Jan. 07--Maia Sharp is calling from sunny California on the eve of her winter tour. "For artists who tour all year long, my January run of dates probably looks like a short one," the singer-songwriter says with a laugh. "But it's not going to feel like that because I'm going to be in the Midwest in the dead of winter."
The seasonal chill will be offset by the warmth of Sharp's songs when she appears at SPACE in Evanston on Saturday on a bill with singer-songwriter Catie Curtis. Sharp is touring behind her sixth solo album, the smart and stylish "The Dash Between the Dates," a strong folk-pop album built around striking lyrical ruminations on love, loss and mortality.
She has long been known as a songwriter's songwriter. A wide range of artists have covered Sharp's songs including Bonnie Raitt, Cher, the Dixie Chicks and Trisha Yearwood. She's also a producer in her own right, helming releases by Art Garfunkel, Crystal Bowersox and Edwin McCain.
We talked to Sharp recently about her career, cutting her teeth on Joni Mitchell records and what it's like to hear Raitt sing her songs. This is an edited transcript.
Q: Your song 'Phoenix' references rising from the ashes. How personal is that song?
A: Very. I wanted the songs on the new album to be more personal than my songs had been in the past. I'll be 45 in March. My first record came out when I had just turned 25. It had very few songs that were from my own experience. That makes sense because I'd had a lot less life when I was 25. The songs got more and more personal as I went on. Six records later I have an album's worth of stuff that I've actually lived.
Q: What are the challenges of writing from a very personal viewpoint?
A: There are so many little landmines I'm careful to avoid, because when I hear them in other songs it loses me. I don't want to lose anybody halfway through my songs. Just because (some experience) happened to me doesn't mean somebody else will (care). I have to find the universal way to say very personal things. That's an extra challenge. It can't just be a therapy session for yourself where you get to blurt out what happened. It's also for other people. They have to hear it, enjoy it and find something relatable in it.
Q: Among the artists who have covered your songs, was there any one interpretation that surprised you?
A: I don't know that I've been surprised by an interpretation, but for sure I've been surprised by a choice of songs. Bonnie Raitt recorded three of my songs on her 2005 album "Souls Alike." The song "I Don't Want Anything to Change" made sense. That one is rock 'n' roll. But "Crooked Crown"? That was crunchy, quirky and kind of frantic music. The lyrics were about barely keeping your head above water and having the argument in your mind all the time -- am I a fraud or am I a star? It's about being a little insecure. Bonnie is the queen of swagger, power and stability -- a rock star. She chose that song. It was something she related to and wanted to say. We're friends now. I've known her for 10 years. She is so strong, cool, earthy and awesome. But it blew me away that even a Bonnie Raitt feels that way sometimes.
Q: Do you have a favorite version among your songs that have been cut by other artists?
A: Of all my cuts, Bonnie singing "The Bed I Made" is my favorite. It's so soul satisfying. I completely believe her. I forget that I had any part in the song. It just sounds like her.
Q: How have your experiences as a singer-songwriter helped you as a producer of other artists in the studio?
A: I know it has helped that I can put myself in their shoes. I can be patient in the studio. If it takes a while, it takes a while. You want it to be right. I can also identify when (the session) is at its peak and when it's sliding down the other side of the hill.
Q: You grew up in Los Angeles with accomplished parents. Your father Randy Sharp is a well-known songwriter and music industry professional. Your mother Sharon Bays is an anthropology professor. Is she still teaching?
A: She's on a hiatus now and is about to start tutoring in history. So she's still in the game, just a different version of it. I think about how close anthropology and songwriting are. They're both about observing human behavior and trying to make sense of it.
Q: What was it like growing up in that household?
A: My parents have killer taste in music. They are why I'm such a fan of Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and Paul Simon. That's what was spinning on the turntable in our house. I was listening to that stuff in the early 1970s when I was 3, 4 and 5 years old.
Q: Did your parents support your decision to pursue music as a career?
A: They were both great. They were totally encouraging. They bought the instruments for me. My dad always had a recording studio. When I was a kid he had a 4-track. He upgraded it to an 8-track, then a 16-track, then a 24-track. Then he got into all the digital stuff -- early computer programs and sequencers. He taught me how to use all that stuff along the way. When I was writing songs in my early 20s and wanted to record them, he set me up and showed me how to do it. By that time I had a pretty good head start. I was so lucky and fortunate to have that.
Chrissie Dickinson is a freelance writer.
onthetown@tribpub.com
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston
Tickets: $17-$32; 847-556-9756 or www.evanstonspace.com
