Silence became an anthem for me.

I was first introduced to Tara MacLean at Lilith Fair in 1997 by some Jewel fans. One of the men in our group worked as a rep with Nettwerk and pushes a live tape into my hands, telling me I had to listen to this. It was a recording of a show she'd done for television, I believe; it was beautiful, and I decided I had to hear more.

When I finally found the cd, I was immediately struck by it, and hooked on it. Tara's voice is clear and beautiful, and she puts enormous emotion into the delivery. She's definitely of the singer-songwriter ilk, the female vocalists. She doesn't have the raw power that some others might have, but if the world were just, Tara MacLean would be a superstar.

As it is, her music isn't quite radio-friendly enough to be in much rotation.

This whole album is rather sad in approach: the whole thing is about relationships, both with another and with oneself. In fact, when it became my anthem I was getting over a broken heart -- and every song had meaning, to the point that I had to stop listening to it. If I recall correctly, too, she said when I met her that this album was written mostly about a boyfriend she'd had, too.

Favorites include:

* That's Me -- beautiful definitions of self, about our masks and deluding ourself, with the line 'I've come to the conclusion that believers are sinners in disguise, and I was blind.'

* Red -- very sexy jazzy number about jealousy. That saxophone makes this song.

* In the Wings -- my favorite from the album, about dying love and breakups, and the shattering of dreams, as well as the hope that everything will be right again.

Very beautiful, and compelling.

Recommended: Yes