Touch Me Kate!

Overall Album Score: 8.8 out of 10

This album was made in 1989, which is the same year such female singer-songwriters as Shawn Colvin, Sinead O'Connor, Enya, Tori Amos and Melissa Etheridge were arriving on the scene. (In Eny's case, she'd just started her solo career.) McLachlan proved to be a more enduring figure than most of these artists.

It's too often that fans lightly dismiss popular artists' first albums because they were released supposedly before they discovered their style. I can see where McLachlan fans are coming from, Touch, her debut album, is unmistakably Sarah McLachlan. It consists mainly of mostly folk-pop music with the possible exception of "Touch," which is strongly reminiscent of New Age. To further go against the fans' grain, I much prefer this album to her subsequent Solace, because it's much more diverse and less boring. (But Fumbling Towards Ecstasy remains her masterpiece.)

So, let's talk about this lovely album. It has more than its fair share of moments. McLachlan wisely starts it off with two of her most enticing works, "Out of the Shadows" and "Vox." But they're engaging in two almost entirely different ways. "Out of the Shadows" is a song so elegant that it wants to transport me to an outdoors location --- perhaps in a green valley staring up at the mountains. "Vox" is more of a hook-centered pop song, and the melody is likely to linger in your brain long after the album stops playing.

The rest of the album isn't as notable, but they aren't exactly grating to the ears! "Steaming" is a nice, typical McLachlan song with a decent melody. "Ben's Song" is an utterly gorgeous showcase of McLachlan's haunting singing voice.

My most major complaint about the album, however, is the drums. Sure, they're excellent at times (notably on "Touch" and "Vox") but other times they're busier than necessary. "Strange World" is the worst example of this. The busy drumming clutters the song and distracts almost entirely from the nice melody. Looking at wikipedia.com's entry of the album, it's reported that seven percussionists have contributed to the album. Well, maybe it was time for some lay-offs! (As some of you know McLachlan would eventually marry one of her drummers. He wasn't featured on this album, but maybe this over-attention to the drumming on some tracks is an early indication for her fascination of these types of instrumentalists.)

The worst song of the bunch is quite easily the choppy and unnecessary instrumental "Uphill Battle," although it's not a bad song either. The melody is good, but it doesn’t have a soul. I would have expected an instrumental to implant gorgeous images in my mind or at least sport an impressive instrumentalist. Unfortunately, "Uphill Battle" has neither. McLachlan would have improved it had she used it as another opportunity to strut her chops, but I guess it was destined to be a missed opportunity.

Nonetheless, this is an excellent album from this then-emerging artist. It demanded attention then, and it demands attention from you now.

Overall Album Score: 8.8 out of 10 (This is a very promising debut album! Sarah McLachlan emerges on the scene in 1989 with highly formidable songwriting skills and a nice, heavenly voice.)

Average Song Score: 8.9 (A few weaker moments here and there, but this is an album full of gems!)

Album Tilt: 8.5 (It's an enjoyable album though not necessarily one you'll want to hear forever.)

Artist Rating: 9.0 (Such a promising debut --- the melodies aren't always great, but I do like what she does. There are some pretty moments here!)

Track Reviews

Out of the Shadows 10/10

Here is a sweeping and gorgeous ballad, and it shows Sarah McLachlan off to an extremely appropriate start. The melody is strikingly organic … it doesn’t have many pop-hooks and it is therefore not catchy. But the melody still manages to entice. This song is almost like looking at mountains. The instrumentation is neither too lush nor sparse. The light pattering of the drums gives the song appropriate texture as sweeping, light synthesizers give the song a grand feel. But the best part of the instrumentation is McLachlan’s haunting vocals. This song is a good one to soak up.

Vox 10/10

This is is McLachlan’s pop tune, and it’s the one song you’re most likely to remember. The melody is much bolder and hookier than the previous piece. The instrumentation is more show-offey, featuring a heavy pop-rock rhythm and an occasional but memorable rhythmic string section. McLachlan’s melody coupled with her voice makes this sound like it’s from the angels.

Strange World 8/10

Falling a bit off the mark now, “Strange World” is still an enticing though somewhat misfired, it seems. The drums don’t seem quite right for some reason. They’re much busier than they needed to be. Otherwise the song is pretty good. The melody is light and earthly like “Out of the Shadows.” … It’s very nearly another classic, but something else should have been done with the arrangements.

Trust 8.5/10

“Trust” has an excellent chorus, which is surprising because the rest of the song isn’t nearly as memorable. So, the result is a kind of uneven on-again/off-again play with my attention span. Nonetheless, this is a nice song. The drums, again, are a little too distracting but not as much.

Touch 9.5/10

McLachlan tries Enya’s New Age music on for size with “Touch,” and it’s not bad. She uses her voice to sing wordless noises, and it’s extraordinarily beautiful. The nice instrumentation features an appropriate though unadventurous piano, a synth-strings background for body, and the occasional pizzicato string. It’s very nice, but I’m glad McLachlan stuck with folk-pop by the end.

Steaming 9/10

She’s back to form with “Steaming,” which strikes me as being very close to her “usual” style. The melody is perfectly good for-the-moment, but I’ve been listening to this album for some time now (three years?), and I can’t say the melody remains with me. It might not stick with you, but it’s a marvelously entertaining song as I sit here and listen to it.

Sad Clown 8.5/10

It takes awhile to get started, but that’s not a bad thing. The introduction isn’t so much elaborate, but subtle as the song slowly springs to life. The instrumentation here is particularly excellent and subtle as busy though constructive drums provide the song’s backing. In many ways, this song is like “Out of the Shadows,” but it doesn’t possess that priceless ability of transporting me to other worlds. In the end, it’s almost boring. … But appreciated.

Uphill Battle 7.5/10

This is an instrumental, which immediately puts it to a disadvantage, because we don’t get to hear McLachlan’s voice! You’d almost wonder why she wanted to do this, because her session musicians aren’t so special. This song comes off as a bit choppy and forced to me. It doesn’t have an otherworldly quality to it, either, so it’s not a good song to space out to. The thematic idea behind the song was good, and it has an excellent central hook, but ………. Come on!!!!

Ben's Song 9/10

We get to hear McLachlan’s pretty voice again in “Ben’s Song,” which is frankly somewhat boring. But this is the type of song you can sit back to and soak up. There aren’t any instruments to distract you; it’s just McLachlan’s angelic vocals and a piano. This song is an experience that should put you to peace.

BONUS TRACK

Vox (remix)

It was better left alone!!!!! It's not worthless, but ... you shouldn't mess with my "Vox."

Touch!!!!! And then send me an e-mail telling me what you think about this album here!