Audio Collection
Embed
Savage Country
Leslie Alexander
From fingerpickin' soul to flat-out rock'n roll, Savage Country travels from the grainfields of Alberta to the darkest part of the city and back again, telling a tale of loss, hope and redemption.
Collection Contents
| # | Title | Length | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Bargain Store | 4:16 | Play |
| 2 |
|
The Jones | 4:37 | Play |
| 3 |
|
Four Walls | 4:37 | Play |
| 4 |
|
One & Only | 3:58 | Play |
| 5 |
|
The News | 3:36 | Play |
| 6 |
|
Sweet Irene | 2:59 | Play |
| 7 |
|
Rachael's Song | 4:30 | Play |
| 8 |
|
Savage Country | 5:10 | Play |
| 9 |
|
Father's Day | 4:43 | Play |
| 10 |
|
Them | 5:21 | Play |
Items may be purchased individually.
Contributors
Details
Royalties
See the payment distribution when this media is bought.
| Description | Amount |
|---|---|
| Bitmunk Marketplace Service | USD $0.98 |
| CD Baby Artist Royalty | USD $5.97 |
| CD Baby 9% Digital Distribution Cost | USD $0.54 |
| Bitmunk Download Service | USD $0.59 |
| Bitmunk MicroPayment Service | USD $0.01 |
| Total | USD $8.07 |
Bitmunk uses a micropayment system that is accurate to
7 monetary digits.
Mouse over an individual amount to see its exact value.
Description
Leslie Alexander grew up on a sheep farm and couldn't wait to get to the city. She hit the road, made a bunch of mistakes and write songs about the. Somehow she wound up singing on a street corner for spare change. She does not consider this a mistake.
Along came producer/guitarist John Ellis (Be Good Tanyas, Barney Bentall, Ferron) who helped Leslie make her first CD Bird in the House in '97. Since then Leslie has opened shows for the likes of Louisiana roots artist Mary Gaulthier, blues master Harry Manx, and Canadian legend Jim Byrnes, appearing on concert and festival stages across the country.
Leslie's songs about train-tracks and semi-trucks, haystacks and high-rises, telephone lines and barbed wire fences will take you all the beautiful and terrifying places she's been. Today, she's receiving international airplay with her own recordings as well as cuts with other artists.
Inspired by the disappearance of grain elevators on her native prairies, featuring guest tracks from Harry Manx, Sam Parton of the be good Tanyas, Leslie's new record Savage country is receiving rave reviews from critics and fans alike.
Listen up and find out why.
"Recollections of her farmstead upbringing colour this fine second album from the Vancouver-based songwriter. There's nothing savage about Alexander's vocals, which echo folk-country icons Rosanne Cash & Alison Krauss."
JEFF BATEMAN, "CD PICK OF THE MONTH" WESTERN LIVING MAGAZINE
" . . . wonderfully evocative . . . the only cover here, Dolly Partons "Bargain Store" fits the concept perfectly. Fairly close to the Be Good Tanyas in spirit, musically not as sparse but the simplicity & directness of these songs make for a superb listen."
PAUL BRONKS, AMERICANA-UK.COM
" . . . Leslie Alexander may have . . . given name to a true Canadian sound. 'Savage Country' is a tribute to the weather- beaten breed of Canadians who have tied their lives so closely to the land . . . & laments the grain elevators which are rapidly disappearing . . . The playing is country crisp with gorgeous shadings of rock & bluegrass. It's roots without the plunkiness of folk. Strings chime with crystal clear resonance, courtesy of mandolin, dobro, steel, acoustic & electric guitars. Leslie's voice adds grace & conviction through a balanced mix of barn burners & ballads. Don't be surprised if a new generation of Canadian roots bands start referring to their music as 'Savage Country'. It's an apt title that says much about who we are & where our music comes from."
KAL COATE, CHANNEL M VANCOUVER
"Killer CD. This one stays in the truck."
GARY FJELLGARD
"Kicking off her second album with a truly magnificent rendition of Dolly Parton's "Bargain Store" Leslie Alexander has us wrapped around her finger instantly. Great production by John Ellis (Be Good Tanyas) & Wyckham Porteous (a great singer-songwriter in his own right) creates a musical hybrid, in which folk, country & rock are close neighbours. "Savage Country" is the creative egg of an artist familiar with both life in the country & a more urban environment, which explains the intense mood swings on this record. "Savage Country" should please both fans of rootsrock & Americana & those of more commercial country outings. Songs like the acoustic-flavoured "Rachael's Song", the nicely crafted title track, the spirited rocker "The Jones" or the quiet little pearl "Father's Day" are reason enough to write Alexander's name in red letters on our list of talented people to keep an eye on! Anyone enjoying the likes of Mary Chapin Carpenter or Rosanne Cash should definitely dig up this tasty bone too..."
(Ctrl. Alt. Country e-zine, Belgium, April 2003)
BENNY METTEN CTRL.ALT.COUNTRY E-ZINE.COM
"An impressive collection of songs . . . an eloquent ode to the grain elevators of Alexander's native Alberta, which are gradually being pulled down . . . the arrangements are varied & the musicianship creative . . . Ellis knows just when to add the right twang on steel guitar. More importantly, Alexander is a wonderful singer & a good songwriter . . . one to watch."
PAUL-EMILE COMEAU, PENGUIN EGGS MAGAZINE
" There's a place where the walls between musical styles are non-existent - that's where Savage Country lives. Leslie's managed to get everything you've ever felt about life onto one CD. It won't let you go 'til you've heard it again & again."
HARRY MANX, NORTHERN BLUES
"With a truly sublime rootsy version of Dolly Partons "Bargain Store" Leslie Alexander begins immediately to wind us around her finger . . . a musical hybrid, in which folk, country & rock solicit each other's graces . . . this Vancouver singer-songwriter . . . has tasted both of living in the country, and of metropolitan agitation. That explains rather intense mood swings from healing gentleness to violence . . . addressing both the consciousness of roots rock and Americana, and that of commercial country. Numbers such the cleverly constructed title number "Savage Country," the spicy rocker "The Jones" or the gentle "Father's Day" offer very separate perspectives to a complete whole. From now on, Leslie Alexander is on our list of artists to watch! And it is possible that everyone who enjoys Mary Chapin Carpenter or Rosanne Cash had best dig up this rich feast."
" . . . I'm listening to your CD for the second time through & really enjoying it. Everyone involved did a great job. Your songs ring true & your voice is great. I think it's a perfect CKUA record & expect you're getting lots of support."
HOLGER PETERSEN, CKUA/STONY PLAIN
" . . . have been listening all morning. It's great! You're great! I LOVE your CD . . . must feel good! I'm going to make the right people and DJs at our radio station aware . . . You've got a new fan & I look forward to seeing you."
DOUG RITCHIE, CJSR RADIO EDMONTON
" Compelling . . . more than just a teary lament for the old world's passing. There's also a deep sense of what-goes-around-comes-around in Savage Country, which makes the musical tale all the more tragic."
HEATH MCCOY, CALGARY HERALD
" . . .builds from an acoustic strummer to a full-out rocker with Alexander nearly spitting the lyrics . . . Alexander has a fine voice, capable of shifting easily between fury & exaltation. And she gets some high-powered help from fellow Vancouver musicians Sam Parton (Be Good Tanyas) & John Ellis, who plays guitar and pedal steel."
CHRIS JORGENSEN, BILLINGS GAZETTE
"I remember coming out of the rain to the WISE Hall and hearing Leslie for the first time. A voice & a guitar . . . simple . . . no forceful angst, just direct singing of good songs. Next thing we were huddled over the mixing board, listening to the record. You can discover a lot when you listen to good music over & over again, like the way it moves you - not just your head or your heart, but the feet & the tips of your fingers. I like the way this record makes me feel. It's simple . . ."
WYCKHAM PORTEOUS, CORDOVA BAY RECORDS
"It's an often-beautiful collection of songs that plow the fields of roots & western music, while romantically drawing on the experiences of her upbringing. And fittingly, the music & the material go hand in hand to create a landscape that's familiar, yet filled with so much to explore."
MIKE BELL, CALGARY SUN
" . . . having listened to "Savage Country" from start to finish, may I say "congratulations" on a very fine set of songs & a beautiful production. I'll be sure to play it . . ."
DAVID WARD, CKUA RADIO