Shawn Colvin to play Sanctuary Concerts

In her songs, Shawn Colvin has never denied the dark side of life. Her best-known song, “Sunny Came Home,” depicts a woman who burns down her own house, possibly as a prelude to other, deadlier acts.

“People like the dark stuff,” Colvin says. “There’s some mystery in that song.”

Colvin also acknowledges the darkness in her own life. In her 2012 memoir, “Diamond in the Rough,” she writes candidly about her bouts with depression, broken relationships, and addiction.

“The most helpful thing to me during my dark times was hearing about other people going through the same things and coming out whole on the other side,” she says.

The spectrum of Colvin’s work will be on display when she performs at the Presbyterian Church in Chatham as part of the Sanctuary Concert series tonight.

Colvin says she is happy to be returning the Sanctuary. “The acoustics are great,” she says. ‘The vibe of performing in a church doesn’t always work, but that one does.”

Though best known for folk-influenced songs, Colvin’s career encompasses a number of musical styles.

A native of South Dakota, she started playing guitar at age 10. In her teens and early 20s, she played with hard rock bands and west swing groups. She even did musical theater, appearing off-Broadway in such shows as “Pump Boys and Dinettes.”

On the rise

In 1989, Colvin – working with her friend, producer, and co-writer John Leventhal – released her debut, “Steady On.” It was greeted with critical acclaim and earned her a Grammy for best contemporary folk album.

The next few albums found Colvin pursuing other musical veins, including an appropriately-titled CD called “Cover Girl,” in which she performed songs written by such artists as Sting, Talking Heads, and Tom Waits.

However, Colvin says at the time she was feeling some pressure from Columbia, her label. “Record companies want singles,” she says. “I would turn in an album, and the company kept looking for a song to release as a single, and it wasn’t happening.”

In 1996, Colvin and Leventhal went into the studio to cut her next album. Colvin’s marriage was ending, and the album turned into a song-cycle about loss and divorce.

“We went into that knowing that there wouldn’t be a single,” Colvin says. Ironically, the result album, “A Few Small Repairs,” became her biggest commercial success and yielded “Sunny Came Home,” which won two Grammys.

Since then, Colvin has released four albums, including a holiday CD. She also wrote “Diamond in the Rough,” which she admits was not her idea.

Colvin’s most recent album, “All Fall Down,” was released in 2012, the same year as “Diamond in the Rough.” “I don’t think the book has had an effect on my music,” she says. “They’re two different things.”

She is gearing up for a busy year of touring and recording. She is currently putting the finishing touches on a new CD of covers. This fall, she will go into the studio to record an album of duets with Steve Earle, with whom she has been touring.

“Steve and I are a good combination,” Colvin says. “There’s diversity between my gentler approach and his harder-edged approach. And the great thing is that I’m capable of being harder, and he’s capable of being gentler.”

SHAWN COLVIN

WHAT: Colvin is known for thought-provoking and introspective story-songs in the folk tradition. Her career includes her 1989 debut album “Steady On” and her Grammy-winning song “Sunny Came Home.” Opening act is singer-songwriter Rebecca Pronsky, who will also perform with Colvin.

WHEN: 8 tonight

WHERE: Presbyterian Church, 240 Southern Blvd., Chatham.

TICKETS: $30

INFORMATION: 973-376-4946 or www.sanctuaryconcerts.org