The Spiritual Woman Forum Playlist Song #5: "Hallelujah"..

So every artist on the planet, it seems, has tried to do a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". Jeff Buckley's version was considered one of the top 25 remakes of all times. The song is evocative, haunting, and universal in theme. Depending on which verses the singer selects to use (Cohen had notebook pages full of lyrics for it), it covers political downfall, lost love, atonement for mistakes, loneliness, orgarm, despair, and joy; masterfully tying it all together. Of course this song had to be on my list. But which version?   KD Lang has a gorgeous rendition. Rufous Wainright has one. I've been told that American idol contestants love this song. So why did I select a version by a relatively unknown young Canadian artist? Becasue her version is as good as the original. When Leonard Cohen sings it, you hear the man's side of a broken love story and redemption. When Allison sings it, accompanied by her beautiful piano playing, it becomes transformed: she takes you into the heart of woman finding the strength to keep going while her disillusions of love ar breaking her down. Her version of this song has been called, "one of the single greatest female vocalist performances of all time". In Canada, the live performance thsi song was taken from, is played every Christmas Eve. Take a listen and see why this timeless classic becomes even more masterful in her hands.