Sarah Slean Loves Winners And Leonard Cohen

03/31/08 5:30pm

by Jen White (CHARTattack)

Singer/songwriter Sarah Slean recently released her fifth studio album, The Baroness, and has updated her website with a slew of "Vitamins" — a list of her favourite music, books, films and artists. But one thing she hates is shopping.

"I get so frustrated because, you know, you go out and you just want something simple, and I don't want it to be $300," she says. "I try to go shopping with something in mind.

"I just think to myself: 'Audrey Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn,' and then I find it orients you. It themes your shopping."

The songstress has a more definitive answer for favourite stores when it comes to shopping for shoes.

"Winners is good for shoes. I've found some sweet shoes there. I really like this place on Roncesvalles [Avenue in Toronto] called Frock. That's a cool spot."

While Slean has worked with numerous musicians — including Hayden, Howie Beck and Ron Sexsmith — she still has a long list of favourite artists with whom she'd like to collaborate. "I would love to work with Leonard Cohen," she says.

"I would also love to work with Goldfrapp because I think Alison Goldfrapp's amazing. And if we're getting a little crazy here, I really would like to do a little duet with Mr. Thom Yorke. That would be awesome.

"There's people in Toronto that I think are really brilliant, too. There's a young girl, Kyrie Kristmanson, we'll probably end up doing something together. I think she's so good."

If Slean thinks you're good at directing music videos, you could win a trip to Paris, France. There's a contest on her website calling for fans to create a video for current single "Get Home" from media supplied on the site. The winner will receive a free trip for two to the city where The Baroness was written.

"I think it's going gangbusters," says Slean. "They keep telling me that there's all of these things for me to look at, but I don't want to look at them piecemeal. I want to see them all together."

Make sure you get your entry in before the contest closes on April 7.

Here are Slean's Canadian tour dates:

April 29-30 Vancouver, BC @ Vancouver East Cultural Centre
May 2 Victoria, BC @ Alix Goolden Hall
May 5 Calgary, AB @ Knox United Church
May 8 Edmonton, AB @ Winspear Centre
May 9 Saskatoon, SK @ Broadway Theatre
May 11 Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
May 22 Ottawa, ON @ Bronson Centre
May 23 Toronto, ON @ Music Hall
May 24 Kitchener, ON @ The Gig Theatre
May 26 Fredericton, NB @ The Playhouse
May 29 Halifax, NS @ Rebecca Cohn Auditorium