GRAMMY AND JUNO AWARD WINNER ALLISON RUSSELL’S LATEST ALBUM, THE RETURNER, SHORT-LISTED FOR THE POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE
ALLISON RUSSELL-INSPIRED BALLET SET TO “EVE WAS BLACK” ADDED TO THE POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE GALA PERFORMANCES
WATCH THE POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE GALA ON CBC MUSIC - SEPTEMBER 17
ALLISON RUSSELL NAMED BILLBOARD CANADA WOMEN IN MUSIC BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR
ON TOUR NOW WITH HOZIER - TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
BUY / STREAM THE RETURNER HERE
“That same hope permeates the buoyant rhythm of The Returner and continues pushing Russell forward in pursuit of joy.” - EXCLAIM!
“It was only a matter of time before she made her album for the ages. The Returner is that album.” - UNCUT (9 out of 10)
“Allison Russell delivers soul-stirring show… She not only demonstrated her wonderful voice, laden with soul, gospel and raw emotion, but also showed she can play multiple instruments, including clarinet and banjo, and craft poignant songs in both official languages.” –
The Ottawa Citizen
"The Returner is a promise that Russell is giving back more than she's received, which has always felt like her ethos. The way the Montreal-raised singer lifts others up — fellow artists and fans alike — is a spiritual experience, no matter your convictions." - CBC Music
The Returner LP Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Next week at the 2024 Polaris Music Prize Gala, viewers will have the opportunity to watch the seven-person Allison Russell-inspired ballet ‘Eve Was Black’. Fresh off Grammy Award and JUNO Award wins, and being named the Billboard Canada Women In Music Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Allison’s latest album, The Returner, is shortlisted for prestigious music prize. The gala is presented by CBC Music and takes place Tuesday, September 17 at Massey Hall in Toronto.
Set to the Grammy Award winning song “Eve Was Black,” from The Returner, the dance has evolved to center, comfort and celebrate people of African descent, particularly women, whose skin tones, features, and sheer existence has been weaponized, victimized and devalued for hundreds of years. It is a call for reclaiming and collective reframing of the narrative associated with Black people and communities of color worldwide.
WATCH / SHARE “EVE WAS BLACK” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
“‘Eve Was Black’ is an open letter to my abuser, but also to anyone suffering from the false ideology of white supremacy and other bigotries, whatever they may be. It’s also about how you can free yourself from that toxicity and way of thinking.” — Allison Russell
‘Eve Was Black’ was originally presented by the Nashville Ballet in association with the National Museum Of African American Music in 2021. The piece was choreographed by Caribbean Montrealer and Collage Dance’s artistic director Kevin Thomas and features music by Russell with support from SistaStrings. Nia Lyons from Collage Dance Collective will be performing the leading role at the Polaris Gala.
Thomas calls ‘Eve Was Black’ “an opportunity to continue the healing process within ourselves and our community in a way that honors and liberates us through the visceral performing arts.”
WATCH ALLISON RUSSELL’S IN DEPTH INTERVIEW ON CBC THE NATIONAL
WATCH ALLISON RUSSELL ON LATER…WITH JOOLS HOLLAND
WATCH ALLISON RUSSEL ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE
MORE ABOUT ALLISON RUSSELL
The Returner was written and co-produced by Allison along with dim star (her partner JT Nero and Drew Lindsay) and was recorded over Solstice week in December 2022 at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, CA. It features Russell’s “Rainbow Coalition” ensemble: Elenna Canlas, Elizabeth Pupo-Walker, Ganessa James, Joy Clark, Kerenza Peacock, Larissa Maestro, Mandy Fer (Sway Wild), Megan Coleman, Meg McCormick, SistaStrings (Chauntee & Monique Ross), Wendy & Lisa (Wendy Melvoin & Lisa Coleman aka The Revolution) and Wiktoria Bialic.
Since the release of her debut solo LP in 2021, Outside Child, Russell’s often devastating, deeply moving, cathartic celebration of survivor’s joy has become one of the most acclaimed albums of the past 10 years. The second chapter, The Returner, a body-shaking, mind-expanding, soulful expression of liberation, love, and self-respect that serves as a fierce declaration of joy for all survivors that have made it to the other side. Allison, JT, and Drew, built The Returner from the bottom up with a rhythm-first, genre-fluid approach. The improvisational energy of great female artists sparked the album’s fierce joy, and provided a wider canvas for Allison’s immense, unlimited talent. In all, the new album doesn’t just deliver on the promise of the last two years, it exceeds all reasonable (and unreasonable) expectations and affirms Allison Russell’s place among music’s most vital artists⎯and The Returner, was one of 2023’s most essential recordings.
BUY / STREAM THE RETURNER HERE
Following a diverse career as a featured member of acclaimed bands including Po’ Girl, Birds of Chicago and Our Native Daughters, Russell finally dared to release her solo project in 2021. "It’s an album of strength and affirmation, not victimization,” said The New York Times in their profile on Russell and Outside Child. Following the album’s release, Russell performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Ellen, Late Night With Stephen Colbert, CBS Saturday Morning, Austin City Limits, The Kelly Clarkson Show made her Opry debut and appeared at the Country Music Hall of Fame and performed at the 2022 GRAMMY’s Premiere Ceremony.
The accolades for Russell have been immense. In addition to her GRAMMY Award, she has earned three 2022 Americana Award nominations and a win for Album of the Year, two International Folk Music Award wins, a 2022 JUNO Award nomination for ‘Songwriter of the Year,’ and her first-ever JUNO Award win for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year. Russell received two 2021 Americana Awards nominations, won three Canadian Folk Music Awards, two UK Americana Music Awards, and more. She was recently nominated for Song of the Year and Artist of the Year for the 2023 Americana Awards. In addition, Russell has consistently used her newfound platform to elevate, educate and inspire; curating the history making Once And Future Sounds: Roots and Revolution set for the Newport Folk Festival in 2021 and mobilizing this year’s triumphant Love Rising All-Star benefit concert in support of LGBTQIA+ causes in Nashville - raising over $550,000 and calling national attention to Tennessee’s dangerous anti-trans and anti-drag laws. Russell has also announced a book deal with Flatiron/MacMillan for her debut novel, a memoir based on her life and the material that inspired Outside Child and The Returner.
TOUR DATES
SEP 13, 2024 - Tucson Arena -Tucson, AZ %
SEP 14, 2024 - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre -Chula Vista, CA %
SEP 15, 2024 - Whale Rock Music Festival - Templeton, CA %
SEP 17, 2024 - The Kia Forum - Inglewood, CA %
SEP 18, 2024 - The Kia Forum - Inglewood, CA %
SEP 20, 2024 - The Kia Forum - Inglewood, CA %
SEP 22, 2024 - Isleta Amphitheater - Albuquerque, NM %
SEP 24, 2024 - Frost Bank Center - San Antonio, TX %
SEP 26, 2024 - Paycom Center - Oklahoma City, OK %
SEP 28, 2024 - Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival - Franklin, TN
OCT 17, 2024 - Kia Forum - Inglewood, CA | Life Is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie
Robertson
OCT 19, 20 - Hollywood Bowl - Los Angeles, CA | Joni Jam
APR 15, 2025 - Melbourne Recital Centre - Southbank, VIC
APR 17, 2025 - City Recital Hall - Sydney, Australia
APR 19, 20 - 2025 - Bluesfest Byron Bay - Byron Bay, NSW
APR 30, 2025 - Higher Ground Ballroom - South Burlington, VT
MAY 2, 2025 - Theatre of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
MAY 3, 2025 - Lincoln Theatre - Washington, DC
MAY 4, 2025 - Royale - Boston, MA
MAY 6, 2025 - Webster Hall - New York, NY
MAY 8, 2025 - The Vic Theatre - Chicago, IL
MAY 9, 2025 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
MAY 12, 2025 - Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO
MAY 13, 2025 - The Commonwealth Room - Salt Lake City, UT
MAY 15, 2025 - The Egyptian Theatre - Boise, ID
MAY 17, 2025 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR
MAY 19, 2025 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
MAY 20, 2025 - Belasco Theater - Los Angeles, CA
MAY 23, 2025 - Scoot Inn - Austin, TX
MAY 24, 2025 - Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall - Fort Worth, TX
MAY 25, 2025 - The Heights Theater - Houston, TX
% -Supporting Hozier
MORE PRAISE FOR THE RETURNER
"Allison Russell proved to be the strongest vocalist over the two-day festival..." -
Glide Magazine
“With its increased twin focus on grooves and celebration, it might not be inaccurate to call the album a party, albeit with the understanding that the celebration is a hard-fought party.” - VARIETY
"Emblazoned with words as arrows, a banjo as her bow and her clarinet as an extension of her voice, Russell unapologetically wields the wind of her lived experience of violent abuse, sheer survival and remarkable redemption. The result is mesmerizing."- Post & Courier
“Allison Russell’s second solo album brings to mind a verse from the Bible: ‘Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.’ After reflecting on her escape from abuse on her 2021 breakout, Outside Child, Russell is celebrating her freedom on The Returner. The album has its heavy moments, but it’s largely brighter — and funkier.” - VULTURE
"The resilient songwriter maintains a throughline of gratitude with an impeccable knack for storytelling. If you’re looking for an enduring album to seek refuge and celebrate the ambivalence of life, this one’s for you." - RANGE Magazine
“On her second album, The Returner, she delivers a sequel that holds togetherness at its heart as she delves into the personal and political.” - THE LINE OF BEST FIT
"Bolstered by a female-centric circle of VIPs and fuelled by defiant joy, the ascendant singer-songwriter grooves her way into the big leagues with this upbeat charmer." - Tinnitist
“The Returner, another powerful effort, also represents a next step in Russell’s career and life as she leaves her trauma in the past and steps forward in what she calls “fierce joy.” - POLLSTAR
"It takes a village to make deep, meaningful change in the world around you, and Russell is ready to build that village from the ground up.” - BILLBOARD
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