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Fumbling indeed
In 1993, Liz Phair, Björk, PJ Harvey, Belly, and The Breeders all released well-received albums, heralding that the decade of Women in Rock was underway—no matter how dubious that designation seems today. Yet none of them boasted the sales figures or overwhelming influence—ill or otherwise—of Sarah McLachlan’s third album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, which inspired not only the Lilith Fair tours but also the eventual sanitizing of that very movement. Fifteen years later, these dozen songs haven’t aged particularly well. Against programmed beats that sound tinny and lifeless, her vocals—artfully restrained on previous albums—sound bluntly emotive, and her once incisive songwriting turns Hallmark saccharine. This Legacy Edition includes a DVD as well as McLachlan’s live album The Freedom Sessions, which strips the songs to their acoustic essentials. Most sound better here than their studio counterparts, recalling the dark soulfulness of McLachlan’s 1991 album Solace, which remains her truest statement.
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Truly Sarah's last good work. Fumbling was the evolution of an artist, and all that has followed has been the shadow of Fumbling. Surfacing was a massive disappointment.
On a brighter note, I hear she's single again so there's hope for me again!
Not sure why the harsh review. I really like this record and felt it was one of her strongest effort, if not the strongest.
I kind of agree with this review. I love Sarah (she's my favourite musician) but I find FTE to be incredibly overrated. I like the album but nothing beats Solace and Surfacing, IMO.
Maybe Arista/Legacy made this package just for fans like me. But as far as ranking Sarah Mclachlan albums, I know I would rather go without food for a week, than give up any of her studio albums or concert dvds.
But if I had to bitch about something, it would be the remixes. I know that a lot of people love that delirious dance/trance stuff, and I'm sure it's very profitable, but for me, they represent the very Achilles’ heel of the Sarah Mclachlan catalog.
Fortunately that Frankenstein disco music has been largely kept out of Sarah's recording studio, and I hope it stays that way.