Janet MacEwen

"...For the past 3 seasons Janet MacEwen has endeared herself to audiences with her performances as Marilla Cuthbert in "Anne of Green Gables". But offstage the Nova Scotia native has been building a reputation for herself as a singer with serious chops and a repertoire that would leave some ladies of Avonlea flapping their fans and clutching their hearts. BACK WHERE I BELONG, MacEwen's debut CD, will, I suggest, take many by surprise. There are several reasons for that, not the least of which are the album's production values. Unlike most first records which sound a little rough around the edges, BACK WHERE I BELONG is very much a polished effort, owing in part to the fact MacEwen enlisted the services of a friend and sometimes collaborator with serious credentials to produce the album, Alfie Zappacosta. And Zappacosta's contribution to the album did not end there. He played and sang on the record and contributed 6 songs to the mix which he either wrote or co-wrote, including three of the record's finest tracks, "Here For You", "Hills of San Sebastian" and "The Dance Is Over". MacEwen herself penned two songs for the album, "Last Christmas Wish" and what is perhaps the album's best track, the bittersweet, "I've Never Really Known You". The remaining material came from a variety of sources, most notably Joni Mitchell, whose "Blue" is served well by an arrangement that features only MacEwen's voice and the sound of waves breaking against the shore. MacEwen chose her material very well. There isn't anything here that doesn't suit her voice. Then again, with her voice there isn't a lot of material that's out of reach. The arrangements are gorgeous and the sidemen she used here are all first call players: keyboard player Silvio Pupo, drummer Blake Manning, B3 player Dennis Keldie, accordion player Claudio Vena and bass player Russ Boswell. Prime cuts include "Oz", "I've Never Really Known You", "Blue", "Here For You" and "It's All Alright"


- The Guardian - Doug Gallant

NEW!! Janet MacEwen's debut CD "BACK WHERE I BELONG" has been nominated in 3 categories at The 2009 Music PEI Awards: best female vocalist, best new artist and best jazz recording. - Music PEI

NEW! Janet just won a People's Choice TWISI Award for Outstanding Achievement on a CD by a female Theatre Artist for "BACK WHERE I BELONG"
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New! Janet's song "I've Never Really Known You" from BACK WHERE I BELONG has just received Honourable Mention in the Performance category of the 12th Anuual Unisong International Songwriting Contest.
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Back Where I Belong CD Release January 16/09
Statler's Lounge, Toronto, Canada

Janet was accompanied by 3 time Canadian Jazz Pianist of the Year award winner Dave Restivo on piano, and Russ Boswell on bass.

REVIEWS:

Brent Bambury - popular host of CBC Radio's "Go" had this to say:

"When Janet sings she owns the song, she takes you inside. You can't keep your eyes off her and that voice stays with you and brings you back again and again. The voice, the emotion, the arrangements.... it's all right there. Janet is a force ... loved loved loved seeing [Janet], oh my God! SO GREAT!"

George Evans - booking agent/award winning jazz singer:

"I am so impressed with Janet's musicianship, with her grace and intellect and with her [considerable] poise on stage... She is a stunning vocalist and truly a musical find..."

Liz Tansey - Toronto based singer and award winning songwriter:

... Janet MacEwen had the crowd in the palm of her hand from the sweet and strong opening notes of the first song to the last. This was an evening of great songs sung by a polished performer with gorgeous accompaniment - Beautiful!..."

Michele Mele - Toronto based singer/song writer:

" ... Spell binding performance!"
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More CD REVIEWS:

author: Louise Pitre
Janet sounds fantastic!!!! I LOVE "OZ" ... beautiful!!!!

author: Marilyn Turingia
"Janet MacEwen's acappella interpretation of Joni Mitchell's 'Blue' is inspired! Her velvet delivery of 'Oz' is mesmerizing, and must be sampled by all jazz lovers."

author: David Warrack
"This CD is beautifully thought out and delivered with great passion... it's a huge accomplishment by a gifted artist. It deserves huge exposure."

author: Frank MacKay
"Alfie Zappacosta is a wonderful lyricist and he is blessed to have someone like Janet MacEwen to interpret his musical thoughts so wonderfully. I haven't heard a better one-two punch since the early Bacharach/Warwick days."

author: Margaret Forrest-Halpin
"What a beautiful gift to share with the world. I especially love Janet's two songs."
- Various