reminiscing about someone he thought “could be the one.” “The Same Old Scene” tells of taking a woman home and making love, but from the tone of voice one knows it won’t end well.
Heartache is a universal pain, and it’s what makes A Drink Before Going a decidedly pertinent piece of work. The album can be streamed in its entirety and purchased via Crowle’s website."
Reviewed by Michael Thomas at Grayowl Point
http://grayowlpoint.com/2012/12/31/review-a-drink-before-going-shawn-crowle/
Shawn Crowle has just recently released his second album, A Drink Before Going. It builds on his previous material, and somehow manages to increase the sadness even more. Arrangements are again fairly simple, usually a guitar with the occasional harmonica and keys. The songs deal with love and loss, but the album doesn’t completely fall into the territory of melancholy.
Still, the heartbreak and loss can be heard uniformly in Crowle’s voice and the slower pacing of guitar chords. “Walking in the Rain” conjures an image that can easily be thought of- walking through rain, thinking about the person one loves. When Crowle sings a line describing that very action, its emotional impact is huge. “Ain’t no one missing me tonight,” Crowle sings in the album title track. The emotion is as raw as it ever will be.
Some songs show happiness in shielding others from adversity- “A Cold & Bitter Wind” is a short song in which Crowle sings about protecting someone else from the cold. “Against the World” is a more positive-sounding song, about two lovers ready to meet any challenges that might have come their way.
Of course there is still more heartbreak to be had. “Sad Songs” tells of an old man reminiscing about someone he thought “could be the one.” “The Same Old Scene” tells of taking a woman home and making love, but from the tone of voice one knows it won’t end well.
Heartache is a universal pain, and it’s what makes A Drink Before Going a decidedly pertinent piece of work. The album can be streamed in its entirety and purchased via Crowle’s website."
Reviewed by Michael Thomas at Grayowl Point
http://grayowlpoint.com/2012/12/31/review-a-drink-before-going-shawn-crowle/
11 November 2012
Two Free Tracks
Visit www.cdbaby.com/cd/shawncrowle2 to receive two free tracks from the new album, A Drink Before Going, as well as a special discounted price on the Digital Download of the album.
Cheers.
Cheers.
16 August 2011
God Bless Campus Radio...
The 'Elegy' album is #4 this week on the CJSR 88.5 FM's Fok/Roots/Blues Chart (and #30 overall) at Earshot-Online! God bless Campus Radio!
Check out the charts at http://www.earshot-online.com/charts/cjsr.cfm?intChartTypeID=7&dWeekOfID=2011-08-16
Check out the charts at http://www.earshot-online.com/charts/cjsr.cfm?intChartTypeID=7&dWeekOfID=2011-08-16
12 July 2011
Independent Music News Review of 'Running' from the "Elegy" Album
Just received a new review of the track 'Running' from Independent Music News in the UK:
Hello Independent Music News fans/readers. Guess who’s back to scare you with satirical madness? Frankenstein esque reviewer Daniel Thomas. Yes he’s been resurrected from the grave of working 9 till 5 shifts as a pot-washer; I think that’s why I’m talking in third person, again. Announcing myself in third person ultimately means that soon I’ll be talking to the pots and pans that lurk on the side of disreputable dreams. Anyway who do we have today Daniel Thomas? (FUCK OFF YOU PRETENTIOUS TWAT, YOU’RE NOT GOD!). Anyway today I received this lovely email from the depths of internet supremacy from a gentleman, unbeknown to myself called – Shawn Crowle. So I decided to listen to review a track called – Running – because ultimately everyone is running away from something. Gather round readers, lets have a listen.
Running – like doughnut policemen. Is that Tom Waits running towards me? what have you got to say Tom? “Have you heard this gentleman called: Shawn Crowle? is he trying to copy my style?” and which I would reply, NO. Shawn Crowle may have the shrivelled voice box and acoustic style but there’s something different with his approach. He promotes every song like a nice walk in the park, disrupted by a homeless man looking for spare change. Two different worlds collide and ultimately poverty is left lying on the floor; like an old newspaper stuck on the window of an abandoned house. Shawn Crowle – I salute you for showing me ‘that’ different world in nearly 3 minutes of reality.
Hello Independent Music News fans/readers. Guess who’s back to scare you with satirical madness? Frankenstein esque reviewer Daniel Thomas. Yes he’s been resurrected from the grave of working 9 till 5 shifts as a pot-washer; I think that’s why I’m talking in third person, again. Announcing myself in third person ultimately means that soon I’ll be talking to the pots and pans that lurk on the side of disreputable dreams. Anyway who do we have today Daniel Thomas? (FUCK OFF YOU PRETENTIOUS TWAT, YOU’RE NOT GOD!). Anyway today I received this lovely email from the depths of internet supremacy from a gentleman, unbeknown to myself called – Shawn Crowle. So I decided to listen to review a track called – Running – because ultimately everyone is running away from something. Gather round readers, lets have a listen.
Running – like doughnut policemen. Is that Tom Waits running towards me? what have you got to say Tom? “Have you heard this gentleman called: Shawn Crowle? is he trying to copy my style?” and which I would reply, NO. Shawn Crowle may have the shrivelled voice box and acoustic style but there’s something different with his approach. He promotes every song like a nice walk in the park, disrupted by a homeless man looking for spare change. Two different worlds collide and ultimately poverty is left lying on the floor; like an old newspaper stuck on the window of an abandoned house. Shawn Crowle – I salute you for showing me ‘that’ different world in nearly 3 minutes of reality.
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