Sarah McLachlan Albums (11)
What The Critics Say
Because no artist's career is truly complete without a holiday album, Sarah McLachlan took yet another step toward establishing her place in sentimental adult contemporary radio history with Wintersong. For the most part, the singer chooses the darker, more melancholic, and "wintry" pieces to cover (there's no "Joy to the World" or "Angels We Have Heard on High," for example), focusing as much on the Christmas season and the general feel of the holiday as on its religious connotations. She brings together the folk spiritual "Mary Mary" -- also called "Virgin Mary" when covered by Joan Baez on her 1966 Noël or "Mary What You Gonna Call That Pretty Little Baby" when a black gospel song -- and the traditional "The First Noel," showing off not only her own impressive range but her ability to adapt to different vocal styles while still remaining wholly herself. Her version of Gordon Lightfoot's "Song for a Winter's Night," which was originally released on the 1994 Miracle on 34th Street soundtrack (and then on McLachlan's Rarities, B-Sides & Other Stuff), is pretty and sweet, using as acoustic guitar as well as layers and layers of vocal harmonies to create a sense of space and warmth, and her cover of Joni Mitchell's "River" is lovely, too, using a guitar and arpeggiated synths to push the song sadly along. The synths, in fact, are used frequently on Wintersong, sometimes in their string form on "O Little Town of Bethlehem" or "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," which works nicely, but more often as slightly new agey background effects that get a little tedious, especially considering the fact McLachlan has always been able to carry herself on more organic instrumentation, and sound good doing it, too. She does manage to just stick to only the sad, reflective piano chords on which she has earned her living -- nice in their simplicity -- on the title track, the one original song on the album, which sounds a lot, both thematically and musically, like "River," using Christmas as a way to contemplate a lover ("And this is how I see you/In the snow on Christmas morning..../Oh I miss you now, my love, merry Christmas," she sings). McLachlan's voice sounds great, and her interpretations stick pretty close to the originals while still expressing her own artistic individuality (with the exception of "What Child Is This [Greensleeves]," in which she goes too far, taking liberties with the melody and changing the song too much); but in making everything so soft and ethereal, instead of increasing their poignancy (which is certainly a goal of hers), she kills some of the songs' immediacy and power, unfortunately rendering Wintersong a little lifeless, albeit soothing, at the end. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Like Sarah McLachlan's multi-platinum-selling Mirrorball from 1999, Afterglow Live relies on the breathy Canadian's fluid and faultless vocals and performances -- by McLachlan and band alike -- that are so spot-on that they may well have been cut in the studio. The recording follows the singer through her summer tour, a jaunt that ended up in her hometown of Vancouver -- the 15 tracks are culled from a pair of shows in Toronto. While heavy on material from the 2003 release that gives the record its name, McLachlan classics like "Building a Mystery" and "Sweet Surrender" sound as reliable as ever. But the real meat here is the accompanying 23-track DVD, featuring behind-the-scenes footage, live performances, and videos, specifically director Sophie Muller's confrontational short for "World on Fire," which features McLachlan performing over displays that compare the costs of video production with those of food and medical supplies. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
During the mid-'90s, Sarah McLachlan was a near-ubiquitous presence in pop music, establishing adult alternative pop radio with 1994's Fumbling Toward Ecstasy and 1997's Surfacing and spearheading the popular Lilith Fair touring festival, but once the last Lilith wound up in 1999, she retreated from the spotlight, had a baby, and seemingly retired from music. Four years later, she made a typically subdued return with Afterglow, her first album in six years. Not much has changed in the time she was away. Afterglow is firmly within the McLachlan signature sound -- a softly tuneful, mildly atmospheric blend of classic singer/songwriterism and a touch of vaguely dreamy alternative pop, all shined and immaculately produced by Pierre Marchand. Prior to its release, the album was touted as the first collection of songs she wrote entirely on piano, not guitar, but ultimately this doesn't make much of a difference to the overall feel and effect of the album, which perfectly dovetails with Surfacing. At times, the pacing is so languid and the production so open-ended, the album kind of drifts away, but it's not only in a pleasant fashion; it's also no different than its immediate predecessor, which also could meander. In other words, after a prolonged absence, Sarah McLachlan re-emerges with a record that could have followed Surfacing by six months, not years. Some may call that predictable, some may call it reliable, but there's little arguing that Afterglow is a solid effort -- it won't win new fans, but it will certainly satisfy the old ones. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'The Songs of Sarah McLachlan'
Release Date 1/1/2000
Tracks 10
Label BCI
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Mirrorball: The Complete Concert'
Release Date 11/8/1999
Tracks 23
Label Arista
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Sarah McLachlan's 1999 Mirrorball, her first ever live album, showed off the singer in the prime of career, when her popularity both as an artist and as the organizer of Lilith Fair had made her a star. And while that record was good, and exposed the talents of McLachlan's powerful, clear voice and the strength of her band, it generally stuck to her most famous songs, especially those off her then most recent album, Surfacing. That same year, however, a DVD of the last shows on her concert tour (in Portland, OR, on April 20 and 21, 1998), Mirrorball, also came out, and it featured the singer's entire set list -- which pulled from all four of the albums she had out -- as well as her conversations with the audience and her between-sing banter. Mirrorball: The Complete Concert, released in 2006, includes the audio tracks from that show, banter (even more banter, in fact) included. McLachlan sounds impeccable throughout the entire album, her voice sliding easily from its higher range in "Path of Thorns" to something softer in "Do What You Have to Do" to the near wailing in the extended version of the song that first brought her to fame in the U.S., "Possession." Her band, too, whom she introduces on the second disc, is tight and professional, adding enough of their own instrumental prowess to make the performance something different than what would be heard on the studio-recorded discs. In fact, the live versions of "Plenty" and "Ice," with their additional vocal harmonies, are superior to the originals, which if nothing else attests to the abilities of McLachlan and everyone with whom she surrounded herself. The majority of the material covered comes from Surfacing and Fumbling Towards Ecstacy, especially the latter -- all tracks but "Circle" are included -- but she also dips back into Solace for "The Path of Thorns," a rousing version of "Into the Fire," and "I Will Not Forget You" (which is not to be confused with "I Will Remember You," also performed here) and even to her debut, Touch, with "Vox." It's a strong set, presenting the best of what chick-rock was in the late '90s: emotional, introspective music that could kick in both a distorted electric guitar and a soft piano with equal facility. By 2006, McLachlan had sunk into adult contemporary obscurity/notoriety, but Mirrorball: The Complete Concert shows her at her best, a nice reminder of what she once was, and why she had so many devoted fans. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Released at the front end of 1999's Lilith Fair, Mirrorball is a take-home sampler of the live performances that catapulted Sarah McLachlan into the modern rock stratosphere. Over half of the album's 14 songs are radio hits (including four of the first five), proving McLachlan's worth as a pop songstress bar none, but also hinting at an underlying stagnation in her recent musical output. Though fans of McLachlan and folks who missed her Lilith performances will likely enjoy Mirrorball, it's a little too by-the-book to win any converts or please critical listeners. There is little dialogue between songs, for example, and the sound quality is so pristine that if it weren't for the occasional hoot and holler from the audience, one would never know it's a live album. ~ Steve Kurutz, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Surfacing was released as the first Lilith Fair tour hit the road, and Sarah McLachlan benefited enormously from the timing. As the organizer of Lilith Fair, McLachlan was on the cover of magazines across America and Canada, which helped Surfacing debut at number two on the U.S. charts -- a particularly remarkable feat since its predecessor, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, peaked at number 50. Although Surfacing didn't offer anything new from McLachlan and wasn't a particularly strong consolidation of her talents, it certainly wasn't a bad record and featured several fine songs, including the single "Building a Mystery." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A largely forgotten album in the wake of Sarah McLachlan's mainstream success, Touch was the first album anyone heard from the singer. Only 19 at the time, McLachlan had years to go before she would become the seductive songstress of Fumbling Towards Ecstacy or the sensitive balladeer of Surfacing. Instead, she has more of an ethereal sound, enhanced by keyboards and a lush production that gives it a polished feel. Bringing to mind the '80s incarnations of both Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, the songs here are moody pop tracks that showcase her incredible range more than anything else. A few tracks, especially "Vox" and "Steaming," are beautiful tracks that have a light sense of yearning that she would later develop into the sensual crooning of her mid-'90s work. And "Ben's Song," a piano ballad, would go on to be included in her live shows long after the other tracks from this album disappeared from them. But Touch is vastly different from the rest of her material (save for maybe a few tracks on Solace), making it a surprise to most curious fans. Her performance is the point where this is most obvious, as her gorgeous voice lacks most of the personality and emotion that she would later develop. But the material isn't bad, just uncharacteristic of the rest of her career. Some fans might be disappointed by the copious amounts of keyboards and McLachlan's restrained performance, but Touch is still a winner. Just a flawed winner, coming from a talented artist who was still searching for her artistic voice. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide
'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy'
Release Date 2/15/1994
Tracks 12
Label Arista
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Although 1991's Solace made Sarah McLachlan a star in Canada, her international breakthrough arrived two years later with Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, a softly assured album that combined the atmospheric production of Pierre Marchand (a former apprentice -- and evident disciple -- of Daniel Lanois) with some of McLachlan's strongest songwriting to date. At the center of everything was her voice, an ethereal, lilting soprano that helped pave the way for Paula Cole, Lillith Fair, and a decade's worth of successful female songwriters. McLachlan utilized the crack between her chest and head voice, emphasizing the changing tones as her melodies climbed into the vocal stratosphere. She was also comparatively young at the time of Ecstasy's release, and her combination of vocal hooks and commercial appeal wouldn't be fully mastered until 1997's Surfacing. Even so, McLachlan's work was rarely as raw or honest as it is on this record, where tales of sin, lust, and love are delivered alongside piano arpeggios and electronic flourishes. "Possession," the album's lead-off single, is a jarring love ballad with lyrics inspired by a stalker's correspondence. There's a double-edged quality to the song's eerie lines -- "I'll take your breath away," "I won't be denied," "Just close your eyes, dear" -- and Marchand underscores that tension by setting McLachlan's melodies to a nocturnal trip-hop beat. Elsewhere, the two lighten up with "Ice Cream," which likens love's sweetness to decadent deserts, yet Fumbling Towards Ecstasy takes most of its strength from the lush, rhythmic dreamscapes that dominate the album. Alternately dark and shimmering, intimate and ornate, soothing and slyly unsettling, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy launched McLachlan's international star power while setting a high bar for her future albums, many of which approached -- but not never quite eclipsed -- this career highlight. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A nice companion piece to Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, The Freedom Sessions offers seven early versions of songs from that album in a more stripped-down form. Also included is a cover of Tom Waits' "Ol' 55." ~ Chris Woodstra, All Music Guide
