Lunch At Allen's previews new album at Arden Theatre

Lunch At Allen’s fans are patient. They’ve waited four years for Ontario’s best-loved exports to release a new album.

The 12-track If It Feels Good is finally slated for an official release in Jan. 2017. However, fans get to pick up a pre-launch hard copy when Lunch at Allen’s rolls into the Arden Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 16 as part of a 10-stop prairie province tour.

“It was a sweat to get it done, pressed and officially out,” said Marc Jordan heaving a slight sigh during our brief long-distance call.

Rounding out this extraordinary musical quartet is driving force Murray McLauchlan, Cindy Church and Ian Thomas. Each singer-songwriter contributes three originals to the album.

“In looking back, if there’s a theme, it’s about gratitude and appreciation for life. We’re all at a stage of life that we do what we love to do. We’re very thankful and we love to play for people. For me, music has become all-consuming. It’s not only my life’s work, but my soul,” Jordan said.

If It Feels Good is very much a labour of love. The songwriting and weeding out took six months followed by several recording sessions at Kensington Sound, one of Toronto’s most established studios.

Thomas handled the overdubbing at the console of his Dundas basement studio. The foursome later Skyped in real time with Grammy nominated Roman Klun as the producer/recording engineer mastered the album at His House-Innsbruck Recording Studios in Brooklyn.

“He came in on our speakers. It was very cool. It was great. There were no glitches, no problems.”

While planning the album, the foursome opted for an acoustic vibe.

“There’s not much overdubbing. It’s our harmonies that glue the thing together. And the themes aren’t the same, but they are connected. It’s about the sweetness of life.”

There is a mellow flavour to the new album unlike the runaway success Jordan enjoyed in the ’70s with major pop hits Marina del Rey and Survival.

“I noticed a big change in my writing when I had kids, when I got married. I look back and I see the changes in my music now.”

Working in the entertainment business, one of the most competitive in the world, can jade even the most thick-skinned performer. We’ve all seen acts where the performer was just phoning it in. However, Lunch At Allen’s has managed to escape that trap.

“We’ve all learned to be in the moment. Every night is different for us. The audience is different and they are part of the show. And everybody plays different songs.”

While improvised bantering and teasing is the foundation for their concerts, not everything is off-the-cuff.

“If somebody says something funny, we might use it again several nights later. We find set pieces that are like springboards into another conversation.”

Although each artist is celebrated individually (collectively they’ve sold over 25 million records), the team parks its ego at the stage door. And it’s evident in their natural chemistry and witty wordplay.

“At the Arden we’ll be singing some of our new songs, so you’ll be hearing our mistakes. It won’t be a well-oiled show. But the Arden is home for us and we love to play for the audience. We’re very comfortable there.”