Sara Bareilles grieves both a friend and the U.S. on her new album

Sara Bareilles grieves both a friend and the U.S. on her new album BRAD WHEELER PUBLISHED 29 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: Sara Bareilles will play Toronto's Massey Hall on Sept. 15 and 16. IAN ALLEN/SUPPLIED COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER The title of Sara Bareilles’s first album in seven years is Good Grief, which sounds either like an expression of exasperation ripped from a Peanuts comic strip, or a statement on the cathartic nature of mourning. It’s both – the double meaning is intentional. “It’s a phrase I use a lot,” she says, speaking on a video call. “I sound like my mom when I say it.” The album is a reflection on the death of a close friend and a politically conscious reaction to a society going haywire. “This whole collection of songs felt like transmissions rather than a deliberate attempt to make sense of the world,” she said earlier this year when the record was announced. Thousands in Paris belt out Celine Dion tunes at outdoor karaoke event A few months have passed. The album is out, and Bareilles is on a tour that brings her to Toronto’s Massey Hall on Sept. 15 and 16. How is she doing now? “I’m fine,” the musician, actress and Broadway composer says with a smile. “I’ve figured it all out.” Sarcasm. “No, I’m not fine,” she continues, still smiling. “I don’t think there’s a solution here. It’s not an album of answers.” What Good Grief is, then, is an elegant account of frustration and loss − melodic punches thrown in the air. The album’s first track and lead single is Home, an affecting ballad inspired by a conversation between Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper on the latter’s podcast about sorrow. The song serves as a rallying call for community: “So tell me your story, I’ll tell you mine.” From her home in New York, the 46-year-old native of Northern California spoke about journeys − musical, emotional and otherwise. When putting the album together, were you conscious of the whole 14-track experience as opposed to just putting out songs for playlists? I’m an artist who has been around long before playlists. I’m schooled in a different way. I’m also someone who takes time between records. If I’m going to take the time to make an album, I’m going to curate the listening experience from top to bottom. I should point out to the readers that the album is not a downer. The song Capsize Me is upbeat and Nervous Breakdown is probably the jazziest number about an acute mental health crisis ever written. [Laughs] Well,…