| Sarah Sadler 1) beautiful* 2) hide me in Your love 3) orbit* 4) dreams of you* 5) say you do* 6) running into You 7) love affair* 8) best thing 9) where I'll be waiting* 10) simply complicated* 11) down to You *My favorite songs Click here to hear clips |
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| Links: Essential Records |
| A father’s nurturing influence and a family’s musical legacy gives new artist Sarah Sadler the creative props to breakout with her debut record, Sarah Sadler, an evocative, hopeful, pop music collection that reshapes today’s youthful cynicism. A third-generation musician, Sarah’s vocal gifts came naturally by way of her grandmother, who was an accomplished musician. Her lyrical ingenuity and love of words undoubtedly came from her father and songwriting partner Gary Sadler, a recognized worship leader and writer of “Ancient of Days” and “Lord Over All.” At age 9, she was inspired to pen her first song, “I Will Pray,” which landed on an Integrity Music children’s record. A decade later, she’s never looked back, fulfilling what she believes she was born to do. Growing up in and around recording studios, Sarah’s work includes: “Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful,” on Essential Records’ Our God of Wonders collection; “This Is My Prayer,” a beautiful duet with Margaret Becker opening the Dove Award-winning The Prayer of Jabez: Music . . . A Worship Experience; and a cover of “Draw Me,” found on Your Love Broke Through: The Worship Songs of Keith Green. Shirking the formulaic for the poetic, her debut record, Sarah Sadler, is a singer/songwriter’s pop album, a technically tricked-out collection of 11 original songs written or co-written by a 19-year-old with depth that belies her age. It’s a carnival of great expectations, evoking a passion for pursuing life head-on with grace and honesty. Her perpetually hopeful optimism puts negativity through the wringer, and when life seems fickle and untrustworthy, Sarah’s relentless vindication of God’s goodness restores confidence. Her art smacks agreeably with attitude—be part of the solution or get out of the way. “Hey, it beats the alternative!” she exclaims with a vivacious and good-natured laugh. “There are a lot of people consumed in the wrongs of the world. They feel victimized and cheated. Living a ho-hum life, being the victim of circumstances—that’s not for me. I know that I can take what’s on my plate and make it as good as it can be.” “In our society today, there is this ‘you-owe-me-something’ mentality, and I don’t agree with that,” she continues. “Nobody owes us anything. There are a lot of takers and not a lot of givers. I want to give more than I take.” The wellspring of Sarah’s poetry is her maturing Christian faith. Going beyond mere life-affirming sentiments--- ones that wow the listener with hot vocal licks and practiced choreography ---Sarah writes with deep conviction on themes of Christian love and acceptance, both in human relationships and in one’s relationship with God. “Love is the universal theme of everything,” she says. Her songs, then, don’t unfold as morality plays, but as heartfelt vignettes of faith and hope. With this perspective, Sarah embraces the female singer/songwriter tradition in the well-spoken manner of those who inspire her, women like Jonatha Brooke, Sheryl Crow, Jennifer Kimball and Amy Grant. Poised and confident with delicate features and a radiant smile, Sarah’s attractiveness reflects the beauty of her aspirations. For her, crafting good songs starts with observing interesting people and participating in the lives they lead. “I love life, and life is about people and relationships, so I think a lot of my songs reflect the relationships I have and how I view them,” she says. The record benefits from the production talents of Pete Kipley and Matt Bronleewee, a team that’s prepared a blue-ribbon recipe for dynamic pop rhythms without overpowering Sarah’s lyrical prowess. “Beautiful” energetically kicks-off the record with a barrage of techno beats that punctuate Sarah’s shimmering vocals. “I’ve had a lot of great Christian influences in my life, mainly thanks to my parents for raising me in a Christian home,” she says of the song. “When you have someone in your life who walks with Christ, His beauty shines through them and it compels you to want to be that way, too, so that others can see beauty in your life.” Sarah Sadler is a vulnerable record revealing personal struggles, such as in “Running Into You.” “That’s a song I listen to over and over,” Sarah says. “It makes me feel good, and I think the verses paint a picture we’ve all seen: ‘There are days and there are nights when I just want to run from the heartache/From the mistakes, far from everyone/If I’m falling or if I’m flying I keep seeing you.’ To me, that is raw emotion everyone can relate to. It says no matter how much I don’t think I need you, I do. Every corner I turn, you are there. It’s love, regardless.” “As Christians we are called to love each other and to speak into people’s lives,” Sarah continues. “I think it’s important to be artistic, but in a way that somebody can understand. If a song’s not speaking into people’s lives, you’ve almost failed as a songwriter. I want to reach somebody with my music.” Listening to Sarah Sadler, one discovers a writer and performer finding her wings, flying into a promising new career. Following a summer of live performance events--including Atlanta Fest 2002 and Rock the Universe at Universal Studios Florida, Sarah plans to tour with labelmate Bebo Norman this fall. “I am perpetually hopeful,” Sarah says. “That doesn't mean I see life unrealistically. Of course, I've gone through hard times. But overall I have a very hopeful outlook on life, and I hope that from my art people are inspired to see life that way, too.” |
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