Although 1991's made a star in Canada, her international breakthrough arrived two years later with , a softly assured album that combined the atmospheric production of (a former apprentice -- and evident disciple -- of ) with some of 's strongest songwriting to date. At the center of everything was her voice, an ethereal, lilting soprano that helped pave the way for , , and a decade's worth of successful female songwriters. utilized the crack between her chest and head voice, emphasizing the changing tones as her melodies climbed into the vocal stratosphere. She was also comparatively young at the time of 's release, and her combination of vocal hooks and commercial appeal wouldn't be fully mastered until 1997's . Even so, 's work was rarely as raw or honest as it is on this record, where tales of sin, lust, and love are delivered alongside piano arpeggios and electronic flourishes. the album's lead-off single, is a jarring love ballad with lyrics inspired by a stalker's correspondence. There's a double-edged quality to the song's eerie lines -- "I'll take your breath away," "I won't be denied," "Just close your eyes, dear" -- and underscores that tension by setting 's melodies to a nocturnal trip-hop beat. Elsewhere, the two lighten up with which likens love's sweetness to decadent deserts, yet takes most of its strength from the lush, rhythmic dreamscapes that dominate the album. Alternately dark and shimmering, intimate and ornate, launched 's international star power while setting a high bar for her future albums, many of which approached -- but not never quite eclipsed -- this career highlight. ~ Andrew Leahey