4Play: Various Artists, Suzanne Vega, Sarah McLachlin, Cowboy Junkies
July 11, 2010
Various Artists - Lilith 2010 - AristaLilith Fair, the female-centric concert tour that hasnt been active
in a decade, is now back and running this year, with over three dozen
U.S. dates. Much like the Lilith of yore, Canadian musician Sarah
McLachlan serves as headliner; the other acts rotate depending on the
city. Among them, the musicians included in this compilation album;
Dixie Chicks side project Court Yard Hounds (The Coast), jazz
standout Norah Jones, and singer-songwriters Brandi Carlile and
Corinne Bailey Rae (Dreams and The Blackest Lily, respectively.)
Suzanne Vega - Close-Up Vol. 1, Love Songs - Razor and Tie
Its an astonishing 25 years into her career, and Suzanne Vega barely
shows it. The singer-songwriter, whos notched over seven mil in album
sales, is taking on a fresh new approach to her own music in four
thematic albums that will be released in 2010/2011. This first takes
some of her most relationship-centric songs and deconstructs them to
their near-acoustic properties, proving that her songwriting on tracks
like Caramel, (Ill Never Be) Your Maggie May, Marlene on the
Wall, and Gypsy still stands strong.
Sarah McLachlan - Laws of Illusion - Arista
One of Canadas most popular musical exports, singer-songwriter
McLachlans voice and piano work are as striking as ever on her latest
full-length, which arrives seven years after her last. McLachlans
gone through a lot of personal turmoil since then, unfortunately; some
of which she beautifully channels through her songs, from the
bittersweetness of Loving You Is Easy to the sadness of Heartbreak
and the fragile melody of Forgiveness. One Dream, the pretty
inspirational number she crafted for the 2009 Olympics, is also
included here.
Cowboy Junkies - Renmin Park - Razor and Tie
Another Canadian export anchored by siblings Margo, Michael, and Peter
Timmins, this band got some of their first early breaks opening for U2
on tour. Far more introspective than the bombastic Irish rockers, the
Junkies create far more mellow music, too, although the emotions
behind the songs are comparative to U2s level of intensity. On Renmin
Park, a fictional story is told of a doomed romance, enhanced by
Michael Timmins recent trip to China, which inflects the bands
compositions with Asian field recordings and Eastern complexities.