True North: The Canadian Songbook

Info

Showcasing 32 of Canada’s most beloved pop and folk songs, True North: The Canadian Songbook is Eleanor McCain’s sixth studio album.

Produced by Don Breithaupt and featuring the creations of 14 arrangers, 28 guest artists, and 10 symphony orchestras from across the country, True North: The Canadian Songbook was developed to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. In addition to the recording, the double album is accompanied by a bilingual 220 page hardcover coffee table book featuring sumptuous full-colour landscape photography by 22 photographers from across Canada, fashion portraits in select Canadian locations by book co-curator V. Tony Hauser, complementary song lyrics, songwriter commentary, and behind-the-scenes shots by Greg Locke, along with a double CD insert. This epic, multi-year passion project is a touching tribute to the people, songwriters, musicians, photographers and landscape of Canada. Eleanor is joined on this project by a talented team of artists, performers, and industry experts all of whom worked passionately to bring this to fruition. An accompanying documentary short film will also be released. True North: The Canadian Songbook was released May 12th, 2017 and is also available digitally here on the website and on iTunes. 

Track List

TRUE

1. Hallelujah - Written by Leonard Cohen (feat. National Arts Centre Orchestra)
2. A Case Of You - Written by Joni Mitchell (feat. National Arts Centre Orchestra)
3. Helpless - Written by Neil Young (feat. Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra)
4. Run To You - Written by Bryan Adams / Jim Vallance (feat. François D’Amours, Vineet Vyas, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra)
5. I'll Always Be There - Written by David Foster / Roch Voisine (feat. Roch Voisine, Sharon Riley And The Faith Chorale, National Arts Centre Orchestra)
6. If You Could Read My Mind - Written by Gordon Lightfoot (feat. Liona Boyd, National Arts Centre Orchestra)
7. Angel - Written by Sarah McLachlan (feat. Denise Djokic, Pro Coro Canada, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
8. The Surest Things Can Change - Written by Gino Vannelli (feat. Guido Basso, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra)
9. Good Mother - Written by Jann Arden / Robert Foster (feat. Victoria Symphony)
10. Constant Craving - Written by k.d. lang / Ben Mink (feat. Jens Lindemann, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra)
11. Get Me Through December - Written by Gordie Sampson / Fred Lavery (feat. National Arts Centre Orchestra)
12. Undun - Written by Randy Bachman (feat. Bill McBirnie, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra)
13. I Will Play A Rhapsody - Written by Burton Cummings (feat. Jan Lisiecki, National Arts Centre Orchestra)
14. Le monde est stone - Written by Michel Berger / Luc Plamondon (feat. Elmer Iseler Singers, Orchestre symphonique de Québec)
15. I Can See Hope From Here - Written by Don Breithaupt / Jeff Breithaupt (feat. Lesley Young, Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra)
16. O Siem - Written by Susan Aglukark / Chad Irschick (feat. Natashia Allakariallak, Sharon Riley And The Faith Chorale, Orchestre symphonique de Québec)

NORTH

1. Ordinary Day - Written by Alan Doyle / Bob Hallett / Séan McCann / Darrell Power (feat. Natalie MacMaster, National Arts Centre Orchestra)
2. Four Strong Winds - Written by Ian Tyson (feat. Rik Emmett, Victoria Symphony)
3. All The Diamonds In The World - Written by Bruce Cockburn (feat. Victoria Symphony)
4. Gold In Them Hills - Written by Ron Sexsmith (feat. Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony)
5. Aujourd’hui, je dis bonjour à la vie - Written by Serge Fiori (feat. Don Ross, Orchestre symphonique de Québec)
6. We Rise Again - Written by Leon Dubinsky (feat. Laura David, Denise Djokic, Saskatoon Children’s Choir, Symphony New Brunswick)
7. Broken Arrow - Written by Robbie Robertson (feat. Paul Pike, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra)
8. Some Of These Days - Written by Shelton Brooks (feat. Matt Dusk, Symphony Nova Scotia)
9. Song For The Mira - Written by Allister MacGillivray (feat. John McDermott, Symphony Nova Scotia)
10. Heart Like A Wheel - Written by Anna McGarrigle (feat. George Gao, Ron Korb, Donald Quan, Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra)
11. Still Believe In Love - Written by Haydain Neale (feat. Symphony Nova Scotia)
12. Up Where We Belong - Written by Wilbur H Jennings / Jack Nitzsche / Buffy Sainte-Marie (feat. Vancouver Symphony Orchestra)
13. Snowbird - Written by Gene Phillip MacLellan (feat. Edmonton Symphony Orchestra)
14. No Change In Me - Written by Ron Hynes / Murray McLauchlan (feat. Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra)
15. Rhythm Of My Heart - Written by Marc Jordan / John Joseph Capek (feat. The College of Piping, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony)
16. The Island - Written by Kenzie MacNeil (feat. The Men of the Deeps, Symphony New Brunswick)

Credits

The Recordings

Executive Producer: Eleanor McCain

Producer: Don Breithaupt

Conductor: Martin MacDonald

Vocal Producer: Lorraine Lawson

Recorded and Mixed by: John “Beetle” Bailey at Phase One Studios, Scarborough, Ontario, and The Drive Shed Studios, New Hamburg, Ontario

Additional Engineering: Taylor Kernohan

Assistant Studio Engineers: Milan Sarkadi, Darren McGill

Orchestras Recorded by: Diapason Mobile

Lead Orchestral Recording Engineer: Jeremy Tusz

Orchestral Recording Engineer: Carl Talbot

Assistant Orchestral Recording Engineers: James Clemens-Seely, Christopher Johns

Mastered by: Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound, New York, NY

Vocals: Eleanor McCain

Piano: Don Breithaupt, Jan Lisiecki (track 13 on disc 1), Lou Pomanti (tracks 5 and 6 on disc 1; track 12 on disc 2)

Guitar: Justin Abedin

Bass: Pat Kilbride

Drums/Percussion: Mark Kelso

Background Vocals: Lorraine Lawson, Quisha Wint

Music Librarians: Gary Corrin, Andrew Harper French Language Coach: Roger St-Denis Piano Technician: Glen Beard

Executive Team

Lead Legal Counsel: Susan Abramovitch, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP

Associates: René Bissonnette and Sean Gill, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP

Legal Administrative Assistant: Heidi Umstadt, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP

Project Manager: Darlene Sawyer

Lead Business Consultant: Justin West

Project Consultant/Concert Engagements: Neil Edwards

Executive Personal Assistant: Shelley Bunda

Production: Opak

Production Executive: Olivier Sirois

Production Coordinators: Laurie Mathieu-Bégin, Alexandre Jacques

Production Accountant: Sébastien Paquin

Content Coordinator: Mélanie Vaugeois

Tour Managers: Rémi Marsan, Jacinthe (Jackie) Paré

Lead Media and Communications Director: Deb McCain

Marketing Consultant: Tracy Finkelstein

Social Media: Wonjay Chang

Concert Choreographer and Movement Coach: Karren Hammond

Event Co-ordinator: Paul Campbell

Book Production

Curators: V. Tony Hauser, Eleanor McCain

Produced by: Page Two Strategies

Principal: Jesse Finkelstein

Art Director/Book Designer: Peter Cocking

Publishing Services Manager: Gabrielle Narsted

Writer: Lisa Fitterman

Copy Editor: Frances Peck, West Coast Editorial Associates

Proofreader: Ruth Wilson, West Coast Editorial Associates

French Translator: Rachel Martinez

French Copy Editor/Proofreader: Lise Duquette

Office Manager for V. Tony Hauser: Sarah Faulkner

Landscape Photography

Peter Blahut, Dr. Roberta Bondar, Claude Bouchard, Sigita van Bruchem, Roman Buchhofer, Joe Chase, Mark Duffy, Mathieu Dupuis, Ron Erwin, George Fischer, Scott Forsyth, Angela Gzowski, Sarah Hauser, Thaddeus Holownia, Curtis Jones, Greg Locke, Peter Mather, Ian McAllister, Paul Nicklen, Tomas Nevesely, Jerry Spierenburg, John Sylvester

Recording Session Photography

Lead Session Photographer: Greg Locke

Session Photographer: Sándor Fizli

Additional Photography: Matthew Baird, Don Breithaupt, Kyle Cassidy, Keith Chang, Scott Grant, V. Tony Hauser, Jean-François Hétu, Katy Hopkins (The Picture House), Vanessa Jarman, Jean-Charles Labarre, Saúl Lederman, Dean Marrantz, Eleanor McCain, Wendy Natale, Tomo Saito

Makeup Artists: Marie-Guylaine Auclair, Carly Flint, Nicole Harvie, Vanessa Jarman

Hairstylists: Sandy Bloos, Paul King

Portrait Photography

Photographer: V. Tony Hauser

Stylist: Wendy Natale

Makeup Artist/Hairstylist: Vanessa Jarman

Hairstylist: Paul King

Tailor: Gala Klukach

Location Scouts: Donald Bell, Graham Dickson, Dan Evans, Caroline Fletcher, Anton Hauser, Evan Hauser, Sarah Hauser, Tom King, Dolena Matthews, Mary Sexton, Marie-Andree Thiffault

Canoe: The birch bark canoe featured in Algonquin Park is courtesy of Wayne Parker. It is a precise replica by John Lindman called wabanaki tciman in Algonquin.

Wardrobe Designers

Algonquin Park, Lake of Two Rivers, Ontario: gown, Angela De Montigny; bracelet
and ring, Lisa Corbo; earrings, John De Jong

Banff National Park, Lake Minnewanka and Bow Lake, Alberta: gown, Mikael D; earrings and ring, Jaleh Farhadpour; shoes, Ron White

Cape Spear, Newfoundland: gown, Romona Keveza, bracelet and earrings, Jaleh Farhadpour

Cathedral Grove, Vancouver Island, British Columbia: gown, Denis Gagnon

Florenceville, New Brunswick: gown, Lucian Matis; bracelet, earrings and ring, Dean Davidson

Île d’Orléans, Québec: gown, Mikael D; earrings, Lisa Corbo; ring, Ona Chan

Iqaluit, Nunavut: gown, Greta Constantine; mink jacket, Cosmopolitan Fur

Rouleau, Saskatchewan: gown, Mikael D; earrings, Lisa Corbo; ring, Myles Mindham

Video

Lead Cinematographer: Keith Chang, Silverpoint Media

Cinematographers: Alexander Bullen-Genis, Alan Wild Guerrero, Nathan Haynes, Timon Leung, Stanley Yamashita, Silverpoint Media

Sound Operators: Alexander Bullen-Genis, Antoine Caron, Danny Chodirker, Marco Dölle, Philip Dransfeld, Bruce LeGrow, Timon Leung, Gilles Maillet, Christopher O’Brien, Simon Paine, Matthew J. Thompson

Additional Video: Kyle Cassidy, Dan Evans, Sándor Fizli, Scott Grant, V. Tony Hauser, Jean-François Hétu, Katy Hopkins (The Picture House), Saúl Lederman, Lester Lightstone, Greg Locke, Parce Que Films Inc., Olivier Picard, Oliver Ward

Promotional Video Editing: Corinne Beaumier, Gabriel Ledoux, Victor Saliba, L’Hibou

eOne Music Canada

President Entertainment One Music: Chris Taylor

General Manager: Chris Moncada

VP Marketing: Mark Costain

Support Team

Catering: Beverly Solomon

Copywriter: Nick Krewen

Event Planners: Jeffry Roick, Kathleen Nakonechny

Logo Design: Jason Darbyson, re:form

Travel: Maria Karagioules, Exectravel; Roger Kershaw, Roger Kershaw Executive Travel

Transport: Sophie Ratelle, Cargo Artists Inc.

Runners: Chris Comely, David Davies, Chris Duke, Rich Dumais, Maxime Fiset, Chriss Holloway, Holland Kerr, Kerry LeBlanc, Gary Northup, Sharyn Rosinke, Daz Scott, Shauna Sirockaman, Rhodie Smith, Karen Speers

Retriever Records Limited

President and CEO: Amy T. Dog

CFO (Chief Fun Officer): Princess Audrey