After veering from the adult contemporary and pop worlds, Montreal blues singer Sarah Sokal is bringing a sensational and powerful new album Twisted Games to listeners led by a delectable, brawny single “Man Made.” It’s a beefy, bluesy, party-starting track that showcases Sokal’s alluring and alarmingly strong pipes, keeping the blues alive by bridging the gap between tradition and modernity, drawing in a younger audience who appreciate both timeless blues and the appeal of mainstream music.
“Man Made,” co-written by Sokal and Stewart McKie and produced by DUBë (who also mixed, recorded, and engineered the song), brings to mind the likes of classic Amy Winehouse and the late Sharon Jones with its feel-good, uplifting tempo and confident, self-assured arrangement. Keyboardist Dave Lines complements Sokal’s introductory verse before guitarist Andy Dacoulis, bassist Dray Woods, and drummer Jean Nadeau flesh the “Man Made” to perfection. It’s a track that almost out-Dap-Kings Jones’ iconic backing group.
“I feel like being a woman in the industry calls for having a male sherpa to climb up!” Sokal says. “I have always been accompanied by a chosen male advisor/protector. I would love to experience being more surrounded by women creatives in the future, but it wasn’t in my cards that much so far.”
Sokal, who cites Beth Hart and Susan Tedeschi as influences along with icons such as Peggy Lee, Etta James and Dinah Washington, grew up listening to rock and rhythm and blues in her teens. That blues passion resurfaced and solidified after meeting producer Marc Dube for a coffee in Montreal a few years ago. “I had two songs written, and I had a strong desire to record a full blues album destined to be a vengeance album, turning the ugly I’ve experienced through my journey in the industry into something beautiful and empowering,” she says.
“Man Made” is from Sokal’s Twisted Games album, a 13-track release whose origins began during the pandemic and faced challenges with social distancing during the recording process. Wanting to put her own stamp on the record, Sokal found the freedom to “express myself better” with this record and developing her artistic identity and sound. She also says the creative process is what fuels her passion. “It is never fully conscious decisions; I just go along with my instincts,” Sokal says. “I like to paint and write songs without a plan or a proper canvas. That’s where the pure and true energy feeds my imagination.”
Sokal has had an illustrious career thus far. Writing her first song at age five (entitled “Pourquoi”), the musician professionally recorded her first song “I’m Lost” when she was just 15. From there she performed as a teenager in various hotels around Montreal and Quebec before forming The Sarah Sokal Band. Her group performed at various private functions, corporate events, and fundraisers, showcasing a musical mix of pop, adult contemporary, and blues. She is also a vocal coach and has worked with a variety of Juno Award-nominated and Juno Award-winning artists.
Sokal’s previous releases include EPs entitled Ink and Paper, the five-song effort Your Song and Broken Promises. The singer, who recently performed at Montreal’s Sutton en Blues Festival, was also a runner-up in the International Songwriting Contest’s Song of the Year category.
Now with “Man Made” sure to make airwaves internationally, Sarah Sokal will be performing at Montreal’s La Marche A Cote on Dec. 28. It’s the first single in a new chapter of her career that should see her rise to new heights. “They said I look like Adele, I have the accent of Celine and the face of Stevie Nicks,” Sokal quips. “I think I can live with that for a while.” Using “Man Made” as a yardstick, we can certainly live with Sarah Sokal for years to come.
