Passenger

A Lighter Shade of Gael:
I bought this CD for two simple reasons, it was cheap ($2.00 at the used record store) and Tara is cute (at least on the front of the CD cover she is). Oh yeah, and her Scottish name evoked hopes of finding another Sarah or Loreena or something along those lines. O.K. so three reasons, but still a pretty shallow excuse for buying a CD. As it turns out it wasn't that bad of an investment. The songs are a little sappy and sentimental but Tara has a pretty voice that is only occassionaly eclipsed by the drum machine that pounds through every song like a jackhammer breaking up the sidewalk in front of your house at 6:00 A.M. on a Saturday morning. This set is nice and unchallenging, but I have been listening to the thing for a few days now and it has been good background music to my life at the moment. That is, aside for that pesky drum machine. The liner notes read like a page from the Tori Amos "How to say thank you in interesting and unintelligible ways so that everybody knows they aren't in on the joke" instructional pamphlet, but whose doesn't any more. This is a nice CD. It could have done with being a little less nice, but there you have it. The only truly exceptional song on the thing, and the one I anticipate through the entire playing is the hidden track #13 that is very raw and primal with lots of humming and hollering (and, yes, it too features the dreaded drum machine). If Tara could channel the type of energy that went into this song into her regular stuff, I think her music would be quite a bit better, or at least quite a bit more dangerous.

If you havent experienced Tara, you havent experienced Beauty:
This is one of the most beautifull albums from the canadians singer/songwritters genre, Tara Maclean provides the rigth atmosphere for everything that represents the brigth and at the same time melancholic side of life, love, and introspection, this young composer brings togheter all kind of influences musical and not musical, folk, poetry and graphic art wich is always included into sleeves artwork and cds booklet along with little pieces from famous novels, "if i fall" is one of my fave songs as well "settling" wich is incredibly touching, "Poor Boy" is another awesome track, i recommed also "silence" her debut album and "if you seeme" EP as well. Tara has receintly announced that two new released are in process currently, her third solo album and a second release for Shaye, i hope they dont took that long HM

Thoughtful and moving...:
I like songs that make you think beyond just the words. Songs that you have to *really* listen to in order to get the full meaning. Tara MacLean's songs do just that. I first heard of her from the television show "Due South" which featured many different kinds of music. The song touched me and I looked in the credits to see who the artist was. Unable to find out anything about her, I was glad to see her song "Holy Tears" featured on the television soundtrack. On a trip to Canada, I found her first CD Silence and was blown away. Just recently I found Passenger. This one just takes the journey one step further. I love the angst, the joy and the mystery in each of her songs. Yes, it is music to relax to, but it also opens up your mind to thoughts you might ordinarly just brush away. ALthough the album can sometimes be hard to find, it is well worth the search.

oh yeah:
Tara MacLean's voice is like a dove. Pure and beautiful. Her songs are different, touching and vibrant. I love 'Jericho', 'Jordan' and 'Blinded'. 'If I Fall' is Tara MacLean's single and when I first heard it back when it came out, I was jumping up and down but the name never came up. I searched and searched and eventually forgot completely about it. About 2 years later...there it was again, that SONG! I had to know who it was, I asked a girl in my class who sang the song and she told me 'Tara MacLean, I don't know anything else by her...' but I told her I didn't care and rushed out to the CD store. Bought it, listened to it, never left the CD player. If you want a female singer with strength, power and honesty, get Tara MacLean.

A bit predictable but good nonetheless:
Tara MacLean is one of those artists whose name I am aware of but never paid much attention. It wasn't until I heard her song "Here and Now" recently on a compilation cd did I decided to check out her music. I recently acquired a copy of Tara's PASSENGER cd. PASSENGER is definitely typical singer/songwriter fodder that one would hear on adult contemporary radio stations. The music is a bit bland and predictable but overall there was enough songs on the album that I liked to give this album four stars. There were a couple of songs that I didn't like because of the lack of decent melodies, or that the song sounded out of place on the album like "Shakota". My personal favorite song on the album is the gorgeous piano ballad "Settling". The poignant melodies and sparse piano melodies really hit an emotional chord with me. My other favorite song on the album is "La Tempete". I really liked the melodic pop hooks and the lyrics. PASSENGER may not be perfect and is a bit on the dull side but I did enjoy it. Tara MacLean does have a pleasant voice and does show a good deal of talent as a singer/songwriter.