Music Review        
Copyright (c) 1994, Andee SoRelle
All rights reserved


FUMBLING TOWARDS ECSTASY
Sarah McLachlan
Arista Records

I hear the CD dropped and sense the laser hitting its surface. In
seconds, I hear the strains of dark, compelling music. This first of a
dozen songs is the single "Possession." It begins this journey with Ms.
McLachlan through her world of relationships. She sings "I won't be
denied" and I believe her as I sing along and know that this melody will
haunt my dreams.

The songs of this CD are all about relationships. Dark, deadly,
dysfunctional, confusing, desirous, miserable, foolish, losing, silly,
whimsical, and fearful tales of love that are relinquished, reviled and
revisited again and again. Sarah's soaring vocals push and pull us
through the dark forest of her melodies and her stories of love.

The song "Wait" plays and I feel ready for fall, wrapped in a warm
blanket watching leaves skitter by out the window. McLachlan's words
bring a chill and a desire to search for warmth. She respects love til
her "dying day" and you believe her.

In "Elsewhere," she sings "this is heaven to no one else but me," and
you want to know why she is so willing to wait, linger and cling to
something or someone who will only take what he can get. In some songs,
the relationship is let go, but missed. In others, the lover has "so
much to lose."

In the title track, Sarah sings "I won't fear love." Perhaps that is the
driving force behind this CD; that McLachlan doesn't fear love but wants
to examine, inspect and divine the power behind it. Even in silly songs
like "Ice Cream," I heard a singer/songwriter exploring another aspect
of this thing called love.

For all fans of well-crafted, thoughtful, beautiful music I recommend
this CD. I know I can listen to it repeatedly. However, if you prefer
loud, jarring tunes with obnoxious lyrics this isn't the album for you.
Ms. McLachlan has delivered intelligent music as she fumbled towards
ecstasy.

My score, on a scale of one to ten: 9  

