Little Compton’s ’Allison’ releases first CD — baroque meets rock

EastBayRI, March 8, 2016

Under the name of “Allison,” Little Compton resident Allison Messier and Fall River resident Paul Cienniwa have released their debut CD, “Allidson: Volume One.” The recording is a collection of songs by Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Phil Ochs, Neil Young, Billy Joel, and Graham Nash, along with baroque songs by John Dowland and Henry Purcell. 

Why the baroque songs? Because Alisson is a duo made up of a classically trained mezzo-soprano and a harpsichordist. 

“As classical musicians, we usually only perform classical music. But as Allison we have the freedom to explore music of other genres,” says mezzo-soprano Messier. “I’m used to performing baroque music with harpsichord, but with Allison the harpsichord becomes a whole new thing — sort of a cross between a guitar and a psychedelic keyboard.” 

Harpsichordist Cienniwa adds, “We are basically chamber musicians looking outside of the usual realm of chamber music — and this makes for an entirely new listening experience. The songs we perform are now heard in an entirely different light.” 

The album is available in CD and mp3 format. Visit www.WeAreALLISON.com for more information.

Leave a comment