AudioBites article 9/3/97

"Surfacing" (Arista) - Sarah McLachlan

In the press material for her latest release, McLachlan talks about how she's given herself the freedom to write simple songs instead of making each one a multilayered production. This disc might have been better off if she hadn't.

Not that there aren't the deep lyrics and poignant melodies we've come to expect from McLachlan. Songs like ``Building a Mystery'' and ``Do What You Have to Do'' are the kind that reach out and grab you from the first note.

But the rest of the disc doesn't sound simple. It sounds unfinished.

There's something missing here, and it's more than the intricate stylings that made McLachlan's last disc, ``Fumbling Toward Ecstasy,'' so memorable. There doesn't seem to be much passion here, and even McLachlan's soaring vocals can't make up for that.

McLachlan said making this album took a while because she needed to get back to the point where she could be true to herself and the music. She should have given herself more time.

By Deepti Hajela, Associated Press Writer.

AP-NY-09-03-97 0921EDT