Customer Reviews
Pretty voice but nothing here whatsoever. 
2006-11-20
It's a good album to listen to while cleaning your apartment. Save your money. Assuming your time is valuable don't bother listening to it. It would be a complete and total waste of time. Sarah proves again that she has some powerful pipes but so what? At least "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" has "Possession" and a couple of other songs which have hooks. You get the picture that Sarah was under pressure from the record company and just cranked out some songs with no hit potential and nothing really for the concentrating listener.
Drawn to Solace 
2006-11-20
My first purchase at Amazon!
When I heard samples of I Will Not Forget You, Shelter, and Lost, I just felt I needed to own this CD. I'm glad I ordered this!
People who enjoyed McLachlan's Surfacing, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, and Afterglow will certainly like this album. Casual listeners may find only Drawn to the Rhythm, Path of Thorns, and I Will Not Forget You interesting for their catchy tune.
I don't think it's better than Afterglow 2006-06-21
First off I just want to say that Sarah Mclachlan has been one of my three and only three favorites (at least right now) since I heard her song Full of Grace a few years back. I got all of her albums except Touched. I just have to say that I am a little disappointed with Solace.
The thing about Solace is that when I heard it I kept asking myself: is this Sarah?? THE Sarah??? 'cause it doesn't sound like her at all. I don't mean that her voice is different, I meant the overall style. Solace sounded just too cheerful in comparason to her other albums, or not as mature as I should say. It sounded almost pop. Also the way she sings just sounded too unnature to me. I know there are people who say this album is better than her Afterglow, I couldn't disagree more, Afterglow still sounded like Sarah's style, but not this one.
I love all her albums except, I'm sad to say, this one. If you are a Sarah fan, go get her last three albums, you won't be disappointed I promise, just avoid this one.
Not appreciated enough 
2006-05-09
Out of all Sarah's cds this is the one I think is most often overlooked but it shouldn't be. This is a fine cd and one of my favorites. I'll admit while I owned it, it was a while before I really got into it but it has since become one of my favorites.
This cd is Sarah's second after her debut. It shows her strengths as a masterful songwriter in addition to her uncanny sense of melody. The lyrics are deep and introspective, often dark and filled with imagery. Lighter tracks like "Into the Fire" contrast well with the darker "Mercy" and "Black" and sorrowful tracks like "The Path of Thorns" and "I Will Not Forget You" add to the depth of the cd. "Mercy" in particular, while incredibly depressing, really stands out as it showcases the immense power of her voice.
Many consider her third cd "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" to be her best but this is still excellent.
Excellent sound and quality 2006-03-02
All the songs on this album are good. You can definitely tell the difference in the early younger Sarah from her later albums but the good thing is she was extremely talented even on her earlier works. It also good for fan to see how she developed and honed her skills.
I personally love Sarah's music and enjoy her earlier works..but I would say I prefer her later sound. But this is a definite must have for any REAL Sarah fan.
Not her best Stuff 2005-10-24
Solace, Nova Scotian Sarah McLachlan's second album, is considerably more mature and musically sophisticated than her 1988 debut, the promising if limited
Touch. In fact, this disc is a must-have for McLachlan fans whose first encounter with her work was with her extremely popular later releases,
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy and
Surfacing. The opening track, "Drawn to the Rhythm," is a habit-forming gem of a song that soars on her smooth and heady soprano and Ronald Jones's addictive drums (though the drone of the billatron in the chorus seems incongruous). The rumbling, electric "Into the Fire" grooves with a funky bass line; the lovelorn "Path of Thorns" and "I Will Not Forget You" are straight-ahead and bluesy. Always wise beyond her years, McLachlan displays a new awakening with introspective songs such as the Sinead O'Connor-esque "Lost" and "Shelter." The hymnlike "Mercy" is the least interesting song--spare in comparison to the others--but it is a wondrous showcase of her multifaceted voice. Without a doubt,
Solace is a testament to McLachlan's ever-swelling talent.
--Rebecca Robinson
Emotional Beauty 2005-04-23
If you loved Sarah McLachlan's emotional and soul-rending 1994 release "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy," you should at least like "Solace." The music in this 1992 release bears stylistic similarity to the latter album, though the music is a bit less refined and the lyrics slightly less poetical than the later release. However, the skill and that wonderful voice are there to be appreciated.
The opening song establishes the poetic and beautiful attributes of Sarah's music. While "Drawn to the Rhythm" only modestly demonstrates Sarah's vocal and writing skills, it is a lovely, enjoyable song. The song is principally acoustic, but there is an instrument that appears in the chorus that may be electronic because I am unfamiliar with its sound.
The next song is out of place between the first and third songs. "Into the Fire" has a harder guitar beat and Sarah's voice sounds as though it is competing with the instruments. The words are less poetic and complex, and this song, while listenable, ends up looking sad next to all the quality music on this CD.
You can hear the pain that would be brought to high art in "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy," listen to "The Path of Thorns." This song is about the end of a relationship, poetically comparing the relationship to a path, now overgrown with thorns. The song is poetry set to music, with stylized descriptions of how she tried so hard, and he never noticed, or cared. I am unable to listen to this song without feeling her despair over a failed relationship for which she had no responsibility. This song may be the best song on this CD, and lucky for us, it is also the longest.
Another outstanding song is "I will not Forget You." The lyrics are full of longing and romance and pain. Sarah's words are full of depth and feelings that should not have been felt by someone as young as she. I initially read the lyrics to mean that she was in love with someone who was not helping build the fire of that love. However, the words about the sea lead me to believe that it is not another woman that competes for her lover's soul, but another interest. Women have long lamented that the sea takes the soul of their men from them.
There are Sarah McLachlan songs that I can fall into, because they speak so much to me, and I suspect they speak to others who take the time to listen. "Lost" is one such song. The backing vocals add depth to Sarah's angelic soprano voice, speaking of being with others, while being lost. You feel her loneliness as she seeks someone to lead her into the light of togetherness; the light of love.
Sarah speaks about other feelings besides love, loss and loneliness. "Back Door Man" speaks to those who have been discriminated against, for whatever reason. Here Sarah unleashes her voice in anger, while lamenting the treatment that some people face. This song contains the most drama and loudest vocals of any song on this CD. The instruments are powerful as well, but Sarah's voice powers in front of them, refusing to be denied.
Sarah understands abuse. "Shelter" is an introspective song that may or may not speak from personal experience. The song requests protection for those who may be subjected to things that they should not. I hope I never learn where such pain comes from.
A somewhat more surreal and dream-like, perhaps almost nightmarish, song is "Black." The words are faintly spoken, as though heard in a dream. The instruments are bizarre and confusing, in counterpoint for sure, but blending together into the muzzy feeling you get in a dream. The question is whether she is truly in a dream, or in a dark mental place, or somewhere else. This song is the most experimental and unique one on this CD. I prefer challenging music, and this song falls into that category. However, typically this type of music is not popular.
There is a point where emotion becomes too much to describe, as you reach deep inside you. Sarah continues to reach deeper into herself than most people know exit in "Home." I am unable to provide a definitive interpretation for this song because it could mean so many things. The song is about childhood and the loss of innocence, regardless of the source of that loss. Sarah sings beautiful pure notes on the word "home" that are wonderful to hear.
"Mercy" is a bit of a puzzler to me. The song has a hymn-like quality, and allows Sarah to display her vocal talents. The song is very sparse and less emotional than many of the other songs on this CD. This song is styled as a lament.
This CD ends with a cover of the Donovan song "Wear Your Love like Heaven." Sarah brings her breathless style to make this song her own. However, the words contrast highly with the complex poetry of her songs.
Sarah McLachlan has a beautiful voice that fits well with poetic and emotional music. She realized that ability even better in "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy," which is so beautiful that it almost hurts to listen to it. If there was a painting as beautiful as some of Sarah's music, it would strike you blind with its intensity. However, this music is not for a casual listener. It takes time to fully appreciate Sarah McLachlan's music. It is comforting to know that with all the awful music on the airways today that there are talents such as Sarah McLachlan to speak to that part of you that you may barely realize exists.
A Fine Album! 2005-04-09
What originally turned my attension towards Sarah McLachlan was her terrific song "Building a Mystery" which opens the the "Lilith Fair" 1997 DVD concert. I bought the DVD because of the contributions from Sheryl Crow and Indigo Girls. I then discovered that Sarah was a singer and an artist that could not be ignored. Her performances there are simply outstanding. Her great songs, her unforgettable voice and charm; convinced me.
"Solace" was her second album; first released in 1991. There are some very fine songs here; especially in the first half on the CD; the CD loses a little steam towards the end.
My favourite track is "The Path of Thorns", but other songs like "Drawn to the Rhytm", "Into the Fire" and "Lost" are just as strong as most of her later recordings.
Outstanding 2005-03-11
EDITED:
It took me a while to enjoy listening to this whole album since I am used to listening to her recent work - Afterglow & Surfacing. This is truly an outstanding album and definitely overlooked. In my opinion, this ranks as the 3rd best Sarah McLachlan album with #1 Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, and #2 Afterglow -- even though Surfacing outsold these 2 albums.
I can't say much about the album, because some of the reviews here say what I would say for this album as well.
Drawn to the Rhythm: 5/5
Into The Fire: 5/5
The Path of Thorns (Terms): 5/5 - first song from Solace I heard. Truly unique than the rest since she sings at a lower range.
I Will Not Forget You: 5+/5 - LOVE IT, My #1 favorite of all her songs on this album.
Lost: 4.5/5 (this is a first for Sarah McLachlan to have male background singers singing - Edited: actually this would be the third as her 1st album "Touch" had male bg singers for the tracks Trust and Strange World)
Back Door Man: 5/5 - I truly enjoy this song, this song sort of reminds me of Stupid from Afterglow. I love her intense voice and wish she could do more songs like this.
Shelter: 5/5 - really sad and it's actually the second Solace song I heard after 'Path'
Black: 5+/5 - this is my second favorite song. All in all, deep lyrics dedicated to corporate pigs as Sarah says. One of her first experimental songs after "Touch".
Home: 5/5 - this is also another good song, probably the 3rd I love. I just love how the song ends. It actually sounds better live since the instruments overlap her singing.
Mercy: 5/5 - I consider this the last song from the album. WYLLH doesn't do it for me and I'm disappointed Sarah let Arista have it their way. Oh well. Sarah should do more acapella-like songs! This truly displayed her skills and got even better in the next album ;)
Overall rating: 9.5/10
Outstanding album I wish it had more praise.
wow 2005-02-20
Sarah McLachlan's album Solace, is in my opinion, her best. It sounds the most unique and is quite different from her other albums, except for perhaps Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Her lyrics are interesting and intelligent, and I especially love the intro to "I Will Not Forget You". Sarah McLachlan is very talented and I highly recommend this album.
