LOI Album Thoughts/Opinions

[Karine]

About the new tracks:

Awakenings: 5/5 I like it a lot, it's a great song to begin the album. I like how it changes from a soft voice to something more aggressive.

Illusion of Bliss: 4/5 I like the lyrics and I'm happy they asked men to do the background vocals, it's refreashing.

Loving You Is Easy: 4/5 A happy love song, I like it!

Changes: 4,5/5 Similar to Drifting, like we all said. I really like the chorus (especially "Would you dance with me now"), it fits perfectly with the rhythm of the song (in 3/4, like a waltz).

Forgiveness: 4/5 A beautiful sad song, the lyrics are great. I'm happy they mixed piano with electric guitar for the song.

Rivers of Love: 5/5 I agree with Mooncrow; this song is melancholic and hauting (again with men for vocals, great choice), I can't get it out of my head! It's one of my favorites!

Love Come: 3,5/5 For me, there's something annoying with the guitar, I like the lyrics, but the melody is not my favorite.

Out Of Tune: 5/5 The few seconds at the beginning are great, I like the voice effects and the chorus is great. I really love this song, it's perfect for me.

Hearbreak: 3/5 As other said, a cute and catchy song, but I will have to listen to it more, I don't really appreciate it. In the booklet, a complete verse is missing (I think someone already mentionned it)...

Bring On The Wonder: 4/5 Flashback of Mercy, I like Sarah's version, but I prefer the one with Susan Enan feat. Sarah at the vocals. This is a beautiful song.

Love Come (piano version): 4/5 I prefer it to the original version, with the cello.

[jessiemonkey]

when i first listened to the new album on facebook, i knew it would have to do some growing on me!

and now it officially has i listened to it on my 5 hour road trip on the way to pennsylvania and the way back

i love it!!

[Sweetfear]

Laws of Illusion hmm.. definitely a tough one to judge as i ve been listening to the same Sarah stuff for years , therefore i feel like nothing really compares to Sweet Surrender or Vox.

01. Awakenings : Definitely a surprise. I love how Sarah decided to give this song some edge and go back to her Fumbling roots. It is a really powerful song and honestly cant wait to hear it live.
02. Illusions Of Bliss I love the intro of IOB , its a more countrish song that is abit overshadowed by Awakenings but definitely cheers you up and all.
03. Loving You Is Easy Sometimes i love it , there are also some times i hate it. It depends on the mood , the fact its a Sarah song is to be honest though the main reason why i will keep listening to it.
04. Changes Hmm sounds like a really lame b-side from Afterglow. I dunno...it lacks the Sarah magic. I think it only exists to make the album last longer.
05. Forgiveness Needless to say how good this song is. One of the best in this album. I really love the part near the end and the lyrics are amazing. It is indeed a true gem.
06. Rivers Of Love Right..next? I dont like it at all. Maybe a live version will change my mind as i went through the same thing with Witness being ultra boring and then geting really interesting.
07. Love Come Another amazing song. Love it although it feels as if Sarah is ready to take it to another step and then hesitates..i dunno..
08. Out Of Tune I really like this song as it has a nice rythm and brings out a more playful Sarah.
09. Heartbreak Is growing to me very very fast. I love this song and i think it will be a great surprise live.
10. Don’t Give Up On Us Liked the acoustic version when it came out..not a big fan though
11. U Want Me 2 Didnt really like it at any point..
12. Bring On The Wonder If only she would give the song the "Mercy" feeling , with lots of voices and all. This tottaly ruined the song. I like it at some points where she goes all ouuuuuu but i hate it when she sings with the diff voices. I think i ll need some time to really like this song...
13. Love Come (Piano Version) Four minutes of pure magic. The best on the album. Raw , powerful and the cello is great. I only wish Sarah would make more songs with violins , cellos or orchestras. Fear / Stupid are the only ones with a noticeable cello and sound awesome.

[Jessel]

04. Changes Hmm sounds like a really lame b-side from Afterglow. I dunno...it lacks the Sarah magic. I think it only exists to make the album last longer.

This one cracked me up lol.

[Crazylitstudent]

I recived my copy from amazon today and I have to say I love the album. I will do a song by song review when I have listened to the album a bit more but while I don't think it is better than FTE I would say I think its tied with Solace for my second favourite Sarah album!! Right now I am filled with happiness because of this CD!!! <3

[lost_in_space82]

Awakenings: I love the drums, the lyrics and the way Sarah sings it but the lack of melody is what keeps me from truly loving the song. I also wish the guitar solo would go on longer but overall it's a great track. 4/5

Illusions of Bliss: I think someone else mentioned this but this song REALLY reminds me of Jewel. I like the song but I don't like how abruptly it ends. 3.5/5

Loving You Is Easy: I HATED this song at first but it has really grown on me. It's definitely a breath of fresh air from Sarah. 4/5

Changes: Easily the worst song on the album, IMO. I like the beginning but the chorus ruins it for me. Some of the lyrics are so recycled ("the candle burned out") but I love the way she sings "I can feel you drifting away" with so much sadness. 2.5/5

Forgiveness: I can't say much more about this song. Everything works: the lyrics, piano, guitar, drums and of course Sarah's voice. One of my favourite Sarah songs ever. 5/5

Rivers of Love: I LOVE this song. Really unique and the lyrics are interesting as well. 4.5/5

Love Come: I don't know what to make of this version yet. Part of me thinks it's brilliant but there's something about the produced version that I just don't like but I can't figure it out yet. 3.5/5

Out of Tune: I love the verses, especially when she sings "it isn't my heart that's grown cold" but as a few people have mentioned the chorus is a little generic. 4/5

Heartbreak: I like this song because it's catchy but the guitar solo is a bit corny. Lyrically it doesn't do much for me. 3/5

Bring on the Wonder: Love the original version but I don't like the overlapping vocals. 3.5/5

Love Come (acoustic): I like this version more than the original. Her voice is amazing here and I love the cello. 4/5

[Danyy]

Awakenings: 5/5 I love this song, it's so full of rage and it kind of "explodes" and the end it's also very well conceived. An amazing song from beggining to end.

Illusion of Bliss: 5/5 There's something about the firts few seconds of this song that reminds me of Solace. I had great expectations about this song, because I fell in love with the title the first time I saw it, and I'm happy to say that it met them all.

Loving You Is Easy: 4/5 It's light, it's cute and it's so much fun to sing along to, something totally different from everything Sarah, but still beautiful nonetheless.

Changes: 3/5 Not one of my favourites, like a lot of people have said it's reminiscent of Drifting. But it still has some high points for me, I really like the chorus ("We're learning to waltz through the waves" is one of my favourite lyrics)

Forgiveness: 5/5 "You don't know much about heaven boy if you have to hurt to feel" and it's all said, one of the best in the album.

Rivers of Love: 3/5 The other least favourite in this album, but the part where she sings "How long have you waited, how long 'til you drown?" is simply amazing.

Love Come: 5/5 This one is probably my favourite at the moment, it's so perfect in every way (although I agree she could have gone a bit edgier with this one as well, but I'm still happy with how it is).

Out Of Tune: 4/5 I agree that lyrically this one is kind of a "World On Fire" II. I really like it, the lyrics are so true ("The same mistakes are getting old") and the part with the layered vocals is really beautiful. I also love the way she sings the "right" in the chorus.

Hearbreak: 4/5 It's so catchy and the lyrics are cute and uplifting, I love it when she sings "Hot on my heels but I move too fast", it's also different from anything I ever heard from her.

Don't Give Up On Us: 4/5 Despite the fact that I think that this and "U Want Me 2" don't really fit the whole album I still like this song as much as when it came out. My favourite part is the vocals at the end.

U Want Me 2: 3/5 I like this one, not as much as "Don't Give Up On Us" though. I like it when she sings "Our eden's a failure".

Bring On The Wonder: 5/5 I love this version, the vocals are so amazing. I think I like it as much as the original.

Love Come (piano version): 5/5 Well I already loved the original, but Sarah and her piano is always something much more amazing. And the string arrangement is amazing and it fits the song perfectly.

So, overall, this album is a 4.5/5

[Quincy]

Overall I'm happy with it. When I first played it I will be honest and say that I looked up, rather nervously, at the "I'll listen to that later" shelf. I've played it a few times now and it's sitting comfortably with me. My greatest fear was that I would be disappointed with it, but no, it's good. The opening few bars did come as a shock, I just wasn't expecting that tempo at all. When I read the lyrics to the songs it seemed a little too much doom and gloom, apart from LYIE which is upbeat, I felt a more than a little depressed. (That changed when I had another dose of my special medication). Which is my favourite?...without doubt it's Love Come (acoustic). That's what she does best, her, a piano and that's pretty much it (Yes, I know there's a big violin thing in there!!). One last observation...Her voice is becoming weaker, I know age does that but it's more than a little worrying.

[TheSquirrel]

I agree with Quincy. I have thought for a number of years her voice was gradually getting weaker and is something that worries me regarding tours. It's sad, but that is age and there is little any artist can do, but take as much care of the body as possible. Sandy Denny had virtually shot her voice and body to pieces by the time she was in her early thirties. At Least McLachlan seems to take care of herself. Her voice is so amazing, if you love music, it seems like a tragic loss of one of the greatest experiences on the planet. I guess there is no chance that voice can be at its peak by the time she reaches 40.

The album is my least favourite of her albums but is still pretty good as far as I'm concerend. My opinion of most of the tracks are the same as the first time I heard them but Heartbreak has grown and grown on me and Out Of Tune seems to be a true classic. There are very few numbers I would put in my McLachlan top 30 from this album. Only Awakenings and Out Of Tune would be on that list.

[lost_in_space82]

Her voice is so amazing, if you love music, it seems like a tragic loss of one of the greatest experiences on the planet.

I think her voice sounds as amazing as ever on the album but the same can't be said for her singing on the Lilith tour. I had to give up listening to her Starbucks performance because her voice was just awful.