Beauty Lives is in iTunes

Sarah's official site announced today that Beauty Lives is now in iTunes among other digital stores.  Here is a link to it in the Canadian iTunes store but it looks like it should be available internationally.

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/beauty-lives-b-sides/id412635675

iTunes stores internationally this year added Sarah back catalog to their stores as well.

Beauty Lives has not been spotted in alternative online music stores as yet.  In the past, hmv.ca, puretracks.com, amazon.com and rhino.com have sold her digital releases.

Update 2011-01-02
Amazon.com has it available for download. Amazon.ca does not.

Beauty Lives - Cover Art, Instrumentation and more.

Physical copies of Beauty Lives went on sale at the holiday show and mail orders have started to arrive as early as this Tuesday.  Here are some of the details on this album that was put together on fan input.

The standard edition that comes in digipak featuring artwork of Sarah's on it. The photo from the cover comes from Day One and like that cover, has been a scene painted over it.  The inside of the case also features 2 additional paintings of Sarah, one is simplified onto the CD itself.

The B-side album was recorded over 3 days and 8 of the songs were mixed in 10 hours.  Sarah described the result as being like a live album with a few overdubs.

Some of the songs kept similar arrangements to the live versions that had been previewed on littleslean. Others were given new instrumentation and arrangements.  Everything by the Gallon captures the intimate creeks of wood in the studio and has the addition of Royal Wood accompanied on a mandolin.  Sadie features Sarah on a toy piano, one that Sarah posted this picture of on Twitter.  In "My Song" Sarah added a piece in where she hums and drum is played.  The liner note printed inside the CD case credits Sarah instrumentation on vocals, timpani, strings, toy piano and mission organ.

The album was produced with Royal Wood and the case says lyrics will be available on SarahSlean.com.

"All in all, Bsides CD is a bit sad and a bit show-tune, scary-intimate and *very* dark."

Sarah Slean (Tweet)

This album was put together at the request of fans and I would love to hear your reviews.  Beauty Lives follows The Baroness Redecorates and Black Flowers being Sarah's 3rd album release in 2 years.

The comments on littleslean have been overhauled and there are fan communities on Facebook like The Passioneers.

Did your song request make it?  Are you waiting for digital release?  Were you lucky enough to get a limited edition copy? Was this your first time hearing one of the songs or did it bring back any memories?

Have a happy and safe holidays.

Passioneer Holiday Project 2010 - Thank You!

As this year on littleslean draws to a close, here is a final word from the Passioneer Holiday Project. Images again come care of Yen C.

Hello to all who participated in this year's Passioneer Holiday Project. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, this project would not have been a success without each and every one of you!

Thank you for taking the time to find a way to show Sarah Slean that she has inspired you. We're sure that all of the people who benefited from your acts of kindness are finding their lives to be just a little brighter this year.

This year after the show Sarah let us know that this yearly project inspired her to donated some of the profits from this year's Harbourfornt show to a local organization which she supports year round! How awesome is that? She inspired us, we all did something good, and now she's inspired by us. You're all part of full circle of inspiration that is making the world a better place a bit at a time.

To those who signed up but who weren't able to participate this year we still appreciate your support. It's a busy time of year and sometimes it's tough to get everything done. Never fear, we're hoping to go for a seventh year so there will be lots of opportunity to take part again.

Thank you all, have a great holiday season.

From Andrea, Cameron and Elizabeth

Holiday Concert Wrap Up

For this year's 6th annual holiday concert, Sarah was accompanied by The Baroness band featuring Chris Banks (bass), Royal Wood (organ/guitar), Mark Mariash (drums) and Dean Drouillard. (guitar).

Some of the song selection came from the requests of those who purchased VIP ticket packages.  Duncan for example was played for a request sent in from a couple from Edmonton celebrating a 10 year wedding anniversary.

The special guest opener was Jesse Labelle who played a short set followed by an intermission.

Sarah went back to the past playing songs she hadn't played since 2000 with Before Your Time and her cover of Over The Rainbow.  Me & Jerome took on a new jazz sound as it was taken on with this band.

For new songs, Sarah played The Day We Saved the World from her upcoming album and The Right Words from her newly released album Beauty Lives.  More details on Beauty Lives will posted very shortly and another post thanking those for participating in a successful Passioneer Holiday Project.

The full set list is posted below:


Hopeful Hearts
Duncan
Me & Jerome
Before Your Time
The Day We Saved the World
Blue Parade
John 23rd
So Many Miles
Parasol
Notes From the Underground
Euphoria
Sound of Water
Lucky Me
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas >> Over the Rainbow  >> Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Edelweiss
-Encore 1-
The Right Words
Day One
-Encore 2-
Little Drummer Boy

Final Reminder: Passioneer Holiday Project

There is still time to participate in this year's Passioneer Holiday Project and become a card carrying member of the Passioneers.  The dead line is this Saturday, December 11th.

Image from Limited Edition Beauty Lives cover, Batch 5. SarahSlean.com

Thanks to those who have supported the project on Facebook and already emailed in their contribution.  To participate please email slean_holiday@yahoo.ca.  you name, screen name, city and contribution.

The Right Words - Lyrics

There has been some curiousity surrounding the song The Right Words since it was considered and made it onto Sarah's bside album, Beauty Lives.

Last Friday was the first known time where Sarah has played the song publically.  For those who where fortunate enough to hear it on CBC Drive or be there, the lyrics might look  familiar.

The words are from The Prologue shown in the booklet accompanying The Baroness.

You will find the right words just you wait and see

they'll be falling from the rooftops on a blossom covered breeze

and the song you need to hear will be singing through the trees

are you listening? don't you see?

you are on the right path you will realize

that the tears will always leave you with a brighter pair of eyes

and the pain that you've been fighting

is an angel in disguise

it is love and love, love is wise

there's still time to notice

still time to believe that a door at last will open

where the darkness used to be

and the paradise you long for is underneath your feet

what are you running for? where you've been?

throw your heart into the ocean, throw your heart into the sea

you will find that all the right words

will come out naturally

Sarah and Royal playing CBC's Sounds of the Season (radio)

Sarah Slean and Royal Wood are both part of this year's CBC's Sounds of the Season this Friday December 3rd.  The tapping takes place at 12:30 - 1:00 PM  for the CBC radio show titled Drive hosted by Buck 65.

A full list of performers, schedule and donor information can be found here.  CBC does stream their content international online and may have the program available via a podcast (mp3) at a later date.


Update: 2010-12-03
In a few minutes, 3:30 CBC Radio Drive will start to air on the CBC and end at 7:00.  I was able to attend the half hour taping today and it's worth staying in for.  By the way the piece went, it seems that they will keep this part as one segment.  If you catch this post a bit later, you can try time shifting online or record it on a PVR.

Sound's of the Season is CBC fund raiser for the Daily Bread Food Bank.  Your contribution to it could be included in this year's Passioneer Holiday Project.

Spoiler Alert....






Sarah played the following songs.
The debut of her Beauty Live's b-side, The Right Words.  The song is beautiful and it reminded me on that first listen to Looking for Someone.
Sarah and Royal Wood then joined each other for a rendition of Baby, It's Cold Outside.  They have done this song together at the annual holiday concert and this time the lyrics stayed in hand for a great performance.
Sarah closed off the show with a tradional cover on the piano of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

Sarah plays @ Cavalcade of Lights 2010

Sarah is playing the 2010 Cavalcade of Lights opening celebration at Natahan Phillips Square on Saturday November 27th. The free concert starts at 8:00pm and also features performances by Shawn Desman and Divine Brown.

In 2007 Sarah played this event playing What Child Is This? (Available on Women and Songs Christmas album) and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. She also took part in a group number for Walking in a Winter Wonderland.  Other songs that Sarah has played in recent years at her holiday concerts include Silent Night and Baby, It's Cold Outside.

Holiday Shows and Beauty Lives album on Sale Now!

Within this hour Sarah tweeted with regards to announcing this year's Holiday Shows and the B-Side albums on sale in various packages.

Before reading on, it might be best to order your ticket package as seats are on a first come first serve basis and limited edition  B-side albums only have a quantity of 50 available online.  Click here to order.

The B-Side album titled, Beauty Lives, track listing are:

• I Do
• Sadie
• Count Me Out
• Everything By the Gallon
• Closer
• Glenn Gould Song
• Hooligans
• Ogoni Star
• The Right Words
• My Song

The biggest surprise is seeing The Right Words make the list.  This song title has only been known through littleslean from this set list I collected.  Rockstar and Oh Man! are two songs that might have been close to making it but don't really seem to fit into this album that Sarah has described on twitter as sounding "a bit sad and a bit show-tune, scary-intimate and *very* dark."

I have not been able to see these concerts listed on Harbourfront or any other ticketing sites as yet but they may wait for the ticketed packages to sell out first.