VH1 Storytellers: Sarah McLachlan

The relative intimacy of the Storytellers stage is appropriate for an artist like Sarah McLachlan, who in the course of this 10-song performance establishes an easy and close rapport with her audience. In truth, empires will neither rise nor fall, and few lives are likely to be changed, on account of McLachlan's music. But the guiding light of the Lilith Fair is an honest, unpretentious artist with a lovely voice (those distinctive little swoops at the end of melodic phrases bring to mind fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell) and a passel of tunes that reflect the self-professed influence of writers such as Cat Stevens, Joan Baez, and Peter Gabriel. There's no “I Will Remember You” here, but McLachlan and her excellent band (including husband Ashwin Sood on drums) perform strong versions of the catchy “Ice Cream,” the heartfelt “Hold On,” “Building a Mystery,” and others, with Paula Cole guesting on “Elsewhere,” and McLachlan also performing solo at the piano. She doesn't rock like Sheryl Crow; she's not odd like, say, Tori Amos; and she (like pretty much everyone else) lacks the burning originality of Mitchell. But simply being Sarah McLachlan is plenty good enough. Presented with DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound options, the disc also includes two bonus songs. Recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)