TORONTO (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Canadian Alana Levandoski's upcoming second album with UK producer Ken Nelson has been partly recorded in a 100-year-old church in Kelwood, Manitoba in rural Canada, and at the Parr Street Studios in Liverpool, England.
Levandoski’s reputation as a skillful root-based singer/songwriter was initially bolstered by her debut album "Unsettled Down" released by Rounder Records in Canada in 2005 and in Europe in 2006.
Reviews of "Unsettled Down" were plentiful. Levandoski was profiled in numerous European publications, including Maverick n the U.K. and in such national Canadian magazines as Maclean's and Penguin Eggs.
"Alana is part of an emerging generation of new artists who are reflecting the range of influences that make Canadian music so exciting, from the brilliant free-form collective Broken Social Scene, to the authentic Country twang of Corb Lund," wrote legendary BBC Radio 2 announcer Bob Harris in Maverick magazine in 2006.
In 2007, Levandoski was featured on “Borrowed Tunes Two,” a two-CD Canadian musical tribute to Neil Young. It also featured Canadian artists Barenaked Ladies, Ron Sexsmith, and Finger 11 performing their favourite Neil Young song. Levandoski sang “Don’t be Denied.”
The same year Levandoski was featured on the British compiliaton "Bob Harris Presents" along with Alison Krauss, Cindy Bullens, John Prine, Billy Joel Shaver and Kathleen Edwards.
Leading up to her second album, Levandoski co-wrote with such leading country and roots-styled American songwriters as Quinn Loggins, Sam Ashworth, James LeBlanc, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Rachel Thibodeau, and Gary Nichols. She also co-wrote with Canadian folk icon Sylvia Tyson, as well as Colin Cripps, and Simon Wilcox in Canada.
Nelson was a formidable catch for the Canadian.
After several years working on demos and independent artists such as the Hellfire Sermons and Ruthless Rap Assassins, Nelson achieved success with Gomez, and world-wide success with the first Coldplay recording. He did a further two albums with the band.
He has also worked with Badly Drawn Boy, Howling Bells, The Charlatans, Echo & The Bunnymen, Kings Of Convenience, Orange Lights, Ray LaMontagne, Feeder, Skin, Snow Patrol, Polly Paulusma and Paolo Nutini.
He has won three US Grammy awards, two Mercury Music Prizes, and was "Music Week" magazine's 'Producer Of The Year' in 2003.
In Canada, Levandoski has toured nationally with the Corb Lund Band as well as did dates with Stephen Fearing, Randy Bachman, the Arrogant Worms, and Tanya Tucker.
She first performed in the UK and Europe in early 2006 with Dar Williams, Lynn Miles and Caroline Herring as well with Jess Klein. She returned to the UK in 2006 opening for the Elana James Trio, and fellow Canadians Blue Rodeo and playing Canada Day 2006 in Trafalgar Square. She did a tour of Ireland and England in 2007 with fellow Canadian Lynn Miles
Levandoski’s second album will be released in early 2009.
Her website is: http://www.alanalevandoski.com
–by Larry Leblanc
