Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle
Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle is a two-disc compilation tribute album to Canadian singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle, released by Nonesuch Records in June 2013. The album features select songs from four concerts held in honor of McGarrigle, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame member of the duo Kate & Anna McGarrigle who died of sarcoma in 2010. Following her death, a series of tribute concerts was organized by her children (singer-songwriters Rufus and Martha Wainwright) and her sister Anna in London, New York and  Toronto. Proceeds from the concerts helped to establish the Kate McGarrigle Foundation, a nonprofit organization which serves to fight sarcoma and preserve McGarrigle's artistic legacy; net proceeds from the album will also benefit the Foundation. "Sing Me the Songs" was produced by Joe Boyd, who also curated the tribute concerts. Background and promotion. Following Kate McGarrigle's death in 2010 from sarcoma, her children Rufus and Martha Wainwright and her sister Anna McGarrigle organized a series of tribute concerts: June 12, 2010 at Royal Festival Hall in London, May 12–13, 2011 at Town Hall in New York City, and  June 13, 2012 at Luminato in Massey Hall, Toronto. The London concert was commissioned and produced by Southbank Centre as part of Meltdown, an annual music festival curated by a different artist each year (Richard Thompson in 2010); Catherine Steinmann served as co-producer and Calum MacColl served as music director. Thompson said of the McGarrigle tribute at Meltdown, called "A Celebration of Kate McGarrigle": The New York performances were produced by Absolutely Live Entertainment, Steinmann and Teddy Wainwright; Brad Albetta, Thomas Bartlett and MacColl served as music directors. The concert in Toronto was commissioned and produced by Luminato and  recorded by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; Steinman and Teddy Wainwright served as co-producers and Albetta, Bartlett and MacColl again served as music directors. Select songs from the four concerts in all three cities were used for the compilation album, "Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle". Joe Boyd curated the concerts and produced the album. The New York concerts were filmed for the documentary "", directed by Lian Lunson and co-produced by Lunson and Teddy Wainwright. Proceeds from the concerts helped to establish the Kate McGarrigle Foundation, a nonprofit organization which serves to fight sarcoma and  preserve McGarrigle's artistic legacy; net proceeds from the album will also benefit the Foundation. "Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You" features interviews by McGarrigle's friends and family members, plus performances of her music. The film was screened at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) June 25, 2013 and was followed by a discussion panel with ensemble members, including Rufus and Martha. The film opened theatrically the following day at Film Forum in New York City. Also on June 26, 2013, BAM hosted a benefit concert called Kate's Kids at its Howard Gilman Opera House . Both events at BAM were benefits for the Kate McGarrigle Foundation. Critical reception. "Sing Me the Songs" received positive reviews from music critics. Robin Denselow of "The Guardian" found both the performers and the songs reminiscent of McGarrigle's creative breadth, as the exhibited "intense, personal lyrics" and "often exquisite melodies influenced by folk, country and hymns." "The New Zealand Herald"s Graham Reid said that McGarrigle's songs were fondly interpreted and cited highlights such as "Saratoga Summer Song", "Mother Mother", and "I Cried for Us". Joe Breen of "The Irish Times" wrote that younger performers such as Sloan and  Martha Wainwright validate the album's worth, particularly on "Proserpina". Breen also highlighted the production of Joy Boyd, who "moulds the recording into a powerful exhibition of sustained catharsis and wonderful singing." Allmusic's Thom Jurek called the album an occasionally uneven but "thoroughly engaging" affirmation of McGarrigle's distinctive artistry. In his review for MSN Music, Robert Christgau felt that the performance worked better as a show rather than as recorded music, but wrote that despite Rufus and Martha Wainwright's oversinging of McGarrigle's songs, "it's a hell of a songbook, and in the end it's  the lesser material that fares worse, not the less experienced performers." Christgau found Antony Hegarty's performance of "Go Leave" more moving than Richard and Linda Thompson's version, and cited "Travelling On for Jesus" as the next best song on the album. Track listing. The two-disc compilation album includes 34 tracks: 16 on the first disc, 18 on the second. All songs written by Kate McGarrigle, unless noted otherwise. Track listing adapted from Nonesuch Records. Personnel. Credits adapted from Nonesuch Records.