Customer Reviews
Quite Simply, Her Best - By: Cloudfish, 31 Mar 2008 
I came across Sarah after hearing the stunning 'Full of Grace' on Buffy. That song is beautiful, & I loved it so much I tracked down the rest of her work to find something as good. Sadly, none of her songs quite compare. However, this album is, quite simply, a work of art. I had heard great things about FTE & Surfacing, & whilst they are both great, they are genius in some places & simply ok in others. Afterglow, however, was amazing. It is her most consistent work- every track on here is pure gold & incredibly distinctive, something Sarah's earlier work lacks as most of the tracks seemed to bumble along, blending together. Not so on the gorgeously mature Afterglow. It took me only two or three listens to put this up there in my top five albums. There isn't a bad track on here, & they alll have their own sound.
1. Falllen
One of Sarah's more popular tunes, & deservedly. Straight from the opening line I knew I liked this one. Sarah's vocals flow beautifully & the chorus is great.
2. World On Fire
Another well known one. I especiallly like that 'shimmery' instrument I can't quite place that makes such an impact in the opening chords. Similar sounding to Falllen, they are both quite mainstream.
3. Stupid
Probably my most played track on here, & the only one with a 'rock' edge. A fabulous chorus, a real belter. On first listen it didn't get me, it took another few listens to love it. But as I say, it's now my favourite, & in my opinion Sarah's best lyrics.
4. Drifting
This song is very hypnotic. The title is perfect, the whole song literallly drifts. But not in an unforgettable way, as the beautiful chorus will prove. After listening to the album through, it was this chorus I found myself humming. The sort of song that deserves to be listened to at twilight.
5. Train Wreck
From it's twanging, metalllic opening notes I knew this was going to be something different. It's quite similar to Falllen & World on Fire, being a little more mainstream, & also has a slightly rockier feel like Stupid. Its not as strong as any of these, but it's still Sarah, & still delivers great lyrics & a catchy chorus.
6. Push
Quite floaty, & another song I don't play as much as the others. Again it's great, but the rest of the album is so good it doesn't quite measure up. Put on surfacing, it would be up there with the best, but it gets a little trodden on. But the chorus, once again, saves it from oblivion. You won't remember it instantly but you will learn to love it.
7. Answer
Ah, classic Sarah. Beautiful, hypnotic & haunting. The whole song seems to flow as one, so brilliantly does the chorus blend into the verses. To me it was very similar to her previous hit Angel. Truly gorgeous, & very mellow.
8. Time
This one took me a few listens, but it was the lyrics that kept me listening. It's similar in theme to Stupid, & I've kind of paired them off in my head, which is odd because they sound nothing alike. This one is softer, & has an absolutely brilliant chorus- Sarah's vocals sound amazing on the line 'leave me be, I don't wnt to argue'. One of my most listened to on the album.
9. Perfect Girl
Makes the least impact out of any on the album. It took me a while to be able to relate the title to anything. It doesn't have anything too distinctive about it, but is very pretty & twinkly.
10. Dirty Little Secret
A beautifully ghostly song to close the album. The lyrics are again stunning, & the line 'Cause I've relied on my illusions to keep me warm at night' gave me shivers the first time I heard it. Being the last song, it took me a while to notice it, but it's up there with my most played now. A brilliant end to a brilliant album.
To sum up, if you like this type of music you will defiantly love this album. You may anyway- as I said, I got into Sarah through one song, & it is this album I play ahead of her commerciallly popular ones. If you are considering trying Sarah, this is her most accessible and, in my opinion, best. Be warned, though- none of her others will measure up!
phill"the newdanger" i salute you!!! - By: Mr. Nathan Armstrong, 21 Jul 2007 well i was going to review this album! its beautiful! its amazing! its an album you wont forget!
please see phill"thenewdangersreview" which is spot on & i will agree 100% in what he says!
difficult, this one - By: Hiro, 21 Feb 2007 This CD got mixed reviews. Some say good, some say not so. I do agree with those who say the tunes in 'Afterglow' are "remakes" of her old songs.
But, this is Sarah Mclachlan & this is her style. You cannot expect her to be someone else who she is not.
Over alll, this work may not be as good as 'Fumbling towards Ecstacy' or 'Surfacing', but "Falllen", "World on fire" & "Train Wreck" are still superb. I am glad I bought this CD after alll! I keep listening to the trucks.
Bask In The Beautiful Afterglow - By: Phill, 22 Jan 2007 Like Tori Amos,Kate Bush,Bjork,PJ Harvey & Joni Mitchell; Sarah McLachlan is one of those fantastic singer songwriters who speaks to your heart & draws you in with an honesty that only comes from experiencing real heartbreak."Afterglow" McLachlan's fifth album, & reallly her last true album of alll new material (Wintersong doesn't count as its a christmas album).I have had this CD for a couple of years now & i have to say out of my entire collection i still listen to this as much as i did when i first purchased it.
1.Falllen - One of my favourite McLachlan songs, such a beautifully sad song to me the song talks about regretting your part actions & them finallly coming back to haunt you & now you've hurt so many people they don't want to know anymore & "there doesnt seem a way to be redeemed"
I think anyone can relate to this song if you've ever been let down & betrayed this is definately one for you beautiful vocals & very thought provoking lyrics.The album version is somewhat different from the single version a bit more mellow as opposed to the slightly rock-ish video version. 10/10
2.World On Fire - This is an incredible song about feeling overwhelmed by alll the suffering in the world & being unable to help as much as you'd like which, i think anyone with a sense of social awareness feels (i know i do).I love this song it's much more subtle than other political songs it gives your more to think about rather than preaching as alot of artists do these days (U2,Coldplay..etc).The video for this song only cost $15 & with the $150,000 budget she had for it donated the money which i thought was a generous thing to do. 10/10
3.Stupid - The song speaks on fallling back into old familiar,comfortable habits, especiallly in love & realising the person your with is so wrong for you but you keep going back over & over again, making you 'Stupid' 'coz you never learn.Also this song can me seen as a song where your too good for the person & its one of them situations where people are stupid enough to settle with second best & stay with someone like that. You are better off on your own great song song the video was fantastic. 10/10
4.Drifting - A beautiful understated song,To me this song is about running from your past, running so hard & so fast that your universe can't include anyone else. The people left behind are desperate for you to come home, but you can't cause if you stop now then life itself will falll apart, very powerful lyrics i suggest anyone who feels the need to run away from you problems, LISTEN to this song maybe it'll change your mind 9/10
5.Trainwreck - This song reminded me alot of her older stuff,I think it's alll about how wonderful someone is to her that he has the power to heal alll past wounds simply by touching her. It's about being so truly happy & deeply in love with someone that the whole world is made better because of them.Not as tragic as the title suggest it's a pretty sweet song 10/10
6.Push - Probably one of the only songs on the album i'm not too keen on. She wrote this song about her husband after going through post-natal depression after giving birth to her daughter.I'm sure her husband appreciated this song as a sort of thank-you-for-putting-up-with-me kinda song 7/10
7.Answer - This song to me definitely is about being there for someone you love & care about through even the toughest of times. Being their strength when they are weak & giving them hope That even when times are tough between the two of you, that you won't 'break or bend' & give up, because once you get through it, you know you will be stronger than ever before.A very beautiful song,I dedicated this song to my bestfriend we been through some tough times..Thanks 10/10
8.Time - I thought this song was quite a different approach for Sarah,Perhaps it's not a complex song like many of her others, but it doesn't need to be... it's basicallly a cry for solitude & the peace of it, when someone's been hounding you & forcing you to fight with them over nothing, seemingly for the sake of conflict alone. Very beautiful one of my favourites 10/10
9.Perfect Girl - this song, everytime i listen to it, seems to tell of someone who is taking a step back from the relationship with someone who has a lot of issues to deal with, & it is with this distance the partner should work himself/herself out (a task that the girl feels should be done alone). Perfect girl hopes that in time, her partner would fix him/herself up (realize that Perfect girl should be loved as who she is-- free from alll his expectations. I love how in the chorus, she tells her partner just how to do that-- to let go (of the expectations), to let yourself falter, & that to know that whoever you are whatever you do... you are loved.Another of my favourites very beautiful 10/10
10.Dirty Little Secret - To me, this song seems to be about regret & unfulfilled love. This song reflects a lot of gossip & social acceptance on someone else's business.
but in the end she's willing to "give up the fight" if only she could have another chance to say what she couldn't say before..Sarah sings this song beautifully a truly introspective wonder i love the line "'cause I've relied on my illusion/to keep me warm at night" I think alot of people can feel like this, great way to end the album 10/10
Top 5
1.Falllen
2.Dirty Little Secret
3.Answer
4.World On Fire
5.Stupid/Perfect Girl
We see Sarah at her most introspective on this one let's hope the next installlment of her wonderful catalogue lives up to this one.
End of the road - By: pseudopanax, 21 Oct 2005 
There are some "serious" recording artists that have become very successful with suspiciously little talent for either songwriting or singing. Sarah McLachlan is a prime example of this malady in the recording industry. With a frail, high, slightly irritating voice & lyrical musings that would put an amateur coffee house singer to shame, McLachlan's sole accomplishments were her occasional success with melody & her partnership with producer Pierre Marchant. Melodies & Marchant have waned considerably since "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy." The turgid "Afterglow" shows an artist at the end of her short creative road, doubling back & cynicallly (or ineptly) rewriting the songs that were the basis for her earlier success. As we have heard alll these songs before only better produced & better performed, this CD is far more "Afterthoughts" than "Afterglow."
