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Product Description
Review
This is Sarah McLachlan's first album for four years, seven if one discounts her Grammy-nominated Christmas covers collection of 2006, Wintersong, to focus on original material. The Canadian singer-songwriter's crystal-clear mezzo-soprano voice has changed little, but a failed marriage in the interim has become the inspiration for an autobiographical collection of songs which express the breadth of emotions that follow such circumstances.
But the overall tone is not what one might think. There is no self-pity and little melancholy about these arrangements. We know from her previous work that McLachlan is a thoughtful lyricist who knows a thing or two about song construction. She has a flair for varying the pace of a melody or introducing an ironical upbeat accompaniment to a downbeat lyric, and can deliver variety over a span of a dozen and more songs.
On the first single to be taken from this album, Loving You Is Easy, she sings of heartbreak to a bouncy Gilbert O'Sullivan-style piano accompaniment. Don't Give Up On Us and Out of Time are in a similar vein. Illusions of Bliss–"Take me up beyond the incline / make me pass the former fault line"–taps into raw emotion, but sometimes there's the feeling that her producer/collaborator Pierre Marchand should allow her a greater freedom of expression that the words of these songs cry out for. Too often he nullifies their impact–the simplicity of the song line and the understated sentiment of the lyric–by the intrusive employment of space-age electronic keyboards or the wash of girly backing vocals.
McLachlan has much to offer as a singer-songwriter, and is blessed with a flexible vocal technique, but could this be the time for her to pursue a new direction? Her songs fall easily on the ear, her rhyming schemes are adroit and she writes intelligently on serious subjects. She could follow Carole Bayer Sager to Broadway.
--Adrian Edwards
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CD Description
Multi-platinum and Grammy-Award winning singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan who shot to international superstardom after the release of Angel in 1999 releases Laws Of Illusion weeks in advance of the kick off to Lilith Fair UK 2010, the historic all-women touring festival, founded by McLachlan, which became one of the highest grossing touring festivals in the world.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Some people considered 'Afterglow' a poor record (I never agreed). I wonder what they are thinking now.
As usual I had great expectations when it comes to Sarah's new record but usually do not allow all the expectations cloud my judgment. I took "Laws..." with strong belief that it must be good - we are talking Sarah McLachlan here - probably on of the most beautiful female vocals in history of music and a writer whose songs are on a scale from haunting to perfect.
Unfortunately this album came out to be a huge disappointment. No matter how many times I listen to it - it still fails to give me the thrill. Songs are no longer distinctive, harmonies are not what they used to be. Vocals are still emotional but I wouldn't exactly call them soulful.
MUSIC...
I can see almost no haunting melodies in here. Don't get me wrong - I don't really mind some songs sounding similar but it's hard to bear when they are also mediocre (at best).
Definite standouts must be 'Love Come" (both of them) and 'Rivers Of Love' - probably because they could easily be put on 'Surfacing' or 'Fumbling..' and no one would notice they weren't there before.
Single 'Loving You Is Easy' and strong opening track "Awakenings" bring a more risky approach and deliver some passionate vocals.
The rest of the songs really just blends together... "Forgiveness" is perhaps memorable and is supposed to be a centre of the album but sounds to me as a desperate try to create a song which would go along 'Angel', 'Answer' or 'Possession".
LYRICS...
Gone are the great lyrics... Subject of divorce is heavily overdone here - not surprising as her life always strongly influenced her music. This time though it cannot work - there is no way you can feel like you are diving into poetry.
AND THE REST...
I though about giving this album two stars but decided to go with three - if you forget that this is Sarah McLachlan you can easily enjoy this album as a good pop record full of terrific singing - the Voice is still in a perfect shape.
Personally I'm waiting for a next record. This cd may be soon layered with dust on my cd-shelf.
As usual I had great expectations when it comes to Sarah's new record but usually do not allow all the expectations cloud my judgment. I took "Laws..." with strong belief that it must be good - we are talking Sarah McLachlan here - probably on of the most beautiful female vocals in history of music and a writer whose songs are on a scale from haunting to perfect.
Unfortunately this album came out to be a huge disappointment. No matter how many times I listen to it - it still fails to give me the thrill. Songs are no longer distinctive, harmonies are not what they used to be. Vocals are still emotional but I wouldn't exactly call them soulful.
MUSIC...
I can see almost no haunting melodies in here. Don't get me wrong - I don't really mind some songs sounding similar but it's hard to bear when they are also mediocre (at best).
Definite standouts must be 'Love Come" (both of them) and 'Rivers Of Love' - probably because they could easily be put on 'Surfacing' or 'Fumbling..' and no one would notice they weren't there before.
Single 'Loving You Is Easy' and strong opening track "Awakenings" bring a more risky approach and deliver some passionate vocals.
The rest of the songs really just blends together... "Forgiveness" is perhaps memorable and is supposed to be a centre of the album but sounds to me as a desperate try to create a song which would go along 'Angel', 'Answer' or 'Possession".
LYRICS...
Gone are the great lyrics... Subject of divorce is heavily overdone here - not surprising as her life always strongly influenced her music. This time though it cannot work - there is no way you can feel like you are diving into poetry.
AND THE REST...
I though about giving this album two stars but decided to go with three - if you forget that this is Sarah McLachlan you can easily enjoy this album as a good pop record full of terrific singing - the Voice is still in a perfect shape.
Personally I'm waiting for a next record. This cd may be soon layered with dust on my cd-shelf.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm a big Sarah fan but I'm afraid this latest offering is really lacking the creative genius we all know she has. I have forced myself to listen to the album in the hope it would grow on me and to be fair some of the songs have, but they just don't compare with previous work. The one and only song I did like instantly was `Bring on the Wonder' and while reading the lyrics booklet I discovered it's the only song Sarah didn't write?! No matter how hard I try I just can't listen to the first 4 songs! Interestingly, she mentions in her interview that her daughter said the album `all sounded the same'... I have to agree, it's just lacking her artistic flair! However, I seem to be in the minority with my opinion so I shall sign off. Fortunately, her previous work is so good it will easily sustain me until the next album comes out!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Sarah Mclachlan possesses a beautiful voice with soft warm tones and a gift for writing heartfelt ballads and catchy rock songs. The singing is up to standard on "Laws Of Illusion", but the songwirting is good, but not as inspiring or creative than it used to be. The songs are mostly very safe, lacking in originality and imagination. I was wondering why it was taking Sarah so long to come up with new material and now I know why - because she seems to have run out of new ideas. Nevertheless, although slightly disappointing, it is a good collection of songs overall.
There are some beautiful highlights. The beautifully melodic "Forgiveness" is mainly just Sarah and her piano which has proven to be a success in the past (Think back to "Angels" from the album "Surfacing). "Love Come" has two versions, a pop version and a piano version - both are equally exciting and beautifully arranged. The last highlight is "Bring On The Wonder", a nice cover version of the song written by Susan Enan. Other great songs include "Awakenings", a powerful rock song, the heartfelt "Out Of Tune" and the emotional "Heartbreak". The lead single "Loving You Is Easy" is not really something you would expect Sarah McLachlan to write, but after a couple of listens, sounds credible. "Rivers Of Love", "Don't Give Up On Us" and "U Want Me 2" are not exceptional, but just pleasant.
However, "Illusions Of Bliss" and "Changes" are quite bland and forgettable. Overall, the songs are good, but they just lack that something special. Furthermore, it does seem a very long time to wait for an album that is only good. So I would expect more from Sarah next time around.
There are some beautiful highlights. The beautifully melodic "Forgiveness" is mainly just Sarah and her piano which has proven to be a success in the past (Think back to "Angels" from the album "Surfacing). "Love Come" has two versions, a pop version and a piano version - both are equally exciting and beautifully arranged. The last highlight is "Bring On The Wonder", a nice cover version of the song written by Susan Enan. Other great songs include "Awakenings", a powerful rock song, the heartfelt "Out Of Tune" and the emotional "Heartbreak". The lead single "Loving You Is Easy" is not really something you would expect Sarah McLachlan to write, but after a couple of listens, sounds credible. "Rivers Of Love", "Don't Give Up On Us" and "U Want Me 2" are not exceptional, but just pleasant.
However, "Illusions Of Bliss" and "Changes" are quite bland and forgettable. Overall, the songs are good, but they just lack that something special. Furthermore, it does seem a very long time to wait for an album that is only good. So I would expect more from Sarah next time around.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellant
As always She is a wonderfull singer her voice & choice of songs just take you to a happy place every time you listen to her!!
Published 6 days ago by Jeffrey W. Turner
thankfully alot better than people would have you believe
Well i picked this up last week for a bargain of 3£.. I actually almost feel like it is criminal to get such quality for so little.. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Fjireland
quality album
this is a great album, every bit as good as 'afterglow'. which i thoroughly recommend. Also recommend MELODY GARDOT and EVA CASSIDY.
Published 2 months ago by bezza74
Nearly there
From reading some reviews, I was expecting the worst. A collection of songs that are undistinguished and don't add anything to the overall collection. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Christian
Hidden Depths
I bought this on a bit of a whim, having really enjoyed two earlier albums (Surfacing and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy), but without having heard any of the tracks from this one. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Philip Graves
Laws of illusion by Sarah MCLachlan
Although there is no stand-out melody on this album Sarah Mclachlan performs to her usual high standard, her voice as always has that emotional, unique quality and her songs hold... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Michael Belsten
Cracking album
Sarah always writes and sings from the heart. She has said she does not find song-writing easy and this has resulted in too few albums from this truly talented artist and, it has... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Plantagenet
Sadly not her best
I've been a fan for a long time and although in the past some tracks have required listening to a few times before they have grown on me they always have. Read more
Published 20 months ago by jaibee
Another Great Collection
This album has had some mixed reviews and I guess I can understand that. It took a couple of plays to really gain a familiarity with the tracks before I really had a feel for this... Read more
Published 20 months ago by I. Hughes
It's ok..............
Maybe I was expecting too much but so far this album has failed to grab me. Don't get me wrong, Sarah has a unique and beautiful voice and there are some exquisite tracks on here... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mr. W. Rand
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