I love Tracy Chapman, but was disappointed in this CD.
January 26, 2007Before I write how disappointed I am with "Where You Live", I must preface that I think Miss Chapman is a rare find, a brilliant songwriter, possessing one of the keenest minds in music, as well as one of my favorite artists. However, I've found the latest album to be virtually unlistenable. I have tried to find positive aspects upon every listen, but never to any avail. Her voice is monotone, the production sounds cheap and hollow, and the mood is beyond dismal. Starting with the mediocre single, "Change", it is a steady downhill ride to the end. One of the most horrific pit stops along the way is the song, "America". The war drums combined with the John Cougar Mellencamp guitars attempt to acknowledge the forgotten Native Americans, but only results in a cacophony that makes their plight seem even worse today. Half the time I didn't even realize anything was playing because the songs were so boring, or I'd experience the other extreme when they awakened my senses violently, due to their brutal lack of melody. The one thing I think was thought out on the album was the cover art in black and white - "Where You Live", has no life blood running through it.
My intention is not to dissuade anyone from buying or listening to Miss Chapman's new album; instead only to voice my intense disappointment with someone I consider so talented's most recent work.
December 17, 2006I love the song "America" and think it will be one of my all time favorites from Tracy Chapman
August 21, 2006When her eponymous debut appeared in the summer of '88, Tracy Chapman was compared by many to Joan Armatrading, the most immediate and likely comparison people could think of--Joan, like Tracy, had a deep, soulful voice that she used to great effect on some really fine original songs. Frankly, however, that's where the comparison really ended.
As a fan of both, I can say there are significant differences--both have warm voices, but Joan's is more suited to jazz and R&B ("Someone said she's too black/And someone else said she's not black enough for me"), whereas Tracy's voice is folkier and a bit more raw in places. Perhaps a fairer comparison would be between Tracy Chapman and the legendary (and still performing in 2006) Odetta, since Joan hasn't worked in the folk genre since her very first album, Whatever's For Us (1973). Furthermore, their choice of material is very different; Tracy sings many more social and political songs, whereas Joan sticks mainly to love and relationship themes (especially notable on her most recent studio album, 2003's Lovers Speak, which I highly recommend, by the way...but I digress).
That said, Where You Live is truly a return to form for Tracy. Tchad Blake produced this album and remained faithful to Tracy's vision of a more stripped-down album, much in the vein of her first two albums; after those, she became very uneven. I didn't care greatly for 1992's Matters of the Heart and thus strayed away, only really paying attention when individual tracks like "Give Me One Reason" and "You're the One" would receive airplay. Tracy at 42 is certainly no less bracing than Tracy at 24, but her material is more diverse in its subject matter and more pensive--"Change" and "3,000 Miles" are the strongest proof of this--and the sociopolitical songs are still confrontational but less in-your-face ("America," a fine song, and a fairly direct indictment of the Dubya administration). The closing track, "Be and Be Not Afraid," has a very Buddhist feel in its message, and the spiritual colouring in Tracy's music is very welcome. Here's hoping Tracy continues to release material like this; it's nice to have her still around after all this time.
June 6, 2006With an aged artist, expectations are frequently made only to disappoint, and considering Chapman's past success, they had to be high amongst her avid fans. With "Where You Live" Chapman meets these expectations only to surpass them. No disappointment here.
March 18, 2006More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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