Fumbler's Café

For Sarah McLachlan, “It’s all about moving forward.

“I’m 43,” the singer says. “I’m not interested in being complacent. I just feel I’ve got to try something new. That’s exciting.”

Excitement and moving forward pop up a lot during a phone conversation, she calling from the Calgary airport as her luggage is being collected. McLachlan has wrapped up a brief Canadian tour that features Butterfly Boucher as an opening act and as members of her band.

“This has been the funnest tour I’ve ever done,” McLachlan says. She likes being able to stand back and let Butterfly Boucher fill in the blanks and has an opportunity to interact with her audience.

“I like to think that, regardless of how many people are in the building, I try to connect with everyone. It’s really freeing.

“I’ve been reminded about how much I love playing music for people,” she continues. “And when you’re making music with people, it’s a powerful family.”

Her excitement could easily be apprehension. Moving forward could be difficult.

At 43 and now a single mother of two daughters, McLachlan increasingly has been particular about her concert appearances, her last album, Laws of Illusion, tanked, the once-popular Lilith Fair was a disaster last summer and she broke with her manager of more than 20 years, Terry McBride. Divorcing, approaching middle age, jump-starting a career, the Lilith setback. Not good signs.

Then again, her excitement could be rewarded. Moving forward signifies having a clean slate.

McLachlan’s children are old enough to have a sense of independence, she is single again, is back on tour, aims to write for an album that will be released next year that won’t be a collaboration with her producer of 20 years, Pierre Marchand, and has a new manager, Michael McDonald, whom she praises for his ethics.“On a gut level, Michael seemed the right guy to go with.”

But McLachlan doesn’t want to talk about that, though she holds out the prospect of opening up some time in the future. Right now, her eye is on this moving forward.

“I feel like I’ve had some pretty intense experiences,” McLachlan says. “I think I’ve come out the other side. I’m wiser, I hope, and happier.

“More than anything, I needed to change. I needed to change everything. I turned 40 and needed to make everything new.

“Changing my dynamic in all my relationships was important to me,” she concludes. “It’s exciting and scary, too.

tharrison@theprovince.com



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Kaleysuncle wrote:Yes! I've always wondered if Sarah would ever try for a new producer on an album. I hope this is true. I honestly think she'll do better without Pierre.

TheSquirrel wrote:

Kaleysuncle wrote:Yes! I've always wondered if Sarah would ever try for a new producer on an album. I hope this is true. I honestly think she'll do better without Pierre.

I sadly have to agree. I think Marchand has been a truly sympathetic and empathic porducer bringing out the best of the McLachlan songs. He has been a musical soul mate. Unfortunately he was dragged down by the quality of the songs on the last album, and takes responsibility for some of the writing too. The production sounded cliched and uninspired making LOI sound like outtakes from Afterglow.

A new inspired McLachlan looking for a challenge can only be good news for fans. I'd settle for just one more great album. I'm like an addict - give me one more, just one more, just one more great album, just one more, then I'll quit.

TheSquirrel wrote:[quote="Kaleysuncle]
The only thing that bothers me is the production has been the same since Fumbling/Surfacing. LoI was a little different since the album was recorded live. I liked the chances they took on some of the songs on LoI, like Awakenings and Forgiveness. I'm hoping this new producer can coax her into something like the drastic change between Solace and FTE. It gives me hope for a FTE II.

I have to agree again. It's like she's stuck in this pit of tar soundwise and can't get out. It is so hard for an artist to break away and try something different, but look how good Awakenings is. She can do it, but we will have to wait and see if she succeeds. She's said in the past she wants to get away from that ethereal delicate fairy sort of image, but that's what her music has been of late. She needs some oomph. It's good that she appears to be taking more control. Now she needs to find some objective people who she can listen to. People in control sometimes like yes men. Hopefully she will be in control, but at the same time be able to listen to advice from those who are willing to take chances.

I might be wrong, but she is so comfortable because of not only musical sucess, but also because she is some sort of heroine mouthpiece for the politically correct, psychologically damaged, higly sensitive, and wimpish liberals. She needs a good kick up the arse, but from the sound of it she may be kicking herslef up the arse. Sounds good to me.