Pop music has always been synonymous with youth. It is common for recording artists under 30 to reign on the pop charts. That’s been so from the Beatles to Taylor Swift. However, musicians of a certain age — those who have crossed the AARP threshold, those that are 50-plus — have made some of the finest albums of the last decade.
Bob Dylan’s “Rough and Rowdy Ways” was recorded just before the enigmatic iconoclast became an octogenarian and it’s right up there with “Blood on the Tracks” and “Blonde on Blonde” as one of his greatest works, which is beyond remarkable.
Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and The Rolling Stones have each impressed over the last decade with quality albums and performances.
Add Sarah McLachlan to that club, which breathes rarefied air. The Canadian singer-songwriter has released her first album, “Better Broken,” in nearly a decade, and it’s worth the wait.
McLachlan, 57, is on a brief 9-day tour of the United States, which stops Saturday, Nov. 29 at the Orpheum Theatre. The founder of the beloved Lilith Fair, which was a tour that featured solo female artists and female-led bands during the late ’90s and during the summer of 2010, is back with a release that’s on a level with her 1993 breakthrough album, “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.”
McLachlan kicked off her show in Philadelphia at the Met last week, on Nov. 17, with the title track. McLachlan casually strolled to the piano with a solo rendition of a poignant track about how some relationships are best not rekindled.
On the flip side of the moving “Better Broken” is the catchy rocker “One in a Long Line,” which was co-written with the under-heralded Anne Preven, formerly of Ednaswap.
“That was the last song written for my album,” McLachlan said. “Sometimes the best songs on an album are the last to be added.”
McLachlan couldn’t be more correct. Some of the last additions, which were for the most part, reluctant inclusions, are Nirvana’s signature song “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” The Clash’s “Train in Vain,” U2’s “40,” Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid,” Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” and Toto’s “Africa.”
McLachlan’s first album of original material since 2014’s melancholy “Shine On,” which was crafted after the death of her father and her divorce, is comprised of warm, vibrant and confident material. Like the finest songs she has crafted, McLachlan’s latest batch of songs come straight from the heart. Her supporting cast in the studio didn’t hurt. Drummer Matt Chamberlain (Fiona Apple, Alanis Morissette), pianist Benny Bock (Bruce Hornsby, Feist) and Wendy Melvoin (Prince) are exceptional players. McLachlan navigates through personal and world issues and somehow finds light and hope during turbulent times.
The mix of new songs and signature tunes, such as the soaring “Sweet Surrender” provided balance. Some recording artists are reluctant to deliver fresh material since it’s unfamiliar to the audience but the crowd in Philly was in rapt attention no matter what McLachlan rendered.
“A portion of each ticket at all of my shows are going to my school,” McLachlan said. “That’s something I just have to do.”
McLachlan is referring to The Sarah McLachlan School of Music, which is an outreach program that provides music education for inner city children. McLachlan noticed that music programs were being cut from school curriculum and started a free music school in 2002 with funds earned from the Lilith Fair.
Some McLachlan Schools of Music operate throughout Canada. In the 2024/2025 school year, McLachlan provided group and private lessons to 1,754 students.
McLachlan’s altruism isn’t surprising. The mother of two daughters is a well-known animal lover who has supported the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals by appearing in advertisements. McLachlan filmed a two-minute spot for the ASPCA, which features her touching hit “Angel.” McLachlan’s appeal for donations has raised $30 million for the ASPCA since it began to air in 2006.
McLachlan contributed the track “Hold On” to the 1993 AIDS-benefit album “No Alternative” and performed in the Philadelphia installment of Live 8, which was designed to put pressure on the leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations to fight poverty in Africa by cancelling debt.
“I’ve always tried to help whenever I can,” McLachlan said. “I have so much and it’s very important for me to give back.”
As a philanthropist and as a musician, who has delighted her fans with ten albums, McLachlan shows no signs of halting an ever evolving career.
Sarah McLachlan at The Orpheum
WHEN: 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 29
WHERE: The Orpheum Theatre, 842 S. Broadway, Los Angeles.
COST: $80.75
INFO: 1-877-677-4386, laorpheum.com