|
"When
you look up Afterglow in the dictionary, it is defined as 'the
glow or light that remains once the sun is gone'. You're used
to this bright, shiny beautiful glow but the moment the sun
disappears, all of a sudden you have to readjust everything.
It's a very transitional moment. A lot of these songs are about
transition...the turning over of the rock, what's underneath,
the murky, shadowy uncertainty where everything looks very different."
-
Sarah McLachlan
Birth,
death, tragedy and joy; the six years since the release of Sarah
McLachlan's last studio album Surfacing have been both defining
and redefining, not just in the world's recent history but also
in Sarah's own life.
As
a result, Afterglow is a record of many layers. At
first glance, the warmth of production, the purity of her voice
and the beautiful harmonies all serve as a reminder of the reasons
that McLachlan has gained worldwide acclaim for her talents.
As the disc unfolds, however, it becomes clear that this record
is a merging of two elements: the wonderfully familiar and the
new.
The
most familiar aspect is unquestionably the richness in Sarah's
music. Afterglow contains many moments that evoke reminders
of the singer's unique musical gifts. From the reflective first
single, "Fallen",
to the love-inspired lyrics of "Push",
to the gorgeous, whispered tones of "Answer",
there are many melodies on Afterglow that showcase
her strengths.
Some
of Sarah's favored moments seem destined to be beloved by fans
as well. "'Answer' is one
of my favorites", she admits, smiling broadly. "It's
a total 'two o'clock in the morning, whispered in your ears'
headphone track. That's always been my thing, feeling the very
essence of a song. I have to be able to break it down and still
feel its strength acoustically on piano or guitar. If the essence
is strong, you can do whatever you want with it, it'll still
be good. "
I
own my insecurities I try to own my destiny
That I can make or break it if I choose
-
"Perfect Girl"
While
the familiar is most charming, equally endearing is the newness
found within Afterglow's grooves. Ironically, one of
the biggest changes in Sarah's music is also perhaps the least
noticeable to the listener's ear: her songwriting process.
"I used to go live in a cabin in the woods for eight months
and write and write and write. Now, spending time with India
[Sarah's young daughter] means that I have two hours in the
day where I'm not focused on her, yet even then my focus is
continually being brought back to her. All of my old tricks
didn't apply anymore in songwriting, and I really had to find
that new way."
In
exploring that process, Sarah discovered another benchmark;
for the first time in her career, not one song on Afterglow
was written on guitar. Instead, all were created on piano. Every
one of the tracks were written in the last 2 1/2 years and all
were recorded either at producer Pierre Marchand's home studio
in Montreal or at McLachlan's own home studio in Vancouver.
For
courage to pull away there will be hell to pay the deeper
you cut to the bone
-
"Time"
Anyone
who is familiar with Sarah McLachlan's recent history might
well expect that the songs on this record would be entirely
about love and loss. Since 1997's Surfacing, Sarah
lost her mother to cancer and had a baby. "To me,"
she admits, "Afterglow is a perfect metaphor for that
reason. Such a huge transition...first, losing my mother, then
five months later giving birth to India. It's still all a blur
to me -- it has less to do with the album tracks and more to
do with my recent state of mind. I'm sure in five or six years
there's going to be a record about all of this, but it's too
close right now."
Even
during McLachlan's 'down time', her philanthropy never lulled.
She has continued to impact the lives of others. September 2003
marked the third year that Sarah has funded the Sarah McLachlan
Music Outreach Program, which provides free music education
classes to inner city youths whose school music programs have
been affected by budget cuts. "As a kid,"
she recalls, "music saved my life; having that one
thing that I knew I was good at made all the difference. A lot
of these kids might have that, but there's no outlet. It feels
so good to be able to see their lives impacted, and I'm the
first one at the recitals giving them a standing ovation. There's
hardly any joy comparable."
Back
to the project at hand, Afterglow is a record of cumulative
life experiences: a collection of beautiful melodies, lush instrumentation,
occasionally surprising lyrics, and a musical whole that is
yet another reminder of just how talented this artist is.
"When
anyone asks 'Why did it take so long in between records?'"
Sarah explains, unhesitatingly, "The answer is that
I was just living my life. I lost a mother and I became a mother.
Almost a year after having India, I walked away from music for
a few months. I didn't play my piano, I didn't open up my journals,
I just really needed to let go of all the pressures and the
expectations of 'it's been so long...gotta get this record out'
stuff. I felt paralyzed. Taking a break and walking away was
the best thing I could have done. I came back to it with fresh
ears, listened to the tracks, and I realized that it was all
sounding really good and to finish it didn't seem impossible
anymore. That's my truth. It's honest, and it brought me to
a much happier place. I'm loving music again."
Noteworthy
Facts:
-
Sarah has sold over 22 million records worldwide since her
recording career began with her debut release, Touch,
in 1988.
-
She is a 3 time Grammy Award winner:
Grammy
Award 1999 "I Will
Remember You" - Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy
Award 1998 "Last Dance" - Best Pop Instrumental
Performance
Grammy
Award 1998 "Building
a Mystery" - Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
-
The Sarah-founded Lilith Fair tour brought together 2 million
people over its 3 year history and raised more than $7 million
for charities.
-
She has been profiled by media the world over including cover
stories for Rolling Stone, Time and Entertainment
Weekly.
-
She was awarded the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Visionary Award
in 1998 for advancing the careers of women in music.
Afterglow's
Players:
Sarah
McLachlan - Vocals, Guitars, Piano
Pierre
Marchand - Keyboards, Bass, Guitars, Percussion
Ashwin
Sood- Drums, Percussion, Loops, Keyboards, Keyboard Bass
Jerry
Marotta - Drums, Percussion
Sean
Ashby- Guitars
Bill
Dillon - Guitars
Ethan
Johns - Guitars
Yves
Desrosiers - Guitars
Michel
Pepin - Guitars
Michael
Chaves - Guitars
Jim
Creeggan - Upright Bass
Daryl
Johnson - Bass
Tony
Levin - Bass
Jorane
- Cello, Background Vocals
|
