BoomerGirl Diary

If you're a Sarah McLachlan fan, it will come as no surprise to learn that Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan, which includes nine tracks from the Mirrorball CD (released in 1999 by Arista Records) was released last month. A few nights ago, I watched Sarah McLachlan perform another beautiful song entitled: "U want me 2" on The Tonight Show starring Jay Leno with her usual grace and understated elegance. Sarah McLachlan is a class act.

Watching Sarah singing and playing the piano, I waxed nostalgic thinking back to the first time I listened to Mirrorball on a bitterly cold morning in January 1999. I remember feeling captivated by the velvety smooth sound and imagery evoked by the soulful lyrics of, "I Love You," uplifted by the sound of "Sweet Surrender," and touched by the wistful melody and heartfelt lyrics of, "Angel."

But it wasn't until recently, after my sister gave me the Mirrorball CD for my birthday, that I gained a newfound appreciation for this gifted singer/songwriter's ability to piece together an intricate and evocative montage of emotions in her music after listening, again and again, to the lyrics to all of the songs on her CD. Expect to be swept away by the versatile, exquisite blending of harmony with the kind of lyrics that captivate your attention, and showcase Sarah McLachlan's passion and range of talent.

The song titles are ethereal, concise but expressive, elegant, mysterious, and call to mind images and themes that resonate within each of us as we journey through life: "Fumbling Toward Ecstasy," "Building a Mystery," "Fear," "I Will Remember You," "Possession," "Path of Thorns," "Adia," "Good Enough," "Hold On," "Do What You Have To Do," and, of course, "Angel," and "I Love You."

Enchanting, airy, soulful, pensive, hopeful, romantic, heartfelt and achingly honest are some of the words that come to mind when I listen to the tracks on Mirrorball; a riveting compilation of music and lyrics that is nothing short of a brilliant little jewel. And that's exactly why this fan is still touting the virtues of it.

As is the case with all of our favorite singers and songwriters whose music and lyrics are unforgettable, whose songs we still sing along to when we hear them on the car radio, thirty years after they were first released, the sentiments expressed in McLachlan's music are honest, poignant and from the heart, and offer us meaningful lyrics that speak to the complexities of the human spirit and that are, quite simply, timeless.

Sooooo, as the season of stress approaches, and you find yourself in need of a rejuvenating respite that's enthralling, heartfelt, spiritual, romantic, soulful, and speaks to the reality of being a woman, in one track after another, as Sarah weaves together a richly woven tapestry of some of the common threads of experience that women (and men) share, then treat yourself to Sarah McLachlan's, CD, Mirrorball.

Then, whenever you're in need of a little soul-stirring-life-affirming-music, slip out for a spell and tune out the discordant notes in your day by tuning into some great music.