B l u e P a r a d e - A S a r a h S l e a n F a n s i t e
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Phoenix Concert Theatre
Sarah Slean is one of the great songwriters of our time. That might sound grandiose, but it�s true � the 25-year-old piano pixie from Pickering, Ontario writes tunes that transcend genre, era and mood, all in the blink of an eye. Aimee Mann will be forever stuck bemoaning her lot in the music industry, while Tori Amos indulges her own flights of fancy, but Slean�s ability to completely charm an audience, coupled with those killer songs, will keep her around far longer than any of her peers.
Time was when Slean�s intricate piano pop was the little secret of those of us who follow the local indie scene in Toronto. But if her spring show at the lovely, hushed Trinity Centre was the big coming-out party for her major-label debut, Night Bugs, then last week�s packed follow-up at the Phoenix proved that key radio and video play can do wonders in expanding an artist�s fanbase. The Phoenix is a hard room to play � it�s a yawning expanse of a club that underscores Toronto�s desperate lack of good mid-sized venues. But Slean and her band warmed things right up with an exuberant night of cabaret-style orchestral pop delivered with a wink and a smile.
Opening number "Weight" was a far cry from its appearance as a brooding lament on her first indie cassette years ago, taking on new life as a propulsive, clattering beast, Slean pounding away at the piano like a pint-sized rockstar. She�s come a long way from the hesitant, prim prodigy that used to unleash her remarkable voice on the coffeehouse circuit just a few years ago. The current incarnation of Sarah Slean is a powerhouse performer, flirting shamelessly with the crowd one minute, effortlessly tossing off a complex bit of playing the next. She�s an artist with a very specific vision of her music, and that extended to her large backing combo at the Phoenix � where else but at a Sarah Slean show are you going to find a timpani player?!
Though Slean�s expressive piano playing still anchors her live show, she�s now confident enough to venture out from behind the bench, giving her all to seductive new song "California," a languid, bass-heavy tune that suggests that Slean might be moving towards new, different sounds. A thunderous run through campy Weill-esque number "The Score" only confirmed that Slean really needs to hurry up and finish that musical she�s been promising � forget Mann�s Oscar nod, our gal Slean is Broadway-bound. But the showstopper was the heady, atmospheric "Me, I�m A Thief." A stunner on the album, Slean and her band pulled off an ambitious, expansive version live, every last player contributing to the dense layers of sound swirling underneath Slean�s crystalline vocals. Tremendous.
Sarah Slean is an immense talent that has been given the rare chance to develop at her own pace. She�s a precocious musician and songwriter that can write a multi-verse masterpiece in the time it takes for the band to soundcheck. But if anyone needed any indication as to her musical growth over the past few years, they need only look at the two songs that bookended her show at the Phoenix. Like opener "Weight," the final tune of the evening, "Playing Cards With Judas," was another oldie transformed into something heavier, darker � dare I say it? � more rock �n� roll. That she wrote those songs in her teens is testament to her talent. That those same songs still sound not only vital, but better, today is proof of her promise. Next stop, Massey Hall.
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