Afterglow
by Sarah McLachlan
  • Record Label: Arista
  • Release Date: Nov 4, 2003
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 38 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 38
  3. Negative: 4 out of 38

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  1. ChristineR
    Nov 4, 2003
    1
    Afterglow is BORING! With 6 years between albums, you'd think Sarah would've evolved somewhat, but she's just sticking to the same old sound. I wouldn't mind, if her songs were as catchy as they used to be. But they're not. After a few listens all that got stuck in my head was the chorus to "Trainwreck". That's really sad considering how quickly she gets to Afterglow is BORING! With 6 years between albums, you'd think Sarah would've evolved somewhat, but she's just sticking to the same old sound. I wouldn't mind, if her songs were as catchy as they used to be. But they're not. After a few listens all that got stuck in my head was the chorus to "Trainwreck". That's really sad considering how quickly she gets to the chorus of EVERY song, and how often the chorus is repeated. Her lyrics are embarrassingly clumsy and more vague and meaningless than usual. There's no real variety in music or tempo throughout the album, which might be why nothing stands out. Her vocals are consistently low and monotonous. Afterglow definitely doesn't showcase her full range, as a singer or a songwriter. Or maybe she's lost it. Hey, Sarah's said in interviews that she thought these songs were crap...until Her People convinced her otherwise. They were probably just happy to get *anything* new from this far-from-prolific songwriter. And I bet lots of fans will feel that way too. But not me. Let's face it, Sarah's run out of ideas, she's got nothing to *say*, and she's playing it safe and taking it easy now.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Most Discussed Album of 2003

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
55

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 11
  3. Negative: 2 out of 11
  1. AllMusic
    60
    Some may call that predictable, some may call it reliable, but there's little arguing that Afterglow is a solid effort -- it won't win new fans, but it will certainly satisfy the old ones.
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  2. Entertainment Weekly
    67
    Comely but slight, Afterglow works hard to stay on a calm, unprepossessing middle middle course despite McLachlan's initimate soul-searching. [7 Nov 2003, p.68]
  3. Logo
    80
    It’s gorgeous, moving and magnificent.
    Read full review
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