THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 14, 1994 TAG: 9407140079
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SUE SMALLWOOD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
``POSSESSION,'' the stunning lead single from the recent ``Fumbling Toward Ecstasy'' album, chronicles a fan's violent preoccupation with a celebrity. Gorgeous yet creepy, the song is quintessential Sarah McLachlan.
``I love that dual thing of something being really beautiful and really grotesque at the same time,'' the Canadian singer/songwriter explained from Baltimore. `` `Possession' was written about being obsessed with somebody. The initial inspiration was fans that went over the top, from personal experience. I just put myself in their shoes and try to figure out why they're so f---ed up and inevitably came to find why am I so f---ed up.''
To assemble ``Fumbling Toward Ecstasy,'' a graceful song cycle of self-examination and actualization, McLachlan isolated herself for months in the Quebec mountains.
``I had been on tour for a year and a half before that and had (also) gone to Thailand and Cambodia to make a documentary film'' on AIDS, prostitution and poverty, produced by the World Vision organization, she recalled. ``I'd seen a whole lot of things but all of it had just gotten pushed to the back of my mind to be dealt with later. I just thought it would be best to go be by myself and figure it all out.''
Produced by Pierre Marchand, McLachlan's third studio album works a delicate balance between her sweet, sinuous vocals - imagine a k.d. lang/Sinead O'Connor hybrid - and evocative guitar/piano-based pop arrangements accessible to a variety of listeners. McLachlan considers it her breakthrough LP.
``I've never had this much radio support'' in the United States, she mused. ``There are new radio formats opening up'' - modern rock, adult alternative - ``which allow artists like me who've sort of fallen through the cracks before actually get some radio play, which has definitely helped a lot.''
McLachlan, a native of Halifax who will perform at 8 Friday night at the Virginia Beach Pavilion, was classically trained in piano, guitar and voice. She was discovered by the Nettwerk label at age 17 fronting a ``Gothic folk-punk'' band. The record company offered to bring McLachlan to Vancouver, B.C., to do some demos. Mama McLachlan nixed the idea.
``My mother didn't think too highly of it since I was barely passing high school and might never come back,'' McLachlan remembered. ``But at 19 they came back and offered me a five-record contract. The longer I'm in the industry the more I realize how unheard of that kind of thing is.''
McLachlan's first album ``Touch,'' which went gold in Canada, established her as an important emerging artist in 1988. Her 1992 follow-up LP, ``Solace,'' garnered rave reviews in the U.S., necessitating exhaustive touring.
``Fumbling Toward Ecstasy'' has met with the same zealous response and, once again, McLachlan's on the road, this time through early next year. The songstress thrives on live performance and is delighted that her current jaunt consists mainly of theater dates.
``That's the ideal place for me,'' she said. ``People generally aren't drinking or smoking, they're all sitting there focused at you and you're focused at them. The way we do the music, a lot of subtleties that I feel are really necessary and important get lost when you're in a bar atmosphere. But I've been very lucky to have great audiences that are very appreciative.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
``Fumbling Toward Ecstasy'' is McLachlan's third album.
CONCERT FACTS
Who: Sarah McLachlan with The Devlans
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Virginia Beach Pavilion
Tickets: $20 advance. To order, call 671-8100.
by CNB