shawncolvin
In less than a decade of recording, Colvin has emerged as a songcraftsman with plenty of pop smarts, which has earned her a broad and loyal following.
By 1988, she found a songwriting partner in John Leventhal, Colvin providing the lyrics to his melodies. A live tape sold at gigs (Live '88) attracted the attention of Columbia Records, who signed her the same year in the wake of success from like-minded performers Tracy Chapman, Suzanne Vega, and the Indigo Girls. Steady On, released in 1989, won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. Colvin's 1992 follow-up, the more pop-oriented Fat City, earned her two more nominations -- Best Contemporary Folk Recording and Best Female Pop Vocal for the single "I Don't Know Why" -- as well as considerable critical praise and a growing crossover audience. "I Don't Know Why" became a big adult contemporary hit. Cover Girl, an album of cover songs, met with mixed reviews and modest sales in 1994, but she again earned a nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. In late 1996, Colvin released A Few Small Repairs. In addition to her normal recording activities, Colvin has dueted with Tony Bennett for the film It Could Happen to You and made a cameo appearance in the film Grace of My Heart, singing one song for the soundtrack.
A Few Small Repairs slowly became a hit over the course of 1997, thanks to strong word of mouth and the single "Sunny Came Home." In 1998, "Sunny Came Home" won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Holiday Songs and Lullabies followed that autumn.
During the new millennium, Colvin contributed vocals to songs by Béla Fleck, Edwin McCain, James Taylor, and Shawn Mullins. She also collaborated with Sting on "One Day She'll Love Me," the theme song for Disney's The Emperor's New Groove. She returned to solo form for 2001's Whole New You, and in 2004 summarized the first fifteen years of her recording career with the compilation Polaroids: A Greatest Hits Collection. A companion home video was also issued. ~ Chris Woodstra, All Music Guide.
" ...a unique voice on the music landscape: She's able to look inside and pour out her feelings (positive and negative) with striking clarity.
"her lyrics, voice, and music have melded to become a single instrument of perfect expression .