Sarah McLachlan began her career wallowing in awfulness, her operatic voice stuck in overdrive, her lyrics self-absorbed, her song structures shapeless. She pilfered the synth-y drama of Annie Lennox but lacked conviction to deliver a troubled lyric like “the night is my companion.” Then the Beatles gods descended: Surfacing, her 1997 breakthrough and masterpiece, debuts clear verses, slinky rhythms and character-driven narratives like “Building a Mystery,” the best example of a woman calling a guy on his shit since Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain.” This 16-song overview traces her trajectory from post-new-age wisp to chart-crushing craftsman to formula peddler (2003’s Afterglow was a snore). The new “Don’t Give Up On Us,” a relationship-mender that’s sleek on the outside, troubled on the inside, restores her awesomeness.

DOWNLOAD “Building a Mystery,” “Sweet Surrender”