NYA SKIVOR (SWEDEN 4/5 )

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R2 (Rock n’ Reel Magazine) Review Dec 2011

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ROOTSTIME BELGIUM REVIEW- October 2011 “One of the greatest talents of our era”

“The passion, the honesty and all the emotions that Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah MacDougall puts in the songs on her latest album ‘The Greatest Ones Alive’ have stolen our hearts. These observations have transformed us in truly addicted hardcore fans of her extraordinary storytelling songs to which we can keep listening over and over again. This is a real breathtaking and touching record from one of the greatest talents of this era.”
– www.rootstime.be

Full review in Dutch:

In maart 2009 mocht ik voor Rootstime een recensie schrijven van het prachtige album “Across The Atlantic”, de tweede plaat van de in Zweden geboren maar sinds meerdere jaren in Canada wonende zangeres en songschrijfster Sarah MacDougall. Deze dame legt zich toe op muziek in het alt.country- en folkgenre en mocht al die leuke uptempo liedjes en ballads gedurende de voorbije twee jaren live gaan brengen op diverse podia in Canada, het Verenigde Koninkrijk en Scandinavië. De Benelux werd daarbij schandelijk over het hoofd gezien en daar zou ze nu toch verandering moeten in brengen.

Vanzelfsprekend zijn we dan ook blij dat Sarah MacDougall ons heden komt verblijden met een derde studioplaat die de titel “The Greatest Ones Alive” heeft gekregen. Net als op haar vorige cd staan hier ook nu weer tien nummers van eigen makelij op. Zeer mooie liedjes die professioneel gecomponeerd werden en voor deze plaat van een rijkelijke orkestratie werden voorzien.

Het mooie aan haar liedjes is dat ze in elke song een op zichzelf staand boeiend verhaal weet te vertellen, of die song nu 3 minuten of 6 minuten duurt. Al van bij het eerste nummer “Sometimes You Lose, Sometimes You Win” grijpt Sarah MacDougall je bij het nekvel en pas na de laatste noten van slotsong “We’re All Gonna Blow Away” lost ze die greep zachtjes. Maar dan heeft de verslaving aan haar imponerende muziek al lang toegeslagen en grijp je als luisteraar naar de replay-toetsen op de afstandsbediening van je stereo.

Haar zeemzoete, aangename stem verplicht je om aandachtig te luisteren naar de catchy liedjes die elkaar in sneltempo opvolgen op “The Greatest Ones Alive”. Het aanstekelijke in melodieuze songs als “It’s My Place (And I Want It!)”, de titeltrack over de problemen bij het opgroeien van tiener tot volwassene en de beklijvende akoestische tracks “Permafrost” en “Mmm” is dat je er telkens weer opnieuw wilt naar luisteren.

Bij haar vorige plaat schreef ik al dat Sarah MacDougall met de tremelo in haar stem en met haar simpele maar zo oprecht gemeende liedjes recht naar je hart wil mikken. Op deze nieuwe plaat is dat niet anders en ze slaagt er ook nu weer wonderwel in. Liedjes waarin levenslessen worden verteld zoals in “It’s A Storm (What’s Going On?)”, “Cold Night” over onbeantwoorde liefde – met een prachtrol voor Tim Tweedale op lap steel – en het afscheidsliedje van haar overleden grootmoeder in “We’re All Gonna Blow Away” mogen van ons de hele dag lang door de stereo weerklinken zonder ook maar één moment te gaan vervelen.

Dat Sarah MacDougall ons hart helemaal gestolen heeft en dus ook niets meer fout kan doen is nu wellicht helemaal duidelijk. Maar om de ware reden daarvan te achterhalen en te begrijpen moet u vooral zelfs een gaan luisteren naar de schitterende nieuwe cd ‘The Greatest Ones Alive”. We zijn er van overtuigd dat u zich dan snel bij ons zult aansluiten als hardcore fans van deze prachtige Zweeds-Canadese zangeres. Sorry, maar ik moet nu snel even wat gaan bijschrijven op mijn jaarlijstje 2011.

The passion, the honesty and all the emotions that Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah MacDougall puts in the songs on her latest album ‘The Greatest Ones Alive’ have stolen our hearts. These observations have transformed us in truly addicted hardcore fans of her extraordinary storytelling songs to which we can keep listening over and over again. This is a real breathtaking and touching record from one of the greatest talents of this era

Google translation of the full review:

In March 2009 I was allowed to write a review for Roots Time from the wonderful album “Across The Atlantic”, the second album from the Swedish-born but living in Canada for several years singer and songwriter Sarah MacDougall. This lady is dedicated to music in alt.country and folk genre, and if all the fun uptempo songs and ballads over the past two years to bring live on stages in Canada, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. The Benelux was considered scandalously overlooked and that she would still have to change that.

Obviously we are pleased that Sarah MacDougall is now happy with our third studio album with the title “The Greatest Ones Alive” has received. As on her previous CD are also now on ten issues of our own making. Very nice songs that were composed and professionally for this record of a rich orchestration were provided.

The beauty of her songs, they come in every song in itself a fascinating story to tell knows, or that song is now 3 minutes or 6 minutes. Right from the first song “Sometimes You Lose, Sometimes You Win” Sarah MacDougall grabs you by the neck and only after the last notes of the closing song “We’re All Gonna Blow Away” addresses which hold them gently. But then the addiction to her impressive music has long struck and grab the listener to the replay button on the remote control of your stereo.

Her nautical sweet, pleasant voice forces you to listen carefully to the catchy songs together at a steady pace on “The Greatest Ones Alive”. The infectious in melodic songs like “It’s My Place (And I Want It!)”, The title track on the difficulties of growing up from teenage to adult and haunting acoustic tracks “Permafrost” and “Mmm” is that you over again want to listen.

On her last album I wrote that Sarah MacDougall with the tremolo in her voice and her simple yet so sincere heartfelt songs straight to your heart wants to aim. On this new album is no different and she succeeds admirably in once again. Songs in which life lessons are told as in “It’s A Storm (What’s Going On?)”, “Cold Night” about unrequited love – with a prachtrol for Tim Tweedale on lap steel – and the farewell song of her deceased grandmother “We’re All Gonna Blow Away “may of us all day long through the stereo echo without a moment to get bored.

Sarah MacDougall has stolen all our hearts and therefore can do nothing wrong may now be quite clear. But the true reason to identify and understand the above you should even listen to the brilliant new album ‘The Greatest Ones Alive “. We are confident that you will join with us quickly and hardcore fans of this beautiful Swedish-Canadian singer. Sorry, but I have to do some quick credited to my year list 2011.

The passion, the honesty and all the emotions that Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah MacDougall puts in the songs on her latest album ‘The Greatest Ones Alive’ have stolen our hearts. These observations have transformed us in truly addicted hardcore fans of her extraordinary storytelling songs to which we can keep listening over and over again. This is a real breathtaking and touching record from one of the greatest talents of this era

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Rootsy (Sweden) review: ‘Is this a new star in the making? Well, judging by her new, second album, there is most certainly potential!’

- Staffan Solding / Rootsy -

MacDougall, Sarah
The Greatest Ones Alive
(Rabbit Heart Music)

Har vi här en ny stjärna i vardande? Ja, att döma av hennes nya, andra, album så finns potentialen. Svensk-kanadensiska Sarah MacDougall sjunger med en personligt spännande röst, med en härlig melodi och kombination av mjukhet och spets. Och här finns mer att hämta. Vi kan höra på några sånger att hon gömmer ytterligare en nivå av möjligheter inom sig. Hämta upp dem, släpp ut dem och det kommer att bli ännu mer spännande och fängslande. Hon kittlar oss i ‘Song #43′.

Sångernas svävande lätthet bärs upp av fina instrumentinsatser och ett fint arrangemang i händerna på tre producenter som vet vart man är på väg. En av dessa är alltid Sarah. Och oftast Matt Rogers, som även spelar en hel del olika instrument. Och någon gång tillsammans med Bob Hamilton, som spelar pedalsteel på ‘Permafrost’. En sång som dessutom är en kall isig mittpunkt i denna sångcykel, där storm och kyla återkommer. Samtidigt finns det en värme och ett lugn i denna kyla och storm. Det är som världen var i uppror utanför Sarah men att hon har ett inre lugn att lokalisera ut i framförandet. Eller hör jag fel? Nej, för det hela börjar med ‘some people put their lives into a dream, I put my life inside a song’. Eller? Det finns ett gnagande tvivel, det finns en ensamhet, det finns ett mörker, det finns en kyla, det finns en saknad. Ändå hör jag ett hopp, som kanske inte finns. Det borde finns plats för lite sol, lite lycka, lite framgång också.

Därför är det är så trevligt att höra den fingertoppskänsla som de har haft i instrumentsättningen. Härligt att den fylliga resonansen från en weissenborn får vara med och blanda sig med orgel, wurlitzer, piano, glockenspiel, pedalsteel, fiol, cello, harmonium, gitarr, bas och trummor. Ja, inte allt på en gång naturligtvis utan väl portionerat och använt.

På textsidan finns det lite mer att göra. Det finns en kärna som är stark i alla sånger medan några får en utsmyckning som ibland blir för lyrisk för sångernas eget bästa.

Det är en kombination av americana, folkmusik, indiepop, country och gospel som kommer med en oftast svepande rörelse. Mer skånska öppna slätter än kanadensiska mörka skogar. Det hela slutar ändå med att vi en gång kommer att ha gjort det vi skulle göra och blåser iväg. Trots detta känner jag ett harmoniskt lugn när jag hör ‘The Greatest Ones Alive’ Lurar hon oss? Vad månde det bliva av denna talang!

/Staffan Solding

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#2 in the top 10 best gigs in the national UK Newspaper the Independent in October! 

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CTRL ALT COUNTRY REVIEW: 5/5 stars! (Belgium)

SARAH MACDOUGALL “The Greatest Ones Alive” (Rabbit Heart Music)

(5*****)

“Some people put their lives into a dream, I put my life inside a song,” aldus Sarah MacDougall in “Sometimes You Lose, Sometimes You Win”, het openingsnummer van haar zopas verschenen derde cd “The Greatest Ones Alive”. Bijzonder veelzeggende woorden, zo blijkt vervolgens ruim zevenendertig minuten lang. Met de tien liedjes op haar nieuwe worp verdient de Canadese zich wat ons betreft immers een prominent plaatsje tussen getalenteerde landgenoten als een Lynn Miles, een Catherine MacLellan, een Suzie Ungerleider (Oh Susanna), een Sarah Harmer en anderen. Met een fluwelen stem en een bijzonder verfijnde pen als haar voornaamste bondgenoten streelt ze daarin vrijwel voortdurend de zinnen. Met wat productionele hulp van multi-instrumentalist Matt Rogers en verder ook studio-hand-en-spandiensten van onder anderen Awna Teixeira (van Po’ Girl), Gordie Tentrees en Kim Beggs boetseerde ze geduldig tien veritabele folk- en rootsheerlijkheden samen. Werkelijk tot in de puntjes verzorgd allemaal. Van een ronduit bedwelmende schoonheid! Tekstueel eerlijk, muzikaal heerlijk! Eigenlijk gewoon één van de mooiste singer-songwriterplaten van het jaar 2011. Onze luistertips om ook jou daarvan te overtuigen: het hierboven al even aangekaarte “Sometimes You Lose, Sometimes You Win”, het uitermate tedere “Permafrost” en het ook al bloedmooie “Cold Night”, dat hier binnenkort mede door een knappe Weissenborn-bijdrage van Tim Tweedale nog geregeld als een stukje quasi perfecte soundtrack voor precies zo’n nachten dienst zal gaan doen. Wat ons betreft een niets minder dan essentiële aanschaf.

Google translation:

Some people write well Their lives a dream, I put my life inside a song,” said Sarah MacDougall in “Sometimes You Lose, Sometimes You Win,” the opening track from her recently released third album “The Greatest Ones Alive”. Particularly significant words, then it turns over thirty-seven minutes long. The ten songs on her new roll deserves to us, because Canada has a prominent place among talented countrymen as Lynn Miles, Catherine MacLellan a, a leader Suzie Unger (Oh Susanna), Sarah Harmer and others one. With a velvet voice and a very fine pen as its main allies she caresses it almost continuously senses. With some productional help from multi-instrumentalist Matt Rogers and furthermore studio hand-and-span services, among others Awna Teixeira (Po ‘Girl), Gordie Tent Rees and Kim Beggs lost, she patiently ten veritabele folk and roots delights together. True to the last detail all. A downright intoxicating beauty! Lyrically honest and musically delicious! Basically one of the finest singer-songwriter albums of the year 2011. Our listening tips for you too to convince: the above equally raised “Sometimes You Lose, Sometimes You Win” extremely tender “Permafrost” and even gorgeous “Cold Night”, which are soon helped by a handsome Weissenborn contribution Tim Tweedale is regulated as a piece of almost perfect soundtrack for just such a night service will do. For us nothing less than an essential purchase.
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5/6 stars in Swedish Magazine GAFFA

http://gaffa.se/recension/53654?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Recension / CD
Sarah MacDougall

The Greatest Ones Alive
Rabbit heart / Hemifrån | Släpptes måndag 3 oktober 2011
Recenserad av Magnus Sjöberg
GAFFA

5 stjärnor

Många pärlor att upptäcka.

Det lilla jag hört av Sarah MacDougall har i och för sig varit bra, men inte något som kommit i närheten av det jag hör på det nya albumet The Greatest Ones Alive. Faktiskt. Några av låtarna känns så avskalade och nakna i alltihop att de skulle kunna ramla ihop om det inte vore för MacDougalls röst, som står stadigt och vacker i alltihop. Rätt ofta som ett eko av Michelle Shockeds första skivor, samma uttryck, samma anda, samma akustiska ensamhet. Ibland kraftfulla i sig själva, ibland med ett gediget komp, som ger mer, men som också ger fler nivåer och fler tillfällen att finna allt.

Vid en första genomlyssning känns det ganska jämntjockt. Men en efter en tar de form. En efter en blir många låtar små gnistrande pärlor. Som växer, som blir profiler och som berättar sin egen historia. Sometimes You Lose, Sometimes You Win. The Greatest Ones Alive. Permafrost. It’s a Storm, som visserligen sätter sig direkt, men som hittar nya djup och nyanser, som bara blir bättre och bättre. Som bra musik ska vara. Vacker. Skör. Tidlös.

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 (UK)

By Martin Chilton, Digital Culture Editor

5:38PM BST 19 Oct 2011

Strutting her own stuff in a very sweet-voiced style, however, is Sarah MacDougall, a Canadian-Swedish singer, who recently released The Greatest Ones Alive, which was recorded in Vancouver. The album features some graceful songwriting, all 10 tracks are of a consistently high quality, especially the lovely Permafrost. You can almost feel the blizzards coming in.

Sarah MacDougall: The Greatest Ones Alive (Rabbitheartmusic)

 

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NÖJESGUIDEN (SWEDEN) 4/6
“One of Sweden’s best singer/songwriters”

http://nojesguiden.se/recensioner/musik/sarah-macdougall-greatest-ones-alive

The Greatest Ones Alive spelades in i Sarah MacDougalls andra hemland Kanada, men precis som med Ane Brun, Katarina Nuttall och Wendy McNeill är vi inte så nogräknade angående nationalitet när vi utser henne till en av Sveriges bästa singer-songwriters. Att hon turnerat med folk som Mary Gauthier och Kimmie Rhodes skvallrar om riktningen på hennes genomstarka och stundtals lätt popiga vintersånger fyllda med rootsdetaljer, och avseende röstens kvalitet och styrka är kan hon tävla med båda två. Att hon är den enda artisten i Sverige – möjligen tillsammans med nämnda McNeill – som inte bara ledigt utan också trovärdigt klarar att rimma på Saskatchewan ger extrapoäng.

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DALADEMOKRATEN 4/5 (SWEDEN)

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ALLGIGS.COM 4.5/5

CASHBOX- Sarah MacDougall Drops Sophomore album The Greatest Ones Alive

Sarah MacDougall is the folkie buzz babe of the moment, West Coast division.  The Swedish-born looker debuted in 2009 with Across The Atlantic which earned her rave reviews in genre bibles such as No Depression and the Irish Times and landed the album of critics Top ten lists in profusion, courtesy of her speedy guitar proficiency and strong and supple voice.

The current offering, THE GREATEST ONES ALIVE was produced in Vancouver and Whitehorse with the help of Matt Rogers (Mark Be rube, C.R. Avery, The Fugitives), and Bob Hamilton (Kim Barlow, Geordie Entrees, the Breakmen). It features ten melodic, beautifully written, epic, and touching songs showcasing the growth in Sarah’s songwriting and performance skills.

Songs themes include storms (literal and metaphoric), success, growing up, love, friendship, and dying. Backing Sarah on all this is a Vancouver who’s who of nu-folk musos including Tim Tweedale, Shawn Killaly, Patrick Metzger, and the Kims, Beggs and Barlow.

Sarah’s songs have been chosen for onboard entertainment on Lufthansa airplanes twice, on the Fox TV drama ’15 Love’, and she’s been a semi-finalist on the International Songwriting competition with her song Crow’s Lament. Sarah has performed live on the Bob Harris BBC2 show in the UK, played several Canadian and International Festivals, performed with such notable artists as Mary Gauthier, Todd Snider, Kimmie Rhodes, and toured with Po’Girl.

All of which sets her up nicely for The Greatest Ones Alive cross-country tour, which kicks off in the bucolic hamlet of Highland Grove, ON Aug.13 and wraps in Wells, B.C. Sept. 18.

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PENNYBLACK MUSIC (UK)

http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Review.aspx?id=8067

Sarah MacDougall: The Greatest Ones Alive

Reviewed By: Malcolm Carter
Label: Rabbit Heart Music
Format: CD

Swedish-born but Canadian-based Sarah MacDougall’s debut ‘Across the Atlantic’ was very warmly received a year or so back. Her pop-tinged folk music was full of hooks, lyrically strong and in an already overcrowded market MacDougall’s confident and distinctive vocals helped her stand out from the crowd. MacDougall produced that debut herself which, considering her still young years and the fact that her production skills were still in the early stage, made that album even more impressive. It was, simply, hard to fault any song on ‘Across the Atlantic’, and the months between the release of that debut and MacDougall’s new album, ‘The Greatest Ones Alive’ has been a period where the appeal of those songs has just grown and grown.

So great things were expected of this follow-up, and within seconds of the opening song, ‘Sometimes You Lose, Sometimes You Win’, starting a smile crosses the face. MacDougall’s acoustic guitar opens the song creating the perfect atmosphere immediately and then that voice comes in; warm, inviting and unmistakably Sarah MacDougall with the words, “Some people put their lives into a dream?/I put my life inside a song”, the smile widens at what must be the most honest opening lines of a song we’ve heard in some time. Lyrically it’s a song about losing but MacDougall’s words inspire you to keep trying, to keep moving.

The song illustrates all that is not just good but exceptional about MacDougall’s lyrics ,but couple that with one of her most compelling melodies (and she’s written more than a few) and the atmospheric production (this time MacDougall co-produces the album with Matt Rogers for the most part and Bob Hamilton on a pair of songs and she’s lost none of those skills she displayed on her debut; the production of this collection of songs is faultless) and it’s the perfect way to introduce her new album.

There are so many female singer/songwriters just now that many seem to just blend in with each other. It’s getting increasingly hard to tell one from another especially vocally. MacDougall has her own voice, her own sound. As soon as the following song, ‘It’s My Place!(and I want it!)’, which is one of MacDougall’s sing-along pieces that must surely be this albums ‘Cry Wolf’ when she performs it on stage, it’s apparent that, strong as the songs were on ‘Across the Atlantic’, ‘The Greatest Ones Alive’ is MacDougall’s best work to date.

The title song, which is the third song on the album, recalls MacDougall’s childhood playing in the woods in Sweden, the sadness at losing touch with those we were once close to and the difficulty making that call as months turn into years. It’s another one of MacDougall’s songs that almost everyone can relate to and even though her lyrics are shaded with sadness on this particular track again the sweet melody will have you singing along. The warmth of the production will make you feel you’ve found that old friend once again. It’s an outstanding song and, like on her previous album, MacDougall has chosen the best song for the title of the album.

While ‘The Greatest Ones Alive’ is very nearly the perfect album with outstanding production, immaculate playing and moving lyrics, MacDougall’s vocals still steal the show. Without wishing to take anything away from her composing skills and her seemingly natural gift for producing it’s MacDougall’s voice that still haunts long after the album has finished.

Take what appears to be a simple love song on first hearing, ‘Mmm’, just MacDougall making a rare appearance on electric guitar singing single lines interspersed with the title of the song, it’s possibly the most immediately affecting song on the album and that’s all down to those distinctive, warm vocals. The more you hear it the more you fall in love with that voice. Has MacDougall ever sounded more soulful in song than when she sings, “You make me the best I can be”? It will send chills down your spine.

Initially ‘Across the Atlantic’ dipped in a couple of places, but with the quality of the songs, performance and production any shortcomings were quickly forgotten; apart from a short interlude, ‘Unwork’, which is the end of a longer piece MacDougall wrote for string quartet, ‘The Greatest Ones Alive’ is an outstanding album from start to finish. The touching ‘Cold Night’ written for a lost love, the moving closer, ‘We’re All Gonna Blow Away’ which MacDougall dedicates to her late Grandmother, each and every one of these songs is a winner.

‘The Greatest Ones Alive’ is MacDougall at her very best. Let’s just hope she stops touring just long enough to record another batch of songs as good as this before too long.

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UPTOWN MAGAZINE! (Winnipeg) 4/5 stars

http://www.rootsmusic.ca/2011/08/30/getting-to-know-sarah-macdougall/

August 30, 2011 Author: Paul Corby

GETTING TO KNOW SARAH MACDOUGALL

Dear Listener,

I think you and Sarah MacDougall should have a talk. Soon!

Sarah MacDougall has a lot on her mind, and confidentially, you should listen. Something is erupting.

There is a hush to her voice that reassures you that she has control of her ideas — but there’s also a tremulous quality that makes her revelations quiver with urgency.

Sarah MacDougall remembers the dreams that you left behind, and she wants to know why.

Sarah likes to sing to you about nature. There’s lightning and permafrost all over the place. On the cover of Sarah’s teal-coloured new record, The Greatest Ones Alive, there are a couple of grizzly bear petroglyphs dancing, or perhaps representing some undefined relationship struggle.

It’s not all wild wilderness there though. There’s cultivated corn and grain and wise thoughts of home. The album is very simple and beautiful and magnificently honest.

The Canadian cold has a lot to do with Sarah’s shivery silver voice. In Whitehorse in the winter, she says, “There’s not much to do at night but write songs.” She lives in her songs, keeps them warm. You should visit her there. I’ll bet her warm center is alive and singing partly because of the layers it hides under.

Sarah MacDougall’s songs have lots of layers. It’s only natural, when you think about it.

Sarah MacDougall isn’t critical. Not of you. She’s cursing ’bout love mostly. You probably do that too. Ms. MacDougall is a lot like you. She sings, “We all have so much to do and prove,” but she’s not worried about that because, “someday we will all blow away in the wind.”

Sarah’s living in Whitehorse now. She blew there from Vancouver, herself. Sarah MacDougall came from Sweden, at first, but now she’s everywhere. You should go see her sometime. She plays a medium-sized brown guitar, way up here on her chest, really well. You can’t miss her. The music sounds really good and there’s a lot of fun to it. She sings wherever she goes. Probably will for years to come, too.

The publicity guy Ken Beattie, who likes good music in ample amounts, says that The Greatest Ones Alive is like her greatest hits album, because each song is so special. When we saw her playing at Hugh’s Room together last week, every song sounded like an encore. Even the first one.

After a few songs, Sarah MacDougall made the audience howl like wolves. On purpose. She showed them how and encouraged them. You could tell after awhile that they had really wanted to do it, too.

She explained a lot about how she solves her problems and corrects mistakes. To make time pass, in a song, she said she talks to the birds. Did you ever try that? Sarah MacDougall recommends it. Why don’t you give it a shot? And don’t just pretend, either.

Sarah MacDougall produced most of this new record, and did the layout. She made sure the acoustic guitar and the weissenborn and the harmonies all blended together and that the dreams didn’t get left behind this time. It’s a good job. On the record she has nine songs and a string vignette.

If you and I and Sarah MacDougall just keep putting some elbow grease into what we do, then maybe we can all make dreams real and get to be, like she says, the greatest ones alive. Just about, anyway. There are lessons in her music. Mind them while you are enjoying it in the middle of a long night. Have a good listen. And don’t forget the layers.

Paul Corby is the host of Corby’s Orbit on CKLN.FM, online Friday afternoons from 11 ‘til 2.

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ALT COUNTRY FORUM (HOLLAND)

It’s in Dutch, but here’s the Google translation:

The first four sentences that Sarah MacDougall on her new album, The Greatest Ones Alive sings, sounding like a creed: “Some people put Their Lives enter a dream / I put my life write a song / I Believed like believers believe / In the song, In the song in the song. Someone who have the courage and determination yields a song twenty times to rewrite eventually fourteen hours at a stretch working until the end result is correct (title track, The Greatest Ones Alive, with elegant background vocals by Po ‘Girls Awna Teixeira), must be in force songs of faith.

Conviction that you hear on The Greatest Ones Alive in every song again. MacDougall is a true songsmith in the best sense, almost a sculptor. She does not like halves, each package is several times by kneading, her lyrics are carefully honed (“We were Vikings in the woods / We have ships in our eyes’), yet packed her songs never filled with an abundance of tools or choirs. That makes the ten songs on this delightful and well balanced picture but also spontaneous and honest sound.

A good example is Permafrost, a beauty of a song is built on a foundation of acoustic guitar and pedal steel Bob Hamilton’s beautiful, plus the characteristic, slightly melancholy voice MacDougall. Or atmospheric Cold Night, a break-up song that they say MacDougall wrote for someone they once loved, but her feelings never answered. Again the basis is laid by an acoustic guitar while the song is adequately dressed shreds by electric guitar, piano and organ.

The album closes with We’re All Gonna Blow Away, as impressive as a straightforward song that Sarah tells her deceased Swedish grandmother, Maja-Lisa. The harmonium sounds Annie Avery here conjures, not only fit perfectly with the vocal timbre of MacDougall’s, they set the tone of the song and make it a graceful culmination of a remarkably successful album.

To read the dutch review:

http://www.altcountryforum.nl/2011/08/26/sarah-macdougall-the-greatest-ones-alive/

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THE GLOBE AND MAIL:  3/4 stars

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/music/disc-of-the-week-jeff-bridges-calls-in-the-big-talent-but-he-didnt-need-to/article2127772/

BEATROUTE ALBERTA- AUG 2011.

SARAH MACDOUGALL

alive and well after the Atlantic

By Nick Laugher

Stoic and serene, Sarah MacDougall seems to sigh in a glowing swirl of Zen-like enchantment as she sings. There’s a foreboding, bereft brilliance in the Swedish-Canadian songstress’ forthcoming record, The Greatest Ones Alive, a subtle ode to the weary, winter shadows that keep a watchful, loving eye on all of us.

The Greatest Ones Alive is the follow up to the folk siren’s critically acclaimed debut, Across The Atlantic, and is a heartwarming soundscape of frostbitten cheeks and forlorn Northern reveries.

The new album sees MacDougall loosening the reigns on the meticulous self-production that made her preceding album such a tempered and intricate critical explosion. The Greatest Ones Alive is miles wide. Largely collaborative and sonically rich, the album is sprawling, wrapped in a haunting, chilly vapour that tints the air. MacDougall’s prose is restless, slowly aching to settle into your pores.

“The reason I started doing my own recording and engineering was necessity,” says MacDougall. “I needed to be able to communicate what I wanted backup musicians to play. Doing everything yourself gives you a lot of control and a lot of time, but when you’re in an actual studio and someone else is taking care of everything, it gives you a chance to really focus on the song itself and experiment with the actual song, not just the arrangement.”

While Across The Atlantic showcased MacDougall’s brilliance as a sorceress of self-production and attentive assembly, The Greatest Ones Alive sees her truly flourishing as a songwriter.
“It doesn’t take much to say too much,” comes MacDougall’s nectar-sweet voice as it climbs hesitantly out of the glistening, reverb-drenched orchestral ambience and plinking piano on “Sometimes You Lose, Sometimes You Win.” Twirling through the space, her phrases dance clever circles through the sparseness of the track.
“I tend to fixate on the poetic side of songwriting,” admits MacDougall about her creative process. “It’s always more so a literary approach, but it’s also a very interconnected thing … melody and lyrics.”

Relentlessly poignant, MacDougall’s songs swell and collapse, clinging to the corners and spreading their fingers out earnestly for absolution. Her prose is lucid and imaginative, channeling nostalgia and the icy, spectral tones of Swedish winters. Fleshed out by collaborators like Yukon bluesman Gordie Tentrees and guitarist Kim Barlow, there’s an underlying chaos residing throughout the album.

Both the title track and the seething “Permafrost” are ravishing displays of MacDougall’s love for the chaotic, restless beauty of storms and swirling blizzards; the record is at once very Canadian and gorgeously idiosyncratic.

“I’m a huge fan of the album,” says MacDougall. “I like things that fit together.”

Recorded in a blistering 30 days in Vancouver, MacDougall then traveled to Whitehorse for a show where she fell fast and hard for the rough and tumbling, tumultuous landscape.

“The album kind of all came together after that. I wrote these three or four songs up there and recorded them with Bob (Hamilton) and after that, it just clicked,” says MacDougall.

“It reminded me a lot of Sweden: the landscape, the sky and that wonderful, cold smell. When I left Sweden, it was because there was no where to play, no one was playing the kind of stuff I was, so when I moved to (Vancouver), it was like this enormous, gluttonous feast of music. I think that Whitehorse is the perfect balance for me.”

MacDougall will hit the road solo in August and as a trio in September in support of the album and while she’s ever wary about the financial difficulties of touring as a band, she graciously admits, “It’s so nice not having to run around, playing all the roles. You slowly go insane if you try and do it all yourself, so I think this is a good progression for me.”

Captivating and loveable, MacDougall’s presence is a force to be reckoned with.

GRAYOWL POINT- Review – “The Greatest Ones Alive” – Sarah MacDougall

reviewed by Laura Stanley

“Some people put their lives into a dream. I put my life inside a song,” sings Sarah MacDougall in the first line of her new album, The Greatest Ones Alive.

Through this first line, MacDougall reveals a very personal sentiment not only about her life but her passion for music. This feeling behind her music becomes clear after a single listen and is a consistently strong element in the new album.

The opener, “Sometimes You Lose, Sometimes You Win,” is one of many songs that features a strong and crafty lyrical aspect. Songs like “Mmm” and “It’s A Storm! (What’s Going On?)” are both cute sounding folk-pop ballads but have much more to them than their mentioned “cuteness.”

The songs from the album vary between upbeat sounding tracks like, “It’s My Place! (And I Want It!)” or “Song #43” and the slow, appropriately bleak sounding, “Cold Night.” Although there are varying tempos within the ten song disc, there is no sense of choppiness or disconnection between each song.

MacDougall doesn’t limit herself to one lyrical theme in The Greatest Ones Alive, which is something to be recognized, but instead is able to successfully cover various thematic elements through a soft and comfortable sound.

Although the catchy folk-pop sound seems to be everywhere lately, MacDougall is able to make the music she creates unique. Her vocal strength and writing quality brings vitality and interest to an otherwise very common music style.

Sarah MacDougall’s The Greatest Ones Alive is a strong musical attempt, capturing small moments, good or bad, in a simple folk style.

Praise for Across the Atlantic:

“She could make stone weep. Classic North American folk.” – Q Magazine ****

“Heartbreakingly beautiful”- Americana UK

“‘Where Do Birds Go To Die?’ asks Sarah….., 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.” Tastyfanzine

“Swedish exiled in Canada Sarah MacDougall is THE discovery of alternative folk song / country of this end of year, simply. Grade: a+ (+)” -With music in my mind (Belgium)

“Across the Atlantic proves that when you have talent like MacDougall’s you don’t need the backing of major labels and top name producers to make a great album. It’s only january, but this is already a contender for album of the year.”- Allison Stokes, Country Music People magazine (UK)

“MacDougall is a Swedish-born alt country/indie folk singer/songwriter based in Canada. This album is her first official release and has been produced and engineered by her. “I wanted to write an album that sticks in your head and grabs a hold of your heart” says MacDougall. “And I also wanted to prove myself as a producer and audio-engineer, because I am incredibly passionate about sound!” Well, congratulations Sarah, you’ve nailed it! “Shakenstir.co.uk grade: 4/5

“Impressive debut.”
Joe Breen, the Irish Times,  grade:  **** (4/5)

“A moving blend of Scandinavian folk and indie Americana. From sing-a-long ditties to heart-breaking epics, Across the Atlantic gracefully highlights the hook, energy, and honesty of one of the most promising exports to come out of Sweden” 
R. C. Joseph, 24 hours, Vancouver

“It’s almost as if Sarah has plucked the thoughts out of our heads and turned them into songs.” 
Cheryl Santa Maria, Quietcolor.com (New York based Blog)

“There’s a heart to MacDougall’s second album that beats strongly- unique in this day of over-produced music for the masses. A self-produced album that is restrained and elegant in execution, Across the Atlantic highlights an emerging talent breathing new life into old musical forms”
Cindy Filipenko, Herizon Magazine, Canada

“My heart and mind were simultaneously throw into a spin. I can honestly say Sarah MacDougall brings something to the table that is both refreshing, and in these dark days uplifting.”
Bad Robot, UK

“Any musician as talented as Sarah MacDougall will undoubtedly turn me into a fan. Any musician as talented as Sarah MacDougall who also loves Bruce Springsteen and would banish Tyra Banks runs the risk of turning me into an obsessed stalker”
TLC (This Little City) Magazine, Vancouver

“Posesses the fun and flirt of Feist, the depth of Tracy Chapman, and the powerful, haunting delivery of Chan Marshall”
24 Hours, Vancouver

“I really fell in love with this album and it was love in first listen.”
Country Startpage, Netherlands

“What a great record she has! It has easily been my most played CD this year so far” 
James Windsor, promoter Cosmic American, The Maze, Nottingham, UK

“She sings ‘I don’t want to be alone anymore’ and I’m checking flight times to BC whilst making favourable comparisons to Neko Case. MacDougall is dramatic though in a more matter of fact way – it just so happens that she has a beautiful voice – The songs aren’t so much showcases for her voice, the voice is put to work in the service of the songs.” 
David Cowling, Americana UK

“As a songwriter MacDougall writes engaging lyrics wrapped around appealing melodic hooks and her voice is as beguiling as it s captivating (in her low register she resembles Eliza Gilkyson). She also shows considerable skill as a producer weaving a variety of musical threads into a fascinating musical tapestry.” 
The Record, Canada

“This newish Vancouver singer-songwriter offers up a tasty collection of mid- tempo alt-folk tunes marked by classy instrumentation beyond that of your average Canadian folkie. As a singer, MacDougall has the honeyed pipes of Austin folkie Eliza Gilkyson, but as a composer she calls to mind such arty CBC Radio favourites as Danny Michel and Christine Fellows.”
Winnipeg Free Press

“It’s a remarkably skilfully performed and produced album.. Her voice is the star instrument here, so strong, warm and authoritative with that folk music warble at times, like Joan Baez or even Buffy St. Marie…..A hugely impressive debut record”
John Davy, Whisperinandhollerin’, UK

““Crow’s Lament” is a great example of the eclectic nature of this new record. The song’s a whirling dervish of a tune about death. It features Sarah’s lusty vocals, some of the unusual instrumentation from the record (dobro, weissenborn, lapsteel, odd percussion, rhodes, and pedal steel) and clever lyrics. You can buy the new record here (and I heartily recommend that you do!).”
Swedesplease/Songs Illionois Blog

“This colourful album attests to an emotional maturity and diverse life experiences…..As the artist, composer, and mixer, MacDougall’s stamp is everywhere on this album, making for a rich listen.”
The Martlet, Victoria, Canada

“With her melancholy dark voice she takes us on a trip through unhappy love, dying crows and satire. Sarah proves that she soon will belong to the big players within Americana/Alternative country”
David DJ Dake, promoter Mosebacke, Stockholm

Praise for Sarah’s Live show:

“No matter how many superlatives you used to describe Sarah MacDougall it wasn’t enough, absolutely stunning!” 
Hedley Jones, Wombwell AD Wombwell Madfest, UK

“It must be unusual to witness a concert where every song captivated the entire audience and it was a pleasure to hear original songs of such outstanding quality”
John Roffey, Maverick Magazine UK

“As an artist she is creative and innovative and as a musician she is talented but as a singer she is stunning. She has a voice that soars from the warm depths to the crystal heights in the wink of an eye.” 
Flicky Harrison, The Swindon Advertiser, UK

“I’m not alone in considering one of the highlights of the festival to be the wonderful Sarah MacDougall an amazing Swedish/Canadian songwriter”
South Yorkshire Times, UK

“Sarah was sensational, probably the best session I’ve ever done.”
Paul, Sunny Govan Radio, Glasgow

“Greeted by an enthusiastic crowd, Swedish/Canadian pop, folk country act Sarah MacDougall lived up to all expectations.” 
The Northern Echo, Newcastle, UK

“Superb… MacDougall’s strong and resonant voice set up the evening; her latest album, Across The Atlantic, is definitely worth investing in.”
Wales Online

“The mixture of country tales with a folk sensibility, seasoned with a Scandinavian sense of melancholy and kitted out in a distinctly Woody Guthrie wardrobe, Sarah proved to be every bit the folk troubadour we initially anticipated.”
Folk and Roots Magazine, UK

“Sarah MacDougall was mesmerising and gave a truly blinding performance….Sarah’s songs mixed traditional country with a dash of folk resulting in a phenomenal sound.” 
Maverick Magazine, UK

“Sarah’s music is honest, open, and beautiful – it makes an immediate emotional connection with the listener.”
Steve Bellamy, Juno-winning Music Producer/Engineer

“a beautiful voice fronting rustic-leaning songs…..the perfect soundtrack to an Appalachian train hopping journey”
Meeghan Maultsaid, Artistic director, Under the Volcano Festival Vancouver