MUSIC REVIEW: Tara MacLean - Passenger

"Rather gorgeous vocals with a flat production."


Frequently compared to Sarah McLachlan (who I absolutely cannot stand at all), Tara MacLean is a way better singer and a better songwriter. MacLean's vocals are really quite beautiful, and when performing live she really belts it out and shows her chops. However, this studio album suffers from the lifeless production. The lack of vivacity in the arrangements (too many amort electronic rhythms) doesn't complement the simple charm of MacLean's expressive, ebullient, and clean vocal styling. With just acoustic guitar and drums in live performances, she has a lot more breathing room without some jack-wad producer trying to make her "cool" and "hip". On this album, while she's a lovely singer, it sounds like she's restrained, or holding back. One definitely gets the impression that the producer was putting too much emphasis on a stifling atmosphere. On the haunting slow-tempo tracks this a more tasteful choice, but this aural quality persists on the lively songs and it just bogs down the music. It may seem as if I'm lingering on this complaint. The production isn't TOO bad, it just frustrates me as a listener. The lyrics are decent, not that it's all that important to me anyway, and gives even this bitter listener a thing or two to ponder. Lots of charm in the vocals and songwriting, but the arrangements bring down the overall quality.