May 16, 2001 06:19 AM
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You can tell a lot about a musician by how well they perform live. Many artists can record the best album in the studio, but when they get on stage they are lost. Sarah McLachlan is not one of these artists and her 1999 album Mirrorball proves this.
I bought Mirrorball not knowing much about Sarah McLachlan. The only songs that I had heard of hers were the hit singles getting major radio play, this included “Building A Mystery” and “Adia”. As I listened to the album I was entranced by her voice and intrigued by her https://lyrics. She is truly a talented artist and I believe this album not only clearly expresses her talent of evoking emotions from her fans, but also includes her best work. In my eyes it is a “greatest hits” album.
As I expressed earlier I think that what makes an artist great is their ability to perform well live in addition to their studio recordings. This is why I think Mirrorball is a “greatest hits” album. Mirrorball is a live album that was recorded while Sarah was doing her Surfacing Tour and consists almost equally of songs from her previous albums Surfacing and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Her lyrics are poetic and profound, her voice radiant, and her timing unlike any other artist out there. The fact that she is able to put together a live album that sounds as if it was recorded in a studio proves how talented she really is.
In this album there are several of her more popular songs, “Building A Mystery,” “Adia,” and “Sweet Surrender”. There are also a few songs that rock a little more and will have you tapping your feet, not to mention the big time crowd pleaser “Ice Cream” which is all fun. Although I have come to love all songs on the album, I was quick to pick out her “love” songs and put them on repeat in my cd player. My favorites include the universal song of goodbye ”I Will Remember You'', the hypnotic lesser known song “I Love You” and the gorgeous love song “Angel”. I was also pleased to find the haunting love ballad “Possession” which I later learned is one of Sarah’s more rare songs.
This CD stayed in my cd player the entire summer of 99 and still today when I need something soothing to listen to it is always my first pick. I can honestly say it is one of the best albums that I own and possesses both the soothing and emotional nature that I look for in music. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys peaceful acoustic music with enough strength to get your toes tapping and keep you humming along.
