Since her debut, Touch, in 1989, Sarah McLachlan's atmospheric folk-pop has gained a devoted following of fans not only in her native Canada, where she is a superstar, but also in the United States and Britain.

Afterglow is her first album in six years. Not much of her style has changed in the time she was away and Afterglow is firmly within her signature sound  --- a softly tuneful  blend of classic songwriting with a touch of vaguely dreamy music.

Prior to its release, the album was touted as the first collection of songs she wrote entirely on piano, not guitar, but ultimately this doesn't make much of a difference to the overall feel and effect of the album.

The opener as well as the first single Fallen features her typically open and fearless lyrical style, but the track is far from outstanding.

It would be easy to give the closing track, World on Fire, a nod as the obligatory 9/11 response ballad, but it is obviously optimistic if compared to other songs.

This CD is a little bit languid. It's also no different from its predecessor. In other words, after a long absence, Sarah McLachlan reemerges with a record that could have followed her last album Surfacing by six months, not years.

 
Editor: Wings