Sarah MacDougall

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. - Beatroute Alberta

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. - Roots Music Canada

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. - Roots Music Canada

YSTAD ALLEHANDA 28 sept 2011

Rating: 5/5

What an authority in the voice! Now Sarah MacDougall (from Malmoe and now Canada) has become one of the few voices that is separating itself from the big choir of song poets.
The voice hardly mirrors an assuredness of life, but more her will to express.
Sarah- it is the task of the song poet- is composing and singing from memories and experiences. Her songs are about finding ones place in life and withstanding the storms of life, the unrequited love, and more. ‘Permafrost’ came about in northern Canada with -30 outside the house. The title track is dedicated to the other Sara (the friend in Malmoe) and ‘We’re all gonna blow away’ was written with grandmother Maja- Lisa in the thoughts.
Her melodies are of the kind that aren’t noticed, until they are stuck in your head and body. Sarah MacDougall plays the guitar and is also backed up by Tim Tweedale on Weissenborn/Pedalsteel. Exactly perfect accompaniment, not to much or to little: the voice and the songs are singing in the centre.

Bengt Eriksson - Ystad Allehanda

ALLGIGS.COM 4.5/5
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011 {EDIT}

http://www.allgigs.co.uk/view/review/5953/Sarah_MacDougall_The_Greatest_Ones_Alive_Album_Review.html

The Greatest Ones Alive – Sarah MacDougall Album Review
Sarah MacDougall

Sarah MacDougall
“I love your album” whispers Bob Harris in reaction to Sarah MacDougall’s follow up to her debut, ‘Across The Atlantic’. And you can see why. MacDougall has followed up with a near perfect collection of memories of love and death sung in such a delicate and peaceful way that leaves other similar artists dead in their tracks. This is stand-out stuff indeed. Sarah MacDougall, I too love your album!!!

Lyrically MacDougall is quite simply outstanding, her voice and sound are out on their own even amongst all the female solo singer-songwriters that are out at the present. MacDougall is very clever, subtle and above all talented.

You could pick out any of the ten tracks to show her obvious talents. Today my real favourites are “It’s a Storm (What’s Going On?)” and “Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Loose”. But yesterday “Were All Gonna Blow Away” was most played!!!

If you’re into your Amy Macdonald, Laura Marling or even KT Tunstall you’re going to love this…for me this is the next level.

She’s touring until the middle of October unfortunately nowhere near me but if you can check out her listings and try and see her. I reckon it could be something really special.
Mat Radbourne - ALLGIGS.COM

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 - Rootstime (Belgium)

Wednesday, 11th June saw an exciting show at The Beehive in Swindon. Atlantic Crossing saw three top young Canadian singer/songwriters performing solo tracks from their own back catalogues as well as playing guitar, harmonising and singing background vocals on each others songs. The trio consisted of Melisa Devost, Corbin Murdoch and Sarah MacDougall.

Corbin Murdoch had a voice reminiscent of the late Johnny Cash combined with the legendary Bruce Springsteen. His songs had a strong country feel tinged with a slight hint of blues. Great guitar work and powerful vocals proved that he is someone with enormous talent and a force to be reckoned with in future years. As the evening progressed Corbin’s vocals began to boom across the room.It wasn’t a huge crowd that came to The Beehive to see the Atlantic Crossing show but it was certainly an appreciative crowd who clapped and cheered loudly at the end of each song.

Melisa Devost was on her second visit to The Beehive – a welcome return for her Swindon fans. Melisa’s voice is powerful and unique in sound infusing country, blues and gospel into her music. Melisa performed songs with her guitar and with no instrumental backing at all. The unplugged songs Melisa performed really stood out from the crowd stunning the audience into complete silence. Melisa has a great passion for music and this can be seen in abundance in her poignant lyrics. Melisa performed a touchingly beautiful song written for her friend who had suffered from cancer as well as a section of other songs from her album – Capacity.

Sarah MacDougall was mesmerising and gave a truly blinding performance. Her first visit to Swindon went down really well with the audience who raved over her magnificent vocals and delightful songs – many of which were full of quirky lyrics about life as it is today. Sarah sang a rather jolly song called Pain Reliever that had both Corbin and Melisa joining in on background vocals. Sarah sang songs from her 2005 album – Headed for the Hills including a touching performance of the albums title track. She also included songs from a new EP created especially for the Atlantic Crossing tour. Sarah’s songs mixed traditional country with a dash of folk resulting in a phenomenal sound.

The evening ended all too quickly with all three singers joining in with a rendition of an old Leonard Cohen song rearranged by another Canadian singer/songwriter called Kent McAlister. A rousing end to a truly remarkable evening. All three singer/songwriters were exciting and showed much potential and hope for the future of Canadian music. This was certainly one of the best shows I have seen in ages!

- By Sara Hunt, Maverick Magazine - Maverick Country Magazine (UK)

24 hours, Thursday dec. 4th, 2008

When it comes to reviewing music, most critics aren't exactly idealists.
We don't always spend hours seeking out the most deserving artists to cover. In fact, 30 per cent of the time we just write about people we know, 45 percent of the time we just write about what everyone else is writing about and 16 percent of the time we are simply fulfilling a drunken promise.
But that remaining nine per cent of time, that’s when we actually do our jobs right. That’s when we inform music fans of some new and talented artist that just might change their lives.
Singer and songwriter Sarah MacDougall falls into that nine per cent.
Born in Sweden, MacDougall moved to Vancouver in 2001 to follow a dream of turning a rare and brilliant talent into a livelihood. And it’s looking like that just might be one of those dreams that come true.
Her music possesses the fun and flirt of Feist, the depth and soul of Tracy Chapman and the powerful, haunting delivery of Chan Marshall. In short, MacDougall is star material.
Nowhere is her unstoppable appeal more evident than in a live setting. Having toured Canada, the UK and Scandinavia, she has honed her skills over the past years, earning that all too necessary experience that lesser, propped-up artists foolishly dismiss. And as if it’s not enough that MacDougall alone already embodies the type of charm and presence that entrances audiences wherever she plays, she is also backed up by some of the hottest musicians in the city (namely drummer Shawn Killaly, bassist Russell Sholberg, and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Tim Tweedale).
MacDougall’s latest effort, Across the Atlantic (due out in early 2009 on Copperspine Records) is 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 since ABBA rolled into town drunk on Absolute in their Volvo station wagon.
Don’t drink and drive this holiday season, but do make the effort to go see Sarah MacDougall.
Sarah MacDougall performs this Sunday, dec. 7 at the Railway Club (579 Dunsmuir) as part of the girlgigs Christmas party.

- R. C. Joseph, 24 hours
- 24 Hours

I’m generally against animal cruelty. But I can’t overlook this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Sarah MacDougall is an ex pat Swede living in Vancouver. Her brand of polished folk pop is perfect for Songs:Illinois while her Nordic routes make her an ideal artist for Swedesplease. Sarah’s new record, Across The Atlantic, came out this year on the excellent little label Copperspine.
“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 or here (and I heartily recommend that you do!). - Songs:Illinois and Swedesplease (music blogs)

This album comes to us from Vancouver, not previously noted for internationally successful music - Vancouver conjures a significantly different mental image to Seattle, its close neighbour just across the American border. ??Strange, then, that this music from the shore of the Pacific should be called 'Across the Atlantic', but that reflects Ms MacDougall's split background, her young years having been divided between Sweden and Canada. ??Something has been made in the press of a Scandinavian folk background to her songs. That's as maybe; it strikes me that's just a useful critical/promotional peg to help her stand out from the crowd a bit. In fact there's not too much that's obscure or difficult going on here. Mostly it's a remarkably skilfully performed and produced album that should travel to pretty much anywhere that English is spoken or understood.??At its most upbeat, 'Across the Atlantic' has songs that do the Amy MacDonald thing: gloriously energetic, strongly rhythmic, driven along by crisp drumming and with the lyric absolutely at the service of a tuneful bounce that communicates itself instantaneously. 'Cry Wolf', for example, has halls full of people dancing, I'm sure, wherever she plays and it certainly has me dancing round the kitchen; however, the energy of the song belies the reflective, slightly anguished, lyric - not that you'd notice as you sing cheerfully along to the chorus. ??The album divides fairly evenly between these sort of numbers and much slower tunes with the space in them to indulge a bluer, more reflective mood. A couple of times, on 'I've Got Your Back' and 'Ramblin' ', this comes off as distinctly Lucinda Williams-ish which is due in no small part to Tim Tweeddale's steel guitar and dobro playing. It's also a tribute to the strength of Sarah's lyric and the emotional intensity of her singing. 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.
?The furthest she gets from a mainstream approach is on 'Crow's Lament' and ''Hundred Dollar Bills'; with their 2/4 time signatures (which does indeed evoke European folk music) and distinctly spooky lyrical references, as if Rennie Sparks had popped in with some ideas for a song or two. Different again is the closing song, 'Goodbye Julie'. Very quiet and reflective, the lyric is enigmatically inconsequential; sung in a wistful frame of mind at the end of the relationship, the question is - is this the end? The two people involved are not currently communicating but the feeling persists that neither has quite given up on the other for good. ??It's a nicely sophisticated and self-confident note on which to end a hugely impressive debut record.????

Rating: 8/10
- John (Biscuits and Gravy) Davy, www.whisperinandhollerin.com/reviews/review.asp?id=6097

“I’ve been rambling all my life,” croons Sarah MacDougall on “Ramblin,” the second track on Across the Atlantic, her second full-length album. One might, at first listen, write the line off as the 26-year-old artist’s attempt to sound worn and sun-beaten. But the Swedish-Canadian MacDougall has lived in Australia, Sweden and B.C., and the rest of this colourful album attests to an emotional maturity and diverse life experiences.
Across the Atlantic is a departure from MacDougall’s 2005 debut effort, Headed for the Hills. This album has a similar alt-country feel, but stands out in that it has echoes of MacDougall’s Eastern European roots. Some of her accompanying instruments include the dobro and weissenborn. In the title track she moans for the emptiness and nostalgia of her hometown: “And when I look up, the houses are tall/everything’s behind something, this town’s built on walls/you can feel the cold chill from behind the closed doors.”
Many of the tracks feature Joanna Chapman-Smith as background vocals, but accompaniment is almost unnecessary. MacDougall’s pure, round voice and her acoustic guitar let the haunting lines run off perfectly without sounding sticky-sweet or overdone.
The album’s repeated themes of sorrow, falling and rolling and heartbreak reveal a writer comfortable with her own life story. The “Ballad of Sherri” — about a young woman’s search for meaning — and the telling end track, “Goodbye Julie,” are miles different in tone, but they both showcase a vocalist who can admit she doesn’t know where she’s going and does so artfully.
As the artist, composer, and mixer, MacDougall’s stamp is everywhere on this album, making for a rich listen. She’s a wistful, bitter traveler, but an honest one with a voice that can stand on its own. - Emma Prestwich, The Martlet, Victoria

Singer-songwriter, Sarah MacDougall emerges on Across The Atlantic as a quality act in the making, if not already there. Swedish born, and of Canadian - Swedish parents ?musically she owes more to that coming out from ?across the Atlantic? in ol? America. ?Featuring acoustic guitar, percussion and lap, pedal steel guitar, dobro and violin, ?alongside trumpet, piano, cello, bass and percussion ?MacDougall slips from one style to another as she mixes tempo and emotive content with alarming else. For one, Hundred Dollar Bills (featuring cello and euphonium), the mid-tempo Biggest Mistake and party time effort Cry Wolf offer diverseness few acts are brave enough to try. Like with most of her experiments it works a treat every time.??Quirky and inviting Crow?s Lament warmed in dobro, smart picking and wistful vocals like with the painstaking and utterly gorgeous ballad, Ramblin, MacDougall not only turned my head but such is her delivery and the understated accompaniment, 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.??

See www.Sarahmacdougall.com for her UK tour dates. Her gig with Otis Gibbs for the ?Jumpin? Hot Club @the Studio Theatre / Live Theatre, Newcastle May 16 will be one worthy ?of consideration. - Bad Robot (music blog) http://www.badrobot.co.uk/reviews/cd-reviews/1041-sarah-macdougall

'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. Her voice speaks to me directly and I can’t understand why you didn’t come to any of her two shows at Mosebacke or own the cd yet. This is what Vancouver should sound like.' - svullbuk.blogspot.com,(DJ Dake, promoter at Mosebacke, Stockholm)

"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. The violin and cello work is particularly fine. The title track, about a trip to her native Sweden, is a standout. So is the closer, Goodbye, Julie, which along with the first track, Song For Sherri, should solidify her following among the crowd." - Winnipeg Free Press

Sweden and Canada share a few things - harsh winters and a love of Americana music are two obvious ones. MacDougall born in Sweden and living in Vancouver doubles the love. When I first heard her voice on this record ‘The Ballad of Sherri’ it was shrouded, a scratchy sound - one string guitar sounding like it was recorded in a cardboard box, her voice still entranced and when the full colour version arrives later in the song, it was too late, I was already smitten. Any remnants of reluctance were dissolved by ‘Ramblin’’ which is built from a pool of tears and has the kind of chorus that breaks hearts and connects at some emotional level. 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.

Heartbreak is what she does. ‘I’ve Got Sorrow’ is a lament where she cradles the lyrics with the passion and devotion of someone holding on to the hand of a loved one who is slipping away. She questions mortality on Crow’s Lament’ where she wonders where birds go to die and says ‘Goodbye Julie’ with an air of finality and no small measure of tenderness as she goes deeper and higher than she does elsewhere. She’ll be crossing the Atlantic to tour England throughout May and June and with this record acting as a primer it’d be just as well getting your tickets early.

Date review added: Monday, March 02, 2009
Reviewer: David Cowling
Reviewers Rating: 7/10
- David Cowling, Americana UK, http://www.americana-uk.com/auk/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&fil

"Most accurately described as Scandinavian country music, the album's 10 songs present country music in a refreshingly new context with elements of folk, world and old minstrel music. 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.com