Lilith Fair

July 2 1998 - The Lilith Fair was unbelievable and Sinead WOW,heres a review from K.C.Star- Sinead O'Commor, the fiery Irish singer who wears her political heart on her sleeve, provided ample evidence of her wildly individualistic vocal style and her charismatic,if eccentric,presence. "Nothing Compares To You"was a heart-rending view of love remembered,full of the still-simmering fires of passion. "What Happened To Our Love"offered a regretful look back at the remains of a shattered relationshi, with second-guessing taking the place of a once-unquestioned love. But the soaring high piont of O'Connors set was a hauntingly beautiful a cappella version of "My Love" The song Began as a solo, then progressively layered voices into a multi-part harmony no symphony orchestra could rival in emotional power. by Robert Eisele

By ROBERT EISELE Contributing Reviewer Date: 07/03/98 00:01 In its sophomore year, the Lilith Fair music festival clings fast to its roots in mellow, folk-laced songs of love lost and love that is not to be. But like any vibrant, growing thing, the fair is testing its wings and reaching out to embrace sensibilities of all description. The mother of it all is Canadian folk singer Sarah McLachlan, whose generous spirit and apparently ego-less modus operandi have given rise to an assemblage of diverse talent unrivaled on the contemporary music scene. McLachlan was elegantly ethereal throughout a set that drew heavily from her breakthrough album "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy," as well as the current "Surfacing." The gracious singer/songwriter thanked the "gods and goddesses for smiling on us and giving us a beautiful day," then launched into the torchy "Will We Burn In Heaven." Alternating between guitar and piano, McLachlan painted sexually charged images with "In The Arms of the Angels," an erotic ballad enhanced by the mood-inducing light of a silvery summer moon. The wondrously exotic Natalie Merchant, former lead singer of the alternative rock group 10,000 Maniacs, was refreshingly off-center as she made her way through an eclectic set that defied stylistic categorization. One minute the barefoot Merchant was twirling demonically at center stage, and the next she was crooning an unexpected "Life Is Just A Bowl of Cherries." "That song introduced Buddhism to America in the 1930s," Merchant opined. "How can you lose what you never owned? What do you think of that?" She was equally fetching as she ran through a litany of lovesick complaints in the bluesy "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean," a virtual valentine to co-dependency. The Atlanta-based duo Indigo Girls offered up a nicely paced set balancing up-tempo, guitar-driven rockers with the more conventional two-part harmonies of the folk idiom.With the talented singer/songwriters Amy Ray and Emily Saliers at the helm, the Indigo Girls set a smoking pace with "Don't Just Second Guess Me," an attitude-filled tune with drummer Jerry Marotta filling in on mandolin. "I'm In Love With A Ghost" was a suitably atmospheric number about the shadow-dancing that occurs when two emotionally unavailable souls converge. "Get Out The Map," a raucously infectious tune from the duo's current "Shaming of the Sun" disk, offered a contagiously upbeat look at what can only be described as wanderlust of the soul. Sinead O'Connor, the fiery Irish singer who wears her political heart on her sleeve, provided ample evidence of her wildly individualistic vocal style and her charismatic, if somewhat eccentric, presence. "Nothing Compares To You" was a heart-rending view of love remembered, full of the still-simmering fires of passion. "What Happened To Our Love?" offered a regretful look back at the remains of a shattered relationship, with second-guessing taking the place of a once-unquestioned love. But the soaring high point of O'Connor's set was a hauntingly beautiful a cappella version of "My Love." The song began as a solo, then progressively layered voices into a multi-part harmony no symphony orchestra could rival in emotional power.