Sarah Slean - Orphan Music

Sarah Slean composes music that's better suited to another time, that would be more appropriate in a '30s cabaret-style piano bar than a contemporary nightclub. Her first official live CD, Orphan Music perfectly captures the Toronto chanteuse's style, offering up listeners a bare-bones, emotive performance to two loving audiences in Toronto and Vancouver. Slean speaks very little between songs and there is no applause until the end of the set but her audience can be heard elsewhere offering their call-and-response additions to a pair of melodies ("The Score" and "Lucky Me"). The disc's unequivocal standout track, "Last Year's War" is nothing short of breathtaking, enhanced by her skilled piano playing and a powerful string quartet. The near-stillness of her performance increases as the song evolves with lyrics like "I'm still bloodied from last year's war" that are guaranteed to stir even the most hardened soul.

It should be noted that Orphan Music is not an entirely live CD, in fact six of the 15 tracks are B-sides, of which two ("Lucky Me" and "Pilgrim") are also included in the live set. Another caveat that should appear in every Slean review is just how strongly she emulates Kate Bush's singing and songwriting style. If you can get past that uncomfortable truth, Slean's songs and the accompanying string arrangements are well worth a listen. --Denise Sheppard Amazon.com