MORRISBURG – The atmosphere was warm and intimate as singer/songwriter Isabelle Delage launched her new CD, Songs from My Little Couch, on Saturday, March 10, from St. James Anglican Church in Morrisburg. This was her second album, following the release of Inundation in 2006.
It was a special evening for both the audience and the artist.
“Individual songs speak to people in different ways,” Delage explained, tired but exhilarated following her concert, which drew a large audience to the acoustically excellent church. “It’s very rewarding when someone tells you that you have touched them to their core. A lot of my songs are reflections on the passage of time, and people relate to that.”
Delage is a folk singer. Her songs are drawn from her own experiences in her journey along the road.
Blessed with a pure, clear voice with rich undertones, she delivered on numbers from the gently comical, “Ode to a Couch”, to the wistful “Telling Lies.” When she sang a cover like Ron Hynes “Picture to Hollywood,” it was because the song spoke to her personally, reflecting her own thoughts and emotions.
The very diverse audience related fully to Delage’s warmth, and the naturalness of her singing and her stage presence.
She also brought together a strong collection of fellow artists to perform with her at the St. James concert.
Singer/musicians from the quartet Plain Folk, (Delage is one of them), members of the Seaway Valley Singers, and friends from the community joined her on some of the numbers to the delight of the audience. Her husband Léo, who, she joked is “never allowed to sing, not even in the shower,” was lyricist for some of the songs on her albums.
“I am so fortunate to be supported by all these talented musicians and singers,” she said.
For Delage, a touching part of the evening was being joined on stage, (performing both vocals, and accompanying her mother on the cello), by her daughter, Blanche, who came all the way from Germany for the CD launch.
Several other members of Delage’s family had also come to the Side Door Coffee House March 9 for the CD’s release in Quebec.
The launch of Songs from My Little Couch had another very special purpose.
The admission money all went to the Tilted Steeple Coffee House’s Refugee Sponsorship Fund. That fund will receive nearly $1,000 from the Delage concert.
Attending the concert was a new Canadian family, originally from Syria, who had recently arrived in this country because of sponsorship.
“A very special moment for me was when I introduced that Syrian family,” Delage said. “I have never felt prouder to be Canadian, because we are doing the right thing here.
The length of the applause that family received brought tears to my eyes.” Free will donations from the refreshment tables were presented to the family at the concert.
While the words are taken from the song “No Regrets”, about dreams chosen, and dreams not chosen, the chorus seems to reflect singer/songwriter Isabelle Delage’s approach to life.
“My wish for you –
That you’ll always think
It’s beautiful
