Night Bugs [Audio CD] Sarah Slean - Very Good

Very Good - USED Very Good: A well-cared-for video game, CD or DVD that has been played, but remains in great condition. The film is complete, without interruption, and does not skip. The box or jewel case may show limited signs of wear, as may the cover art, liner notes and inclusions. Please note that included codes (if applicable) may not be guaranteed to work.BOOK : This book is in very good condition, showing minimal signs of wear. The pages are clean with no markings, and the cover may have only slight shelf wear. There are no creases on the spine, and the book appears well cared for. It is a solid copy that presents well. Please note that included codes (if applicable) may not be guaranteed to work.

From Amazon Though it's her major-label debut, Sarah Slean's Night Bugs is as idiosyncratic and delightful as her indie releases. As a singer-pianist with theatrical airs, she's bound to garner comparisons with Tori Amos, but this Toronto-based 24-year-old's music has more in common with emerging singer-songwriters like Rufus Wainwright, Ed Harcourt, and her co-producer and musical collaborator, Hawksley Workman. Like those artists, Slean is steeped in the tradition of Tin Pan Alley yet determined to create a style that's vivid, flamboyant, and modern. Alternately witty and despairing, her lyrics detail moments spent "with my paints and my pens and my dry vermouth" (from "Book Smart, Street Stupid"). She's also equipped with an extraordinary voice, at times similar to Sarah McLachlan's, but much stronger and more malleable. Moreover, Slean is fond of all those vocal whoops and swoops that were so endearing on Mary Margaret O'Hara's classic Miss America. Slean and Workman made most of Night Bugs at Bearsville Studios in upstate New York, and the higher recording budget has apparently given their imaginations free rein. They're especially lavish when it comes to the string and horn arrangements. The strings infuse the instrumental "Dark Room" with a sense of cinematic grandeur, while "Book Smart, Street Stupid" has all the gritty majesty and maudlin charm of a Tom Waits ballad circa Swordfishtrombones. The arrangements also add bluster and ballast to uptempo songs like "Drastic Measures," "Sweet Ones," and "Bank Accounts." Elsewhere, the sound is spare and spooky, when just piano and guitar create a haunting setting for "St. Francis." Seemingly undaunted by any of the challenges she poses herself, Slean hurtles through the different moods on Night Bugs with great aplomb. The resulting songs are as rich and colourful as one could hope. -- Jason Anderson

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