''Laws of Illusion'' is the seventh studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. It was released on 11 June 2010 on

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and 15 June 2010 on Nettwerk in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Recording for the album took place in Montreal and Vancouver and production was handled by

Pierre Marchand Pierre Marchand (born 1958) is a Canadian songwriter, musician and record producer. Marchand is known for his ongoing collaboration with Sarah McLachlan, having produced all of her albums since ''Solace'' in 1991. He also co-wrote several of Mc ...

, with whom McLachlan has frequently collaborated in the past. According to McLachlan, her original idea for the album's title was ''Loss and Illusion''. When she suggested it to Marchand, he misunderstood her as saying ''Laws of Illusion''; she chose to use that as the final title instead.

Release

Customers who pre-ordered the album through sarahmclachlan.com were given "exclusive pre-access" to tickets to the 2010 Lilith Fair along with an instant download of McLachlan's song "One Dream", which she wrote for the

Vancouver Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

Singles

"Loving You Is Easy" was released on 23 April 2010. McLachlan's official website announced the track listing on 14 May 2010. "Loving You Is Easy" debuted at number 28 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Adult Contemporary Songs The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

on the week of 29 May 2010 and has risen to number 14 as of 17 July 2010. The song also debuted at number 38 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Top 40 on the week of 26 June 2010. "Loving You Is Easy" debuted at number 86 on the ''Billboard''

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

on the week of 12 June 2010. It has so far peaked at number 59.

Chart performance

''Laws of Illusion'' debuted at number 2 on the Canadian album charts, selling 22,000 copies in its first week of release.' The album debuted at #3 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 94,000 copies in its first week of release and selling an additional 38,000 copies in its second week. The album has been less successful in the UK, debuting at #76. In Australia, the album debuted at #12, making it her highest charting album there.

Critical reception

''Laws of Illusion'' received generally favorable reviews from music critics.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

noted that the album "furthers the fantasy by taking its cues from dated Clinton-era folk-pop. It’s an album that aims to soothe rather than startle, replete with wistful, lovelorn lyrics and McLachlan’s signature arrangements — a mix of new age atmospherics and singer/songwriter ambience — courtesy of longtime

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' gave the album a negative review, stating that "Sarah McLachlan's first disc since splitting from her husband, Ashwin Sood, feels scattered: The carefree single 'Loving You Is Easy' feels out of place. The rest alternates between vulnerability and bitterness, using the same sighs and moans with which she used to convey ecstasy." SputnikMusic gave the album 4 stars and praised McLachlan's musical return to the style she explored in her earlier albums, such as '' Surfacing'', '' Touch'' and ''

Solace Consolation, consolement, and solace are terms referring to psychological comfort given to someone who has suffered severe, upsetting loss, such as the death of a loved one. It is typically provided by expressing shared regret for that loss and ...

''. Slant gave the album rather negative review noting that "''Laws of Illusion'' sounds both effortless and effort-less."

Track listing

"·" Tracks that feature piano versions/video on Deluxe Edition *Japanese Edition Includes 2 Bonus Tracks - "Loving You Is Easy" (Acoustic), "One Dream"

Personnel

Credits for ''Laws of Illusion'' adapted from

. ;Musicians * Sarah McLachlan – guitar (acoustic), piano, composer, glockenspiel, harmonium, vocals, vocals (background), wurlitzer * Matt Chamberlain – percussion, drums *

Colin Cripps Colin Cripps (born January 26, 1961 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian musician and record producer. Career Colin Cripps is a Canadian guitarist and member of Blue Rodeo and the Jim Cuddy Band. He has been a member and producer of the bands C ...

– guitar (acoustic), guitar (electric), vocals (background) * Yves Desrosiers – guitar (acoustic), guitar (electric), lap steel guitar, slide bass * Bill Dillon – guitar (acoustic), guitar (electric) *

Luke Doucet Luke Doucet (born June 9, 1973) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He has written and performed as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock band Veal and the folk rock band Whitehorse. In 2006 and 2011, Doucet was nominated f ...

– guitar (acoustic), dobro, guitar (electric), vocals (background) * Robbie Kuster – percussion, drums, vocals (background) * J.F. Lemieux – bass, vocals (background) * Catherine Lesaunier – cello * Maxime St-Pierre – trumpet, flugelhorn *

– guitar (acoustic), bass, composer, glockenspiel, harmonium, keyboards, vocals (background), producer, engineer, mixing, tack piano *

Michel Pepin Michael Breen is the former stage name of Michel Pépin (born 1960 in Nicolet, Quebec) a Canadian pop and rock singer and session musician."Quebec singer takes care making leap into English". ''Toronto Star'', February 11, 1988. Although he rele ...

– guitar (acoustic), guitar (electric) ;Technical personnel * Chris Potter – engineer * Kharen Hill – photography, cover photo, tray photo * Raphael Mazzucco – photography * John Rummen – design * Pascal Shefteshy – engineer, mixing assistant * Adam Ayan – mastering * Fred Bouchard – pro-tools *Kharen Hill - photography for album artwork and publicity

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2010 albums Sarah McLachlan albums Nettwerk Records albums Arista Records albums Albums produced by Pierre Marchand