At its best, the venerable pop music tradition known as “the holiday album” can capture all the sentiments of the season: the warm glow of friendship and family, the bittersweet reflections on the year gone by, the hopeful anticipation of the new year ahead.

Sarah McLachlan has created a true holiday classic with Wintersong. The Arista recording artist imbues this splendid twelve-song collection—the first holiday album of her multi-platinum career—with peerless interpretive skill and exquisite musicianship. Set for nationwide release on October 17, 2006, Wintersong is Sarah’s first new studio album since Afterglow, released November 2003. Afterglow is certified double platinum for US sales of over two million and has sold more than four million copies worldwide, bringing Sarah’s worldwide career sales to more than 26 million albums.

Working with producer Pierre Marchand at her home studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sarah McLachlan has reinvented her chosen repertoire in ways that transform even the most familiar songs into special gifts. Like the soundtrack for a winter day that passes from snowy dawn to sunny afternoon to the chill of twilight, Wintersong creates its own flow of moods from start to finish.

“When I think about Christmas and everything it means to me,” says Sarah, “I picked songs to best represent the moods and great sense of nostalgia that I feel about the season. These are all songs I grew up listening to every Christmas.”

Wintersong begins with Sarah’s version of “Happy Xmas (War is Over).” John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and the Plastic Ono Band first recorded this timeless declaration of peace in 1971, with the added voices of the Harlem Community Choir. For her recording, Sarah is joined by a children's choir of students from the music school she personally funds and oversees in Vancouver.

(The Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach Program was founded in September 2003 to provide free music education classes to inner city youths whose school music programs have been hit by budget cuts. "As a kid," Sarah recalls, "music saved my life; having that one thing that I knew I was good at made all the difference. It feels so good to be able to see their lives impacted. There's hardly any joy comparable.")

Sarah pays tribute to two leading Canadian singer-songwriters on Wintersong. “River” comes from Joni Mitchell’s 1971 album Blue, with the memorable lyrics “It’s coming on Christmas, they’re cutting down trees…” “Song For A Winter's Night” was written by Gordon Lightfoot and originally recorded in 1967 for his second album, The Way I Feel. From the Great American Songbook, Sarah chose “I'll Be Home For Christmas,” previously recorded by Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys, among others; and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” made famous by Judy Garland in the 1944 film, Meet Me in St. Louis.

Sarah explains: “I leaned towards the more melancholy, contemplative songs like ‘I'll Be Home for Christmas,’ ‘River,’ and ‘Song for a Winter’s Night’ by Gordon Lightfoot because they are all very sad and bittersweet songs I've always loved to sing.

“I am not into the commercial elements of Christmas at all. But I love the tradition of family and friends gathering together and the memories that the holidays create.”

No holiday album would be complete without its share of traditional Christmas songs. For Wintersong, Sarah selected “What Child Is This (Greensleeves),” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Silent Night,” the classically flavored “In A Bleak Mid Winter,” and a medley of “The First Noel/ Mary Mary.” The shimmering piano-based ballad “Wintersong,” was written by Sarah specifically for this album and was the result of her close working relationship with producer Pierre Marchand.

“Pierre and I have collaborated many times on songs, and here I was really struggling to finish the lyrics,” the singer admits with a bit of self-mocking humor. “We went off to our separate corners and wrote out all sorts of stuff. Then we came together to hash out the details of the story, without bashing people over the head with obvious suffering—as I am prone to do! Pierre is great at getting the point of the song across subtly.”

Wintersong features guest appearances by Diana Krall, playing piano on “Christmas Time Is Here” (from the 1965 animated TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas); and Jim Creeggan of Barenaked Ladies, who plays double bass throughout the album. Wintersong was produced, engineered, and mixed by Pierre Marchand and mastered by Bob Ludwig.

Celebrating three years of renewed growth and self-realization for its creator, the music of Sarah McLachlan takes a joyous and festive turn on Wintersong. It’s a timely gift to her universe of fans, both new and old. (read less)

At its best, the venerable pop music tradition known as “the holiday album” can capture all the sentiments of the season: the warm glow of friendship and family, the bittersweet reflections on the year gone by, the hopeful anticipation of the new year ahead.

Sarah McLachlan has created a true holiday classic with Wintersong. The Arista recording artist imbues this splendid twelve-song collection—the first holiday album of her multi-platinum career—with peerless interpretive skill and ex... (read more)