Sarah McLachlan Reissues Classic Album
Review of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy: Legacy Edition
Aug 14, 2008
With the release of this milestone disc, McLachlan, along with fellow Canadians Alanis Morissette, Shania Twain and Celine Dion issued in an era of strong female singer/ songwriters who ruled the airwaves and the charts for the best part of the 1990’s.
Fifteen years after the original release date, Arista releases Fumbling Towards Ecstasy: Legacy Edition that includes the original full length album along with 1995’s Freedom Sessions, an album of stripped down and alternative performances of tracks from the original album along with a new track “’Ole 55”, as well as DVD packed with live performances, music videos and behind the scenes footage.
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Following the release of her first two albums, 1988’s Touch and 1990’s Solace, McLachlan took a break from recording to work on a Canadian documentary on poverty and Child prostitution with World Vision in Thailand and Cambodia. Upon her return to Canada, she barricaded herself in a secluded house outside Montreal to begin work on her third album, inspired by her experiences in South East Asia.
Working closely with Pierre Marchand, her collaborator and producer (and later husband), McLachlan produced her most personal and commercially regarded effort outside Canada to date. Her strongest writing is punctuated by her ethereal vocals, lush instrumentation and production.
Fluctuating between light and dark moods, organic and subtle electronics Fumbling Towards Ecstasy delves deep into the soul of the artist and deals with often difficult subject matter such as hurtful break-ups (“Plenty”), a lover dying of AIDS (“Hold On”), the fear of never finding true love (“Fear”) and her personal experience with a crazed stalker (“Possession”).
The Legacy Edition
Despite the darkness, the album possesses enough bright spots to balance the affair such as on “Mary”, “Circle” and the giddy “Ice Cream” where McLachlan compares her love to sweet treats such as chocolate.
Both“Good Enough” and “Possession” cracked the Billboard Hot 100 hundred and gained her new fans. The album boasted a then career chart high of 50 on the Billboard 200 in the week of June 04, 1994.
The second half of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy: Legacy Edition collects the Freedom Sessions album in its whole. Including mostly piano or stripped down renditions of seven tracks from ‘Ecstasy, this album was released in 1995 as a companion album and includes a cover of Tom Waits' "Ol' 55".
Lilith Fair
According to McLachlan’s official website, the artist has won 8 Juno and 3 Grammy Awards and has sold over 26 million records worldwide since her debut album Touch in 1988.
In 1997 McLachlan founded the highly successful Lilith Fair, a touring festival that spotlighted female talent and included spots by Indigo Girls, Sheryl Crow and a fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado (pre-Timbaland).
Sarah McLachlan releases her first Greatest Hits album, Closer: The Best Of Sarah McLachlan on October 7, lead by brand new single "U Want Me 2".
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