More great reviews this week for Across the Atlantic! 4 stars out of 5 in Q Magazine (Will be in the March issue) Plus, Q Magazine put Ramblin’ on their list of one of the 50 essential tracks to download for that month!
Sarah Macdougall – ‘Across The Atlantic’ (Copperspine)
From Canada via Stockholm, Sarah Macdougall gets things off to a rumbustious start with ‘Ballad Of Sherri’, a cantering klezmer piece that had me anticipating all manner of inventions across the next nine tracks. Next song ‘Ramblin” is a bit too much of a style leap to sit really comfortably with the album opener though, it sounds gorgeous but also plods a little too slowly towards what I began to fear was a prematurely MOR conclusion. Not,of course, so: ‘Cry Wolf’ is a jolly old barndance foottapper, and the rest of the album alternates between fast and slow numbers with near-mechanical regularity.
What really kept me, and quite possibly you, listening to ‘Across The Atlantic’ is its production quality. It is the most expensive sounding album I’ve heard for some time, and its guitars, percussion, and Sarah Macdougall herself sound quite stunning. There is a depth and clarity to the sound that you simply don’t get using pro tools and the whole thing oozes richness and will make your tinny little stereo sound like a hugely overpriced wall to wall system designed for some billionaire’s hideaway in the Maldives. ‘Where Do Birds Go To Die?’ asks Sarah during the softly wistful 8th track ‘I’ve Got Sorrow’, and I know the answer to that one; they go round to your place, Ms Macdougall, where your combination of near perfect diction and sultry phrasing quite probably knocks all those poor little pigeons clean out of their trees. Got a hi-fi store? Put this on and watch your stock practically walk out of your shop.
http://sarahmacdougall.com
JG
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Across The Atlantic
Sarah MacDougall
Copperspine Records
6/10
Telling tales of train jumping and dancing in the rain, alt. Country/ indie folksinger Sarah MacDougall sails blissfully into our mindscapes with “Across the Atlantic”
What do you get when you combine softened melodies with lyrics of a quirky yet poignant disposition and not to mention raw unabashed vocals? You get an arousing debut release from Swedish born, Canadian based songwriter Sarah MacDougall. Already being compared to the likes of Eliza Gilkyson and fellow Canadian native Leslie Feist, MacDougall brings together a self-produced endeavour that is sure to attract attention from both sides of the Atlantic.
Blissfully executed, ‘Across The Atlantic’ ranges from the jolty kitsch intro of ‘Ballad of Sherri’, to infectiously bittersweet ‘Hundred Dollar Bills’, to the barn yard toe tapping country stomper ‘Biggest Mistake’. Adept at creating that rousingly joyous track such as ‘Cry Wolf’ on the album, she shows herself to be just as proficient at producing a melancholy anthem or two. Each song on this album possesses its own rich beauty that’s made all the better by the quality of MacDougall’s vocals. Raw, engaging and ultimately heart warming, it’s a voice and sound that undoubtedly sticks in your head.
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