Description
It's the rare singer-songwriter whose emotional confessions rise above bathos to find true resonance with their listeners; rarer still the one who can connect their audience with the plight of everyday strangers. Suzanne Vega not only managed that feat on her unlikely, child-abuse themed breakthroug
It's the rare singer-songwriter whose emotional confessions rise above bathos to find true resonance with their listeners; rarer still the one who can connect their audience with the plight of everyday strangers. Suzanne Vega not only managed that feat on her unlikely, child-abuse themed breakthrough hit "Luka" in `88, but opened the door for a renaissance of intelligent, female folk-oriented music in the decade that followed. This 21-track anthology spans Vega's career before and since, a chronicle of cool, sharp-eyed detachment infused by a restless, oft-underrated sense of musical invention that spans club-mixes (the "Tom's Diner" here was originally a "pirate" deejay mix by DNA that Vega wisely adopted), Latin jazz ("Caramel"), electro-percussive rhythm explorations ("Blood Makes Noise," "99.9F," and ""Woman on the Tier" from the Dead Man Walking soundtrack) neo-classicism ("Small Blue Thing") and a sharp-edged pop sense ("I'll Never Be Your Maggie May," "Book of Dreams") that can't be denied. That it's all still clearly rooted in a diverse pantheon that includes Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Woody Guthrie is all the more remarkable. Rarities include "Left of Center" from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, a live "Queen and the Soldier" and previously import-only "Rosemary." Also features all lyrics and the insightful recollections of Vega colleague/Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye. --Jerry McCulley (Review copyright Amazon.co.uk)
... (more)
(less)
Performed by
Videos
Add a video from video sharing sites
Track listing1. Luka 2. Tom's Diner 3. Marlene on the Wall 4. Caramel 5. 99.9 F 6. Tired of Sleeping 7. Small Blue Thing 8. Blood Makes Noise 9. Left of Center 10. (I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May 11. In Liverpool 12. Gypsy 13. Book of Dreams 14. No Cheap Thrill 15. Calypso 16. World Before Columbus 17. Solitude Standing 18. Penitent 19. Rosemary 20. Queen and the Soldier [Live] 21. Woman on the Tier (I'll See You Through)
Lists
Loved by No one loves this enough to add it to their favorites :(
|
Ratings of
Cover art, photos and screenshots
Reviews of
|