Biography
Toronto-based vocalist and songwriter Laurel MacDonald, cousin of Mary Jane Lamond, has steadily built an independent reputation for her own work. Her two albums, Kiss Closed My Eyes from 1995 and Chroma from 1999, both earned strong critical notice. Billboard described the material as "densely textured and exquisitely woven," while Venue Magazine observed that her "range is enormous, drifting to and fro between crystal clear whispers and heart-wrenching wails." Earwaves noted that her "music merges intelligence with intensity, melody with ambiance and universality of vision."
Her singing has prompted comparisons to Bjork and Laurie Anderson, yet it is her compositional reach that has opened numerous additional avenues. Her voice appeared on the soundtrack for the film The Hanging Garden, and her pieces have been adopted by ballet and contemporary dance ensembles such as Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, Ballet British Columbia, the Bill T. Jones Dance Company of New York, and the Ballet Of Opera National De Paris.
Alongside creative partner Philip Strong, she co-produced Lamond’s album Suas E!. Throughout 1998 she joined Lamond and Ashley MacIsaac for concerts across Canada and the United States.
Soon after Chroma appeared, MacDonald collaborated with remix specialists, among them Bill Laswell of Transatlantic Underground, to create a six-track collection of reinterpretations drawn from her single "A Wing And A Prayer."
Her singing has prompted comparisons to Bjork and Laurie Anderson, yet it is her compositional reach that has opened numerous additional avenues. Her voice appeared on the soundtrack for the film The Hanging Garden, and her pieces have been adopted by ballet and contemporary dance ensembles such as Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, Ballet British Columbia, the Bill T. Jones Dance Company of New York, and the Ballet Of Opera National De Paris.
Alongside creative partner Philip Strong, she co-produced Lamond’s album Suas E!. Throughout 1998 she joined Lamond and Ashley MacIsaac for concerts across Canada and the United States.
Soon after Chroma appeared, MacDonald collaborated with remix specialists, among them Bill Laswell of Transatlantic Underground, to create a six-track collection of reinterpretations drawn from her single "A Wing And A Prayer."
Albums