Canadian singer-songwriter Jill Barber‘s album Chances has hit a major milestone, earning gold certification from Music Canada.
First released in 2008, the album found Barber evolving away from her prior folk-pop style and moving into vocal jazz.
“I’m beyond thrilled,” Barber said in a news release. “Although the significance of this album is not measured in sales, it’s a reflection of the number of people for whom it holds a special place in their lives. It is also a testament to the creative vision that I … always had for the album, which was to create a new collection of songs that embodied a sense of timelessness. I am honoured that it continues to resonate with so many people.”
Chances spawned many songs that are beloved by fans, and some that found a wider audience like Never Quit Loving You, used in the series finale of The L Word, and the title track, heard in the pilot episode of Orange Is the New Black.
Chances marked a breakthrough in Barber’s career as she took it on tour around the world and earned two Juno Award nominations, including new artist of the year. The album was also longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize in 2009.
“The best songs ever written are the ones that somehow transcend time and fashion,” Barber said upon the album’s initial release. “They may be old, but they haven’t aged. It is that timeless quality that I aspire to in my own songwriting.”
Barber wrote Chances while at the Banff Centre during her first years with her now-husband Grant Lawrence, and recorded it with producer Les Cooper primarily at Blue Rodeo’s Woodshed Studios in Toronto. They also captured the album’s lush, orchestral arrangements by enlisting a 10-piece string section, recorded live at the Glenn Gould Studio.
Chances features guest vocals by The Good Lovelies and The Sojourners. It also includes an extra special appearance by Ron Sexsmith, who also co-wrote three of the songs.
Last year, Barber’s label Outside Music reissued Chances to celebrate the album’s 10th anniversary.
