Every Road

Every Road marked an important turning point in Shari Ulrich’s recording career. After several major-label albums as both a solo artist and band member, it became her first independent CD release and reflected her return to the West Coast after time spent in Toronto and Los Angeles. Recorded in Vancouver and Deep Cove, the album paired Ulrich’s intelligent songwriting and unmistakable vocals with polished late-1980s pop production.

The album followed a period of major transition. Ulrich had already achieved national recognition through Pied Pumkin, the Hometown Band, and her solo albums for A&M and MCA. Her second LP, One Step Ahead, earned her the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year in 1981, leading to an international deal with MCA. Working with longtime producer and collaborator Claire Lawrence, she released Talk Around Town, but a major label shakeup shortly before its planned U.S. release left the album without the support it deserved.

Rather than stepping back, Ulrich returned to British Columbia and began working more independently. Every Road was produced by Graeme Coleman, with Bill Buckingham and Shari Ulrich as co-producers. The album features a strong group of West Coast musicians and collaborators, including Bill Henderson, Dave Pickell, Rene Worst, Kat Hendrikse, Harris Van Berkel, Joani Bye, Sean Hosein, Warren Stanyer, Marc Lafrance, Jane Mortifee, and others.

The songs balance personal reflection with a bright, radio-ready production style. Tracks such as ‘Legacies,’ ‘The Heartland,’ ‘House Up On The Hill,’ and ‘Every Road’ show Ulrich working in a contemporary pop setting while still carrying forward the melodic instincts and instrumental grounding that had defined her earlier folk and roots-based work.

Released around the same period that Ulrich formed UHF with Bill Henderson and Roy Forbes, Every Road stands as a bridge between her major-label solo years and the independent, collaborative West Coast work that would follow through the 1990s.