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Sarah McLachlan
McLachlan has made a career out of putting herself on the line emotionally; fans are repeatedly drawn in to her candor and forthrightness. Sarah's new album, Surfacing, is no different. As she herself explains it, "Surfacing is about me finally growing up and facing ugly things about myself. We all have a dark side; it's bull to say that we don't. At some point we're going to have to face that."

An album title that alludes to the sense of 'rising' is most fitting for Sarah McLachlan. The Vancouver singer /songwriter's ten-year career has indeed been a decade ascending: in popularity, in profile and, most importantly, in her sense of self.

The album was recorded in producer/engineer Pierre Marchand's Ciel Sauvage Studios in Montreal, home to McLachlan's much-acclaimed previous effort, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Although Surfacing's recording process spanned an eight month period, Sarah admits that the project took considerably longer than that. "I had a huge writer's block when I first came off tour; I had just been on the road for so long. I needed a break. I needed to live. So I took eight months to myself and then felt like enjoying it again. It's a lie to do it if you can't enjoy it and I just can't fake it. That's the worst travesty in the world."

Fans of McLachlan will be thrilled to know that Surfacing contains certain familiar qualities consistent with McLachlan's other works; most notably, her talented players. Returning band members include drummer (and also Sarah's new husband) Ashwin Sood on drums, Brian Minato on bass and guitar and producer Marchand on keyboards and bass. Jim Creeggan (of Barenaked Ladies fame) contributes "a beautiful bowed bass" according to McLachlan. Sarah herself, as always, leaves her musical mark not just on vocals, but also on piano and principal guitar.

Life is about living and learning; Sarah McLachlan admits that the process of making Surfacing served to teach her many things about herself. Not all of the experiences were easy, but each and every one was necessary. "I've learned to trust myself, to listen to truth, to not be afraid of it and to not try and hide it."

Sarah McLachlan was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1968 and has been on a musical path ever since. Following years spent studying classical piano, guitar and voice, the singer was discovered fronting a New Wave band in 1985 by the then-fledgling Vancouver-based company Nettwerk Records. In spite of the fact that McLachlan had not yet written a song of her own, the label signed the 19 year old singer to a recording contact.

McLachlan's first album, Touch (released in 1988), went Gold in Canada thanks to underground hits like "Vox" and "Steaming". A dedicated fan base took flight. Solace followed in 1991. Reaction to that album was even stronger; tracks like "Drawn To The Rhythm" and "Into The Fire" took Sarah's music out from the underground and into an enraptured mainstream.

1994's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy was immediately embraced by legions of now long-devoted Canadian audiences, but it was the eventual (some say inevitable) breakthrough in America that brought McLachlan success on a whole other level, aided by the quiet strength of songs including "Hold On", "Possession" and "Good Enough". Five million album sales later, Sarah continues to grow. Thankfully, her fan base does as well.

The summer of '97 will not only bring with it Surfacing's release, but also a 35 date traveling concert caravan known as Lilith Fair. Conceived by McLachlan, the show is a two-stage, multi-artist bill featuring a host of female-fronted acts. "It doesn't exclude men," she explains, "it simply celebrates women." Lilith will not only be Sarah's first opportunity to tour her brand new work, it will also provide the singer a chance to play on a rotating bill alongside some of her favorite artists, Suzanne Vega, Indigo Girls, Paula Cole and Tracy Chapman among them.

What now lies ahead for McLachlan? Songwriting, touring and plenty of surfacing. "I've now given myself this freedom to play whatever I want without the self-inflicted burden of always having to be serious. There doesn't have to be ten layers to the song. It can just be a simple statement. And that's a big freedom for me."

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-- Reprinted from the Official Sarah McLachlan web site.

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