Album Notes

L o r i C u l l e n

C a l l i n g f o r R a i n

Lush. Luminous. Silken. Fine. Unique. Stunning.

These are some of the words that music critics have used to describe Lori Cullen’s voice. It’s a fresh, yet timeless instrument, that speaks with a mature sense of understatement. The kind of voice that gains power from clear emotional resonance rather than showy histrionics. And her artistic Voice is just as distinctive as her physical one.

Poised to present herself both as an acoustic guitar playing singer songwriter and the leader of a jazz structured quintet, Lori enjoys unique opportunities for performance. Her skill as a songwriter and collaborator with renowned folk/pop performers places her comfortably in venues and festivals with a singer songwriter focus. While her name can be heard in circles among the finest Jazz singers in Canada.

Lori has released four recordings. The most recent “calling for rain” is full of other people’s songs. Covers by Gordon Lightfoot, Randy Newman, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Bruce Cockburn, Harry Nilsson—A collection of mature songs that highlight the craft of song writing and the emotional power of a direct and intimate lyric. Calling for Rain also features two new original songs. “Tied Up In the Yard” displays Lori’s seemingly effortless knack for a catchy melody and a subtle but telling lyric. “Away So Long,” a sprightly, harmonically intriguing tune that won the third annual Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award, presented by the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals in October 2005. Calling For Rain was also released in Korea on Polyphone Recordings in the late summer of 2006.

A vibrant presence on Toronto Canada’s singer-songwriter scene, Lori has been singing, writing and playing guitar for over ten years. She released her first collection of self-penned, folk-oriented songs, called Garden Path, in the year 2000. Two years later she recorded So Much, a selection of jazz-based covers with The Ron Davis Trio. Uneven Hill, in 2004, revealed more of her adventurous, evolving songwriting and further established the diverse nature of her creativity.

Lori has received consistent critical raves, four-star reviews, a Canadian Independent Music Awards nomination, and has been steadily building a rapt audience of music-loving fans. She appears as a vocalist on Final Fantasy’s (Owen Pallet) latest recording He Poos Clouds that won him the very first Polaris Music Prize.

“People just keep coming to me and telling how much they adore her,” says Bill King in The Jazz Report. “Her songs have a creative momentum, spurred on by her beautiful voice and a rich imagination” Jeff Godes, CBC.

Performance highlights in 2006 include several three night runs at The Montreal Bistro in Toronto, Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival, Mariposa Folk Festival, Hillside Folk Festival, Collingwood Jazz Festival, Beaches Jazz Festival and Shelter Valley Folk Festival.

Recording for a new cd is in progress and is planned for a 2007 release.

Calling For Rain is available in Canadian stores through
Fontana North Distriubution/Universal
Internationally available at www.cbbaby.com
Contact: info@loricullen.com