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." [Surfacing was also released in a version featuring bonus tracks.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide