Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, January 20, 2001
by Lynn Saxberg

Learn To Be Loved ***1/2
Chris MacLean (Papilia)

Ottawa-area singer-songwriter Chris MacLean seems to have come out of nowhere with her first CD. But you don't get this good without experience.

It turns out MacLean is a mature woman with grown children - and a long-time friend of singer-songwriter Mae Moore's - fulfilling a life's dream after facing some tough challenges.

That begins to account for the lyrical depth of her songwriting, the control of her silvery voice and the easy flow of her melodies. Producer Ian Tamblyn takes the music even further by filling it out with gorgeous instrumental textures, including a recurring soprano sax that recalls the work of Ottawa native Peter Kiesewalter, who played on many local CDs through the '90s. To my ears, it's what gives MacLean's work that cool, clear Ottawa sound.

Highlights include the percussive title track, the shimmering, lonely Out of The Blue, and the two tracks inspired by motherhood: EMA, for her daughter Erin, and Beautiful Boy for her son, Owen.