Solace (Sarah McLachlan album)

Solace
Studio album by
Sarah McLachlan
Released29 June 1991 (Canada)
28 January 1992 (US)
StudioMorin Heights at Lars Westvind's house, in Vancouver at Mushroom Studio and Venture Studios and in New Orleans at Karen's House
GenrePop
Length45:31
LabelNettwerk (Canada)
Arista (US)
ProducerPierre Marchand
Sarah McLachlan chronology
Touch
(1988) 		Solace
(1991) 		Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
(1993)
Singles from Solace
  1. "The Path of Thorns (Terms)"
    Released: 1991
  2. "Into the Fire"
    Released: 1991
  3. "Drawn to the Rhythm"
    Released: 7 February 1992
  4. "I Will Not Forget You"
    Released: 1992
  5. "Wear Your Love Like Heaven"
    Released: 1992

Solace is the second studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released on 29 June 1991, on Nettwerk in Canada and 28 January 1992, on Arista Records in the United States. It was the album that first made her a star in Canada, spawning the hit singles "The Path of Thorns (Terms)" and "Into the Fire" (Mclachlan appeared nude in both the accompanying videos) and being certified double platinum for sales of 200,000 copies in Canada. This was also the first of many Sarah McLachlan albums produced by Pierre Marchand.

Although the album received favourable reviews internationally, her commercial breakthrough outside of Canada would not come until her next full album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Although McLachlan has not discarded the album's songs from her concerts so completely as those of Touch, nothing from Solace has been performed live since 1999 except for “The Path of Thorns (Terms)”,[1] which was performed 19 times between 2010 and 2012.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Chicago Tribune[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
NME6/10[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

In a rave review for the Los Angeles Times, Steve Hochman said that Solace "gorgeously recalls" Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, and Sandy Denny "without sounding derivative", praising McLachlan's "strong, emotional songwriting and singing" and Marchand's "atmospheric yet involving production".[5] Gary Dretzka was more ambivalent in the Chicago Tribune, commenting that the album's songs "are not without some poetic beauty", but "no one piece really stands out" due to their similar "somber emotional range".[4] Writing for NME, David Quantick found the record merely promising, with "hints of possible excellence".[6]

Retrospectively, AllMusic critic Kelly McCartney deemed Solace "a wonderful record that offers a glimpse of the astounding talent of a young Sarah McLachlan", writing that McLachlan avoided the "sophomore jinx" with "a superior collection of songs and performances".[3] Richard Skanse stated in the 2004 Rolling Stone Album Guide that Solace "represented a considerable leap in maturity and focus" for McLachlan, noting the album's "less muddled" production and its songs' "sharper hooks and distinctive melodies".[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sarah McLachlan, except where otherwise noted.

CD: Nettwerk / W2-30055 (Canada)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Drawn to the Rhythm" 4:08
2."Into the Fire"
3:34
3."The Path of Thorns (Terms)" 5:51
4."I Will Not Forget You"
  • McLachlan
  • Darren Phillips
5:20
5."Lost" 5:03
6."Back Door Man" 4:00
7."Shelter" 3:23
8."Black" 5:04
9."Home" 4:45
10."Mercy" 4:23
Total length:45:31
Bonus track (Arista)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Wear Your Love Like Heaven"Donovan3:19
Total length:48:50

Note: In Canada, "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" appeared on Nettwerk's Donovan tribute album, Island of Circles.

Personnel

  • Sarah McLachlan – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano
  • Pierre Marchand – Electric Guitar, Mandolin, Bass, Piano, Organ, Keyboards, Accordion Reeds, Percussion
  • Bill Dillon – Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Mandolin, Pedal Steel, Guitorgan, Billatron
  • Leo Nocentelli – Electric Guitar
  • Daryl Exnicious – Bass, Background Vocals
  • Hugh McMillan – Bass
  • Jocelyne Lanois – Bass
  • Alan Gevaert – Bass
  • Deni Bonet – Violin, Viola
  • Peter "Harpy" Conway – Harmonica
  • Ronald Jones – Drums, Percussion
  • Paul Brennan – Drums
  • Ashwin Sood – Drums
  • Michel Dupirre – Percussion
  • Ken "Hiwatt" Marshall, Greg Reely – Engineers
  • Andre Paquet – Freelancer
  • Kharen Hill Album photography for publicity and artwork

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Solace
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[12] 2× Platinum 200,000^
United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 671,000[13]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Setlist.fm; Sarah McLachlan Album Statistics
  2. ^ Setlist.fm; ‘The Path of Thorns (Terms)’ Archived 31 July 2024 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b McCartney, Kelly. "Solace – Sarah McLachlan". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 31 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b Dretzka, Gary (20 February 1992). "Sarah McLachlan: Solace (Arista)". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b Hochman, Steve (1 March 1992). "Sarah McLachlan, 'Solace,' Nettwerk/Arista". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b Quantick, David (1 August 1992). "Sarah McLachlan: Solace". NME. p. 39.
  7. ^ a b Skanse, Richard (2004). "Sarah McLachlan". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 531. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1599". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 10 August 1991. p. 65. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Sarah McLachlan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  11. ^ "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 55, No. 3, December 21 1991". RPM. 21 December 1991. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  12. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Sarah McLachlan – Solace". Music Canada. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Ask Billboard: Keith Caulfield answers readers' questions about Jewel, Kylie Minogue and Sarah McLachlan". Billboard. 19 November 2003. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  14. ^ "American album certifications – Sarah Mc Lachlan – Solace". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 October 2016.