Sarah McLachlan - Bloom Remix

An admitted Sarah McLachlan fan, I was more than a bit intrigued by the promise held in the latest addition to her discography. There has always been an ethereal, angelic quality to McLachlan’s music that would seem to lend itself to the more atmospheric forms of electronic/dance music available. Should these elements be emphasized, I reasoned, the album would have the potential to be more artistically viable than the majority of remix albums in existence. Unfortunately, most of the tracks on this, the second collection of McLachlan remixes, (see Remixed, released in the U.S. in 2003) fail to harness the innate possibilities contained in the wealth of source material provided. The production on most of the album detracts from, rather than enhances, the intention of the originals and demystifies McLachlan’s vocals by placing them against such ordinary backdrops. The worst offenders on Bloom are easy to spot. Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am creates a terribly strange mix, juxtaposing DMC’s “Just Like Me” with McLachlan singing the refrain from Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s In The Cradle.” Equally awkward, Tom Middleton’s remix of “Vox” sounds like a reject from Madonna’s catalogue of electronica. The biggest flaw of Bloom, however, is the abundance of dance clichés and simply average music that undermines the rarity of a talent like McLachlan’s. Worth mentioning are the album’s few bright spots. “Fallen (Gabriel & Dresden Anti-Gravity Mix)” and “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (Junior Boys Mix)” end the album nicely by taking two of McLachlan’s stronger cuts and allowing them to flourish in styles that prove advantageous to each song. “Dirty Little Secret (Thievery Corporation Mix)” retains an understated elegance that would not sound out of place on a normal McLachlan record. Attempting to frame quality music in a different, more daring setting is a respectable undertaking for all of the producers involved with this project. However, the level of success in accomplishing this in a way that augments the source material does not justify the amount of risks taken on Bloom. [www.sarahmclachlan.com]