There once was a time when Sarah McLachlan was an inescapable force in music. After the quasi-gothic folk pop of 1993's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy and its haunting hit "Possession" made her an alt-rock fave in America, the regal Canadian presided over Lilith Fair like a mother hen and saturated light-rock radio with the three-Kleenex weepers "Adia" and "Angel" as well as the prom theme "I Will Remember You."
Nevertheless, in the four years between her 1999 live album, Mirrorball, and last year's Afterglow, the misty jazz of Norah Jones and mom-approved classical of Josh Groban superseded McLachlan's lush songs as the tunes of choice for suburban PTA members nationwide. That didn't stop her from ambitiously touring arenas during this current tour, nor did it deter her from continuing with the formula that brought her success on Afterglow. Gossamer synths and strings, sprinklings of piano, and McLachlan's chilled ethereality make the album as familiar -- or, depending on your viewpoint, as boring -- as the rest of her albums.
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