Touch

This debut recording, originally released in 1989 when she was only 20 years old, was an impressive platform for Sarah McLachlan. As the first step towards her classic efforts that were to follow, this collection possesses insights from personal & introspective viewpoints. Crystal clear vocals & intimate guitar accompany her often-Celtic inspired youthful romanticism. As a 'contemporary folkie,' her whimsy & ethereal approach to lyrics touched a new generation trying to find their place in the world. This & the albums that followed paved the way for women singer/songwriters.

Nova Scotia-born singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan was only 20 years old when Touch was released in 1988. This is an impressive first effort, though maybe too earnest in its attempt to break new ground in otherwise familiar terrain of late-'80s synthesized textures. Yet McLachlan's pristine vocals and intricate guitar work yield several memorable tracks, including the opening "Out of the Shadows," the popular "Vox" (which also appears in a tripped-out--verging on hokey--remixed version at the end), and the enchanting "Strange World." Her youthful romanticism is perhaps captured best in "Trust" ("Somewhere deep inside me I hold a picture / Of a time long gone--a time of ease and / Simple pleasures..."), a catchy tune that is embellished with male vocals, sparkling keyboards, bongos, and distant electric-guitar licks. Later tracks become more endearing with each listen but in certain moods can be nauseatingly dreamy and vaporous. Nevertheless, this disc endures as a fine remembrance of the early days, when McLachlan was a fresh-eyed mystic songbird whose passions were not yet realized on an international scale. --Rebecca Robinson