Although 1991's
Solace
made
Sarah McLachlan
a star in Canada, her international breakthrough arrived two years later with
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
, a softly assured album that combined the atmospheric production of
Pierre Marchand
(a former apprentice -- and evident disciple -- of
Daniel Lanois
) with some of
McLachlan
's strongest songwriting to date. At the center of everything was her voice, an ethereal, lilting soprano that helped pave the way for
Paula Cole
,
Lillith Fair
, and a decade's worth of successful female songwriters.
utilized the crack between her chest and head voice, emphasizing the changing tones as her melodies climbed into the vocal stratosphere. She was also comparatively young at the time of
Ecstasy
's release, and her combination of vocal hooks and commercial appeal wouldn't be fully mastered until 1997's
Surfacing
. Even so,
's work was rarely as raw or honest as it is on this record, where tales of sin, lust, and love are delivered alongside piano arpeggios and electronic flourishes.
"Possession,"
the album's lead-off single, is a jarring love ballad with lyrics inspired by a stalker's correspondence. There's a double-edged quality to the song's eerie lines -- "I'll take your breath away," "I won't be denied," "Just close your eyes, dear" -- and
Marchand
underscores that tension by setting
's melodies to a nocturnal trip-hop beat. Elsewhere, the two lighten up with
"Ice Cream,"
which likens love's sweetness to decadent deserts, yet
takes most of its strength from the lush, rhythmic dreamscapes that dominate the album. Alternately dark and shimmering, intimate and ornate,
launched
's international star power while setting a high bar for her future albums, many of which approached -- but not never quite eclipsed -- this career highlight. ~ Andrew Leahey