Rarities, B-Sides & Other Stuff, Vol. 2 [2008] [Digipak]

Performer: Sarah McLachlan
Artist: Cyndi Lauper; Bryan Adams; Run-DMC; Emmylou Harris; The Perishers; Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Engineer: Bill Malina
Producer: Cyndi Lauper; David A. Stewart; Glen Ballard; Pierre Marchand; Professor Funk; Randy Newman
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Sarah McLachlan (vocals, piano); Ashwin Sood (vocals, toy piano); Cyndi Lauper, Emmylou Harris, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Bryan Adams (vocals); Jamie West-Oram (guitar); Glen Ballard (guitars, keyboards); Dave Stewart (guitars); Sean Ashby (acoustic guitar); Stewart Cole (trumpet); Rob Hyman (organ); Pierre Marchand (keyboards); Mark Egan, Simon Smith, Brian Minato (electric bass); Matt Chamberlain, Sammy Merendino (drums); Chris Potter (bass drum); Ned Douglas (programming); Randy Newman, DJ Ti�sto, Randy Kerber. DJ: DJ Ti�sto. Arrangers: Randy Newman; Randy Kerber. Just as the title states, RARITIES, B SIDES AND OTHER STUFF, VOLUME 2 is the follow-up to Sarah McLachlan's first collection of rarities and assorted tracks. Far from being mere cast-offs, these songs are every bit as finely structured and well-produced as McLachlan's better known material. The handful of alternate mixes are particularly worthwhile for fans, as are duets like McLachlan's sensitive pairing with Cyndi Lauper on the latter's "Time After Time" and South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo on Paul Simon's "Homeless." But the real meat of the album is in its covers, which range from Joni Mitchell's "River" to a heartfelt take on "The Rainbow Connection" from THE MUPPET MOVIE. In 1996, before she had blown up into the AAA luminary she later became, Sarah McLachlan issued the first volume of Rarities, B-Sides & Other Stuff, which was a nice, albeit remix-heavy, collection of some of the Canadian chanteuse's harder to find material. In 2008, with superstar status cleanly attained, the second volume was released, with little fanfare or to-do, most likely at the behest of her label, Nettwerk (a subsidiary of Sony BMG). As it turns out, there's little to get excited about here, as it's the kind of compilation that appeals mostly to the serious fan as opposed to the casual listener, who may enjoy listening to "Angel" on the radio, even Surfacing, but has little desire to hear DJ Ti�sto's version of "Silence," her hit song with Delerium, which was already released on the 2001 album Remixed anyway. In fact, all of the songs here have seen the light of day in one way or another, be it on a soundtrack ("When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2, "Ordinary Miracle" from Charlotte's Web, "Blackbird" from I Am Sam, "Don't Let Go" from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron), or as a guest on someone else's album ("Time After Time" is from Cyndi Lauper's The Body Acoustic, "Homeless" is from Ladysmith Black Mambazo's Long Walk to Freedom, and "Pills" was released as a single by the Perishers, who opened for the singer in 2005). The other tracks are from other assorted compilations or singles, and while there are a couple of nice things here (the lovely "Prayer of St. Francis," the aforementioned "Blackbird"), Rarities, B-Sides & Other Stuff, Vol. 2 will only excite the very people who already have all of this material anyway, which makes it...well...not very exciting to anyone. ~ Marisa Brown In 1996, before she had blown up into the AAA luminary she later became, Sarah McLachlan issued the first volume of Rarities, B-Sides & Other Stuff, which was a nice, albeit remix-heavy, collection of some of the Canadian chanteuse's harder to find material. In 2008, with superstar status cleanly attained, the second volume was released, with little fanfare or to-do, most likely at the behest of her label, Nettwerk (a subsidiary of Sony BMG). This is the kind of compilation that appeals mostly to the serious fan as opposed to the casual listener, who may enjoy listening to "Angel" on the radio, even Surfacing, but has little desire to hear DJ Ti�sto's version of "Silence," her hit song with Delerium, which was already released on the 2001 album Remixed. In fact, all of the songs here have seen the light of day in one way or another, be it on a soundtrack ("When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2, "Ordinary Miracle" from Charlotte's Web, "Blackbird" from I Am Sam, "Don't Let Go" from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron), or as a guest on someone else's album ("Time After Time" is from Cyndi Lauper's The Body Acoustic, "Homeless" is from Ladysmith Black Mambazo's Long Walk to Freedom, and "Pills" was released as a single by the Perishers, who opened for the singer in 2005). The other tracks are from other assorted compilations or singles, and include a couple of nice things, such as the lovely "Prayer of St. Francis" and the aforementioned "Blackbird." ~ Marisa Brown

The honey-voiced Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan has ascended from modest success in the U.S. and her native Nova Scotia to international stardom. Her music is accessible enough for the masses, yet serious enough to strike a strong chord with sensitive listeners, especially young women. Partly in acknowledgement of that demographic, McLachlan created the Lilith Fair in 1997, a female-focused concert tour that was an unexpected success and heralded a renaissance of female artists in the world of rock.

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