1. Sarah Slean…an intimate evening
Sarah Slean with the Blue Spruce Quartet and John Southworth
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Enwave Theatre, Harbourfront Centre
By Karen Elstone
As she appeared on stage, Sarah’s stunning and fiery red dress echoed the warmth of her
personality. She opened with a pleasant cover of the Cars’ song Drive, for which she sang solo
while playing the piano. She laughed as she admitted to the audience that her mother didn’t want
her to wear the dress, considering it was the one she wore on television for an awards show. She
also shed her shoes and got into the show…
I had not been too familiar with Sarah Slean, but once I saw her in concert, I got to know her
quite well. Overall, she is a warm person and connects with her devoted audience by telling
anecdotes between songs, some humorous, of her life experiences. She’s a definite crowd
pleaser. Sarah, who was born in Pickering, has the warmth and charm of a country girl, but also
conveys passion in her performing.
Like Sarah, John Southworth, who opened for her, has a humorous personality, which is
reflected in his lyrics more than with his communication to the audience. The lyrics to his songs
are dream-like and sentimental. His vocal style is reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s, but with a more
melancholy character to it. His sentimentality revealed itself in such lyrics as “walking in feather
fields…pillows of the world are made for heavy dreams and tears.” Perhaps there was a slight
darkness to some of his material, but his music was entrancing and rather dreamy. Some lyrics
were downright comical, as expressed in “pineapple shoes.” In spite of the sad quality to his
voice, most of his lyrics conveyed happiness. He was an absolute joy to listen to.
The energy picked up when Sarah’s string quartet, “Blue Spruce Quartet” accompanied her, as
she played her piano for her French Cabaret-feeling piece, called “Foolish.” Following this, her
story about being at the giving and receiving end of infidelity brought the listener closer to her
personal life. She also told a funny story about wearing shoes that were too large for her at an
awards presentation. These little stories added a human touch to her performance.
Her voice, somewhat reminiscent of Kate Bush’s, has a resonance, unlike that of any vocalist I
had ever heard. Also, the intimacy of the Enwave Theatre at Harbourfront Centre brought me
closer to her words and music, and allowed me to better experience the passion in her singing.
She kept up the cabaret theme with other tunes as well, such as Pilgrim and Virginia. There is
very dramatic quality to her performance, as revealed in the lyrics to Pilgrim: “A little blood and
vomit on the car seat, and the tooth is sitting in my lap. Brother if you’re hungry but not
wounded, then it’s time to stop and check the map.” I could imagine her music being part of a
much bigger musical theatre production, with costumed performers and an elaborate set. She
added a fantasy feel by talking about a chord she played—she called it the “good witch” chord.
Overall, the concert was a moving experience. John Southworth was a perfect match as an
opener, with his sentimental lyrics and dreaminess. Sarah Slean conveyed affection and energy

2. at the same time. Her solo singing with her string quartet was especially lovely. Her swaying to
the music added life to her performance.
But Sarah has other talents to offer…she was nominated for Juno Awards, and for a Gemini
Award for her role in the film noir musical Black Widow, which toured film festivals before
being aired on CBC last January (2006). She provides lyrics and samples of her paintings
(previously exhibited at SPIN Gallery in Toronto) on her website (www.sarahslean.com). Soon
the site will also have samples of her poetry from her book Ravens. She has also contributed to
Redux, a Pink Floyd tribute CD, for which she sings Us and Them, as well as Comfortably
Numb. She made her first album at 19 years of age and creates all the artwork that goes along
with her recordings. Sarah also composes the strings and horns and contributes toward the
production of each of her CDs. She has toured Canada, the United States, France and Germany.
I don’t know why it took so long for me to discover her, but I do plan to experience more of her
multiple talents, charm and passion.
WC: 726