Sarah McLachlan - Mirrorball

Grafted from McLachlan's supremely satisfying 1998 performances, Mirrorball is drawn almost equally from the multiplatinum Surfacing and its superior predecessor, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. (Included also is the lovely, hard-to-come-by "I Will Remember You.") Live, a haunting ballad such as "Possession" becomes a fevered, aggressive bit of psychedelia. "Hold On" reveals new depths when performed behind the beat with morphing time signatures and driving piano. McLachlan's warmly expressive voice is still at the epicenter of her performances. She roams through these 14 songs with agile ease, riding the rails between singing for dramatic arena effect--huskily growling, airily trilling--and knowing what to play down with her sensually controlled crooning (witness such gems as Fumbling's title song and "Good Enough"). Overall, McLachlan's vocals match the heavily percussive intensity of her band and the build of her backing vocalists, producing a more spacious sound than the precise pitch rendered on her studio recordings. --Paige La Grone Amazon.com essential recording

My first Sarah MacLachlan CD

I remember the sound almost a decade ago. The beauty of her voice, her heart-wrenching lyrics. She was the diva at the turn of the century! She is still the model for pop/rock/folk singer-songwriters today. This album is simply stunning. August 25, 2008

Fantastic and Beautiful

I could never consider ANYONE who gave this CD less than four stars and a music lover. My musical taste is rather eclectic and includes everything from opera, new age and Celtic to acid rock (except for rap, some cry-in-your-beer country and hip-hop). This CD is a gem to be prized in any collection. Sarah McLachlan has a fantastic voice and the music to accentuate her talents. April 28, 2008

If you like Sarah you will love this album

This is one of my favorite albums to listen to. Many beautiful songs with the poetic lyrics we have come to expect from MchLachlin. Another CD to check out is Afterglow. Not as well-known or as many hits off of it but a terrific listen.
Sarah has one of the most beautiful, soulful voices of today. April 7, 2008

Opened up a whole new world

I had known of Sarah McLachlan but never took any notice of her until a friend's funeral in which 'Angel'(studio version) was played.
The next day I sought out McLachlan's CDs and luckily came across 'Mirrorball', discounted to $9.99 at JB Hi-Fi(Australian equivalent of Best Buy).
What stood out immediately was the superb production.
Every instrument came through with clarity and (pardon the inarticulateness)'oomph!'
I found myself listening to music that I'd never thought I'd ever like.
'Building a Mystery',Hold On' and 'Good Enough' is a brilliant opening hat-trick and drew me into the record instantly.
Even the standard(for Sarah) 'I Will Remember You','Adia & 'I Love You' didn't get me to press the fast-forward on my player.
The second half is just a touch superior to the first.
The exhilrating 'The Path of Thorns', the starkness of 'Fear' and the desperate 'Posession' is another sublime three-in-a-row.
The (almost) bubble-gum popness of 'Sweet Surrender' and 'Ice Cream' are pleasant entrees for the final two songs.
This version of 'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy' is the best I have heard from any of Sarah's other recordings of it.
The smouldering build-up,Sarah's passionate delivery of "If I shed a tear I won't cage it, I won't fear love",the high notes she hits just before Sinclair or Ashby (help me out McLachlan diehards!)launches into an electrifying (blues?) solo which gives even my goosebumps goosebumps.
In a fitting final song, Sarah nails 'Angel' perfectly. Better than the studio version. I can see why it is commonly played at funerals.
Magnificent.
I just want to address a few criticisms of the cd from other reviewers.
Fade outs in-between songs is a tad off putting, but for me it doesn't detract from the recording, but I can understand other points of view.
I like the production but I can understand that people, who have been fans of Sarah longer than me, don't like how some songs sound too produced.
Finally for the reviewer who gave it one star after Sarah drops the f-word in 'Building a Mystery'.
You are a very small,sad little person if you let one word get in your way of enjoying a wonderful recording.Your loss.
This record has found its way back into my CD player(along with '10,000 Days' & ' Black Holes & Revelations') consistantly since April 2007.
I have subsequently bought every Sarah CD & DVD and now (shockingly & humbly) find myself a die hard fan.

February 13, 2008

MirrorBall CD

Came quickly as things usually do from Amazon. Love the CD. Wanted it for the for the song "Angel". Had searched all over and found it in Amazon. Thank you for everything. Have a Happy New Year.
Karen Heebner
December 26, 2007

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