My first taste of Sarah's music was from her 1997 album, Surfacing. But five months later, and after listening to all eight of her Arista/Nettwerk releases, my favourite album is Solace. The first seven tracks are what makes it truly so special. Drawn to the rhythm is magical in the sense of it describes a beautiful night near the ocean. Into the Fire, my all time fave. song of Sarah's is also her most upbeat, and also her coolest song. Solace is worth it just for Into the Fire alone! The third track, Path of Thorns (Terms) is a good song, but sounds much better on Mirrorball. I Will Not Forget You, the fourth track, is another favourite. A very sad song, that talks about a false relationship, Sarah says it is about using little fantasies inside your mind to entertain you at dull times in your life. (Us hardcore fans can definately relate)! Lost is not a favourite, sorry to say. The male vocals ruin the song, unlike the excellent "Trust" off Sarah's Touch CD. Back Door Man sounds very much like something Paula Cole would sing. Very earthy sound in the beginning, and the chorus kicks off with a great beat and fine lyrics. Definately one of her better songs here. Shelter is sad, a depressing song which I love anyway. The violin mix off "Rarities" may be a better version, although they both sound the same. Shelter is a beautiful song, sad as it is, as it talks about homeless animals and people, struggling for survival. The tracks after that are pretty boring. Black sounds...well...dark and distorted. I'd love to hear a remix, though, because the lyrics are some of her best on this song. Home is not quite as dull. I love it, because I have heard the live version from a murmurs CD, and I must say, she does it well live. This version is mystical and I love the beginning of the song. But the next track may be disapointing. Mercy, with the fine lyrics, has no beat whatsoever. Her lyrics are absolutely wonderful in ever song, but she should've worked harder on the musical parts, perhaps more acoustic guitar and piano would've made Solace a six star CD. Last but not least, Wear Your Love Like Heaven. No, not a favourite, but it's cute. Overall, a fine cd, and proudly one of her best works of Sarah's. She is truly a goddess, and her voice, lyrics and the mood of her songs describes my feelings at certain times in my life. I also reccomend Touch & Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, her 1st and 3rd albums, which make a fine trio of her very best works. Although Surfacing made me a fan, you must'nt overlook her fine firsts, which display her talent in the brightest light. Solace goes to prove that sometimes early works may be some of the greatest. You aren't a Sarah McLachlan fan if you don't own Solace! It's truly a cd you will want to take with you everywhere you go!

Like many other fans, I first discovered Sarah when "Possession" became a hit. I then stumbled upon "Solace", and it turned out to be a great stroke of luck. A local radio station played a really moving song with the lyrics "I Will Remember You". I couldn't find such a track (it wasn't in US distribution then) and I wasn't sure of the title at the time, so when I found the track "I Will Not Forget You" on "Solace", I thought this must be the song. Of course, it wasn't, but I find that this song is even more moving than "I Will Remember You". In fact, "Solace" contains some of Sarah's most heart-rending lyrics and haunting melodies. Three of the songs ("Drawn to the Rhythm", "Into the Fire", and "The Path of Thorns") have received reasonable exposure. But for listeners in anguish and pain, "I Will Not Forget You", "Back Door Man", and "Shelter" will provide true catharsis. This album shows incredible maturity from her first release "Touch". "Solace" is the Sarah CD I play the most often; it is the only CD I have bought two copies of--I was constantly playing it both at home and at work. It's no wonder that many fans still rave about it.

If you loved Sarah McLachlan's emotional and soul-rending 1994 release "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy," you should at least like "Solace." The music in this 1992 release bears stylistic similarity to the latter album, though the music is a bit less refined and the lyrics slightly less poetical than the later release. However, the skill and that wonderful voice are there to be appreciated.

The opening song establishes the poetic and beautiful attributes of Sarah's music. While "Drawn to the Rhythm" only modestly demonstrates Sarah's vocal and writing skills, it is a lovely, enjoyable song. The song is principally acoustic, but there is an instrument that appears in the chorus that may be electronic because I am unfamiliar with its sound.

The next song is out of place between the first and third songs. "Into the Fire" has a harder guitar beat and Sarah's voice sounds as though it is competing with the instruments. The words are less poetic and complex, and this song, while listenable, ends up looking sad next to all the quality music on this CD.

You can hear the pain that would be brought to high art in "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy," listen to "The Path of Thorns." This song is about the end of a relationship, poetically comparing the relationship to a path, now overgrown with thorns. The song is poetry set to music, with stylized descriptions of how she tried so hard, and he never noticed, or cared. I am unable to listen to this song without feeling her despair over a failed relationship for which she had no responsibility. This song may be the best song on this CD, and lucky for us, it is also the longest.

Another outstanding song is "I will not Forget You." The lyrics are full of longing and romance and pain. Sarah's words are full of depth and feelings that should not have been felt by someone as young as she. I initially read the lyrics to mean that she was in love with someone who was not helping build the fire of that love. However, the words about the sea lead me to believe that it is not another woman that competes for her lover's soul, but another interest. Women have long lamented that the sea takes the soul of their men from them.

There are Sarah McLachlan songs that I can fall into, because they speak so much to me, and I suspect they speak to others who take the time to listen. "Lost" is one such song. The backing vocals add depth to Sarah's angelic soprano voice, speaking of being with others, while being lost. You feel her loneliness as she seeks someone to lead her into the light of togetherness; the light of love.

Sarah speaks about other feelings besides love, loss and loneliness. "Back Door Man" speaks to those who have been discriminated against, for whatever reason. Here Sarah unleashes her voice in anger, while lamenting the treatment that some people face. This song contains the most drama and loudest vocals of any song on this CD. The instruments are powerful as well, but Sarah's voice powers in front of them, refusing to be denied.

Sarah understands abuse. "Shelter" is an introspective song that may or may not speak from personal experience. The song requests protection for those who may be subjected to things that they should not. I hope I never learn where such pain comes from.

A somewhat more surreal and dream-like, perhaps almost nightmarish, song is "Black." The words are faintly spoken, as though heard in a dream. The instruments are bizarre and confusing, in counterpoint for sure, but blending together into the muzzy feeling you get in a dream. The question is whether she is truly in a dream, or in a dark mental place, or somewhere else. This song is the most experimental and unique one on this CD. I prefer challenging music, and this song falls into that category. However, typically this type of music is not popular.

There is a point where emotion becomes too much to describe, as you reach deep inside you. Sarah continues to reach deeper into herself than most people know exit in "Home." I am unable to provide a definitive interpretation for this song because it could mean so many things. The song is about childhood and the loss of innocence, regardless of the source of that loss. Sarah sings beautiful pure notes on the word "home" that are wonderful to hear.

"Mercy" is a bit of a puzzler to me. The song has a hymn-like quality, and allows Sarah to display her vocal talents. The song is very sparse and less emotional than many of the other songs on this CD. This song is styled as a lament.

This CD ends with a cover of the Donovan song "Wear Your Love like Heaven." Sarah brings her breathless style to make this song her own. However, the words contrast highly with the complex poetry of her songs.

Sarah McLachlan has a beautiful voice that fits well with poetic and emotional music. She realized that ability even better in "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy," which is so beautiful that it almost hurts to listen to it. If there was a painting as beautiful as some of Sarah's music, it would strike you blind with its intensity. However, this music is not for a casual listener. It takes time to fully appreciate Sarah McLachlan's music. It is comforting to know that with all the awful music on the airways today that there are talents such as Sarah McLachlan to speak to that part of you that you may barely realize exists.

If you have every read my review for Surfacing here, (It's there, it was a while ago) you may have heard that I said I was going to follow up on the old albums Sarah has put out. Well I'm back, now owning Touch, Solace (Bein Sur!), Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (I have a review their too), The Freedom Sessions, Surfacing, Mirrorball, Mirrorball DVD, Surfacing Bonus CD, and the Adia Single, all of which I recommend to a Fumbler (Sarah fan). Her second album Solace, is one of my favorites of all of them. I have heard about Solace, hear some of her songs live (The Path of Thorns), and heard that Solace it is a favorite of Old time Fumblers, which is true. I decided to buy it. I waited and waited till it came to my door, via www.cheap-cds.com. When it arrived, I ripped open the packaging, took it out of the shrink-wrap carefully, and put it in my CD player, this is what I heard. Drawn to the Rhythm came on with what sounded like woodwind, percussion instruments, and an acoustic guitar, which gave it a beautiful Celtic lean. Into the Fire, next, set the pace a little faster with upbeat drums, electric guitar, and a geneuis bass line. Into the Fire became one of my favorites; it's about as addictive as Sweet Surrender. The next two songs are very similar: The Path of Thorns and I Will Not Forget You. I tend to like the live versions better, but these songs still stir emotions with lost love, and... lost love! Who would've thought! The next song Lost started out calm and mellow with and acoustic guitar accompanying her. Later it shows felling, with a male background vocalist. There are only three Sarah songs that have male background vocalists: Strange World, Trust, and Lost. Back Door Man starts out calm too, then shows power with electric guitars and powerful vocals, similar to Sweet Surrender. Shelter is one of my favorites with lovely violin in viola part about the homeless. Black, well... Black is uh... Well Black. You just have to hear it to understand. Home also has a Celtic lean to it with songbird like flutes. Mercy, the hymn like acapella Ballard is not a favorite of mine. The last song actually gets the least amount of credit. It's the only song on the CD that wasn't written by her, and doesn't have its lyrics in the booklet. Wear Your Love Like Heaven is a loveable, charming, little song, which I think is one of the best on the CD. Now Sarah is on break, starting a family with her husband/drummer Ashwin Sood (So much cooler than her first love/former keyboardist David Kershaw). Contact me if you like Sarah! Xarecses@hotmail.com

I recently posted a review of Sarah McLachlan's "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy", which most people seem to think is a flawless gem of an album. My thoughts on that album were mostly positive but with reservations about the songwriting. Having now heard "Solace", I see the same problem only far, far worse.

The thing is this: although Sarah can sing magnificently, her backing musicians are superb at their craft, and the production is lush and smooth, the songs themselves are truly dull. And yet it's surprisingly easy to miss this fact - the album burbles on quite happily as background music, but once it's finished you'll find that you can't remember a single tune, nor indeed can you distinguish between any of the tracks on the album.

If all you want is something to play in the background at dinner parties, then I guess it's fine (though I can think of many albums better for that purpose too), but if you want to sit down and really LISTEN to the music, you'll find it a very unsatisfying experience indeed. It's like poorly thought out folk music that's been heavily polished by lavish production techniques.

As I mentioned in my other review, if you want music of this genre you'd be better checking out anything from Beth Orton, Dido, Kate Bush, Capercaillie, the Cocteau Twins or Jerry Burns. For any of these artists, the songwriting comes first, and the producer only provides the finishing touches.

As for Sarah McLachlan, I'd recommend she changes her producer for one that can take her considerable singing talents in fresh directions. Either her songs need to be stronger, or the production needs to be a lot simpler.