Sarah McLachlan: Tiny Desk Concert

During a Sarah McLachlan performance, the chills come when you least expect them. One of the most expressive singer-songwriters of her generation, McLachlan makes the goosebumps happen with her gloriously gentle, iridescent voice — particularly through her negotiation of the break between its registers. She does just that in the first song of this Tiny Desk, an almost country-fied version of her 1997 hit "Building a Mystery"  [prod/co-written by Pierre Marchand]. With Luke Doucet's impossibly delicate guitar arpeggios as her guide, McLachlan takes the song beyond its edge at the very last minute, gliding into a high note that remains unresolved. It's one of several moments here that feel miraculous.

McLachlan has long been a purveyor of such small graces. Despite her renown as founder of the Lilith Fair tour, she has been underestimated as a major player in the reinvention of pop balladry, when she updated a folk-based sound with modern-rock flourishes and a fresh, feminist perspective. Here, playing alongside her longtime collaborators Doucet and Melissa McClelland — a husband-wife duo who've made many beautiful albums under the name Whitehorse — she highlights the side of her art that's grounded in deep feeling and unassuming virtuosity. At one point, she apologizes to those watching because her back is to them while she's at the piano. But from whatever angle experienced, this is one of the Tiny Desk's warmest and most poignant sets.

SET LIST

• "Building a Mystery" [produced/co-written by Pierre Marchand]
• "Reminds Me"
• "Only Human"
• "Adia" [produced/co-written by Pierre Marchand]
• "Angel"

MUSICIANS

• Sarah McLachlan: vocals, guitar, piano
• Luke Doucet: guitar, background vocals
• Melissa McClelland: bass, background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM

• Producer: Mitra I. Arthur
• Director/Editor: Kara Frame
• Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
• Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
• Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern
• Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
• Production Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Dora Levite
• Photographer: Michael Zamora
• Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Felix Contreras
• Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
• Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
• Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
• Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton