The Freedom Sessions [EP] [Enhanced]

Sarah McLachlan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 11, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: SBME SPECIAL MKTS.
• ASIN: B0014YVCDA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,707 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Elsewhere

2. Plenty (Live)

3. Mary

4. Good Enough

5. Hold On

6. Ice Cream

7. Ice

8. Ol'55

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music As It's Supposed to Be..True, Free and Unedited, January 25, 2000

By 

"zashburn" (The Lion City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Freedom Sessions [EP] [ENHANCED CD] (Audio CD)

Why buy this CD if you already have Fumbling ?

Adding to what the other reviewers here have said..Freedom Sessions is the REAL deal. It definitely lends credence to the saying "Less is more". No embellishments. No remastering or whatever techno digital stuff that make songs sound better is used here. Just pure Sarah and her immense talent.

'Elsewhere' is transformed from a slow rock number to a rather catchy accoustic guitar version with Sarah singing in a low sexy drawl. 'Plenty' transforms from a dark moody number into a delightful acapella duet with Camille, her BG singer. A piano-accoustic guitar version 'Mary', freed from the synthesised sounds and monotonous drumming of the original, is like breathing in the fresh breeze of a countryside.

'Good Enough' is more than good enough for me with a orchestra-like background instead of the folk-pop sound of the original. 'Ice Cream', a very lighthearted accoustic version, is Sarah and Ash's (her husband) love song and a standard Valentine's Day dedication. 'Ice', a very edgy version with full-bodied bass and the amplifier turned to the maximum, is so different from the soft haunting mood of the original. Sometimes you gotta have a lot of wine and be merry..Ol 55 is the result of such merriment and it is as the reviewer said; good sloppy fun.

However, the highlight of this album, for me is 'Hold On'. Sarah's songs are generally sad but none really made me cry like this piano version of 'Hold On'. This song was written after Sarah watched a documentary on AIDS and was inspired by a woman's courage after her husband passed away. Hearing Sarah sing, you really feel the woman's pain and sorrow as she watches her husband slowly succumb to death. I can't help but cry when she quietly sings "Oh God, the man I love is leaving, won't you take him when he comes to Your door." Oh no, my eyes are tearing again!

This is music like it's supposed to be; true, free and unedited. Overall, an excellent CD !

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than "Fumbling", September 23, 2002

By 

Kieri "Kieri" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Freedom Sessions [EP] [ENHANCED CD] (Audio CD)

I have long thought that Sarah's best work was done live. In the studio, her voice is smooth as silk, but rather dull. Live (or, here, acoustic) she is PHENOMENAL. Her voice has a raw edge and a little bit of a snarl to it, which is why songs like "Possession" and "Good Enough" are soooo much better on Mirrorball.

The tracks that stood out to me here were "Ice" and "Plenty"; however, there isn't a single track here that isn't wonderful.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The raw side of Sara, June 1, 2000

By 

Alejandro Gallegos (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Freedom Sessions [EP] [ENHANCED CD] (Audio CD)

Inside the cover of the Freedom Sessions, Sara writes that the "stronger versions" of these songs went on Fumbling....I don't understand how anyone could think that the Fumbling version of "Hold On" is stronger than the emotional, tear-jerking piano version found on The Freedom Sessions. This song is by far the best on this CD...I love how different some of the other songs sound with different chord changes. Elsewhere is a good example, with the Freedom version sounding much different that the original, but still good in its own way. I recommend this album to the dedicated Sara fan, but not so much to the casual listener, who would probably prefer her more commercial albums, "Fumbling towards Ecstacy" and "Surfacing".