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Tracy ChapmanAlbums ReviewedTracy Chapman (1988)New Beginning (1995) Telling Stories (2000) Tracy Chapman(1988)While politically focused hip-hop groups such Public Enemy were drawing attention to social issues in their work, Tracy Chapman addressed the same issues in a more sensitive and attractive way for the mainstream. While Chapman is not as radical or militant as Public Enemy, she is arguably just as effective on her self-titled debut as she criticises a soulless America in the social commentary of 'Fast Car' and 'Mountains O' Things'. Her social conscience songs are accompanied by relatively unsentimental relationship songs. More than fifteen years after Tracy Chapman's release, singles 'Baby Can I Hold You', 'Fast Car' and 'Talkin' Bout A Revolution' have aged more gracefully than almost any other work of the 1980s. The occasional instance of overproduction is balanced by low key arrangements such as 'For You'; for instance the a capella 'Behind the Wall' is followed by the commercially oriented 'Baby Can I Hold You'. Everything else I've heard from Chapman has failed to excite me anywhere near as much, but Tracy Chapman is a wonderful debut. 
 Crossroads(1989)Matters of the Heart (1992) Tracy's not one of those artists who makes me want to track down everything she's released, so I won't be hearing these unless my sister decides to buy them or something. New Beginning(1995)New Beginning, Chapman's fourth album, placed her back in the spotlight despite containing no transcendent hits like 'Fast Car' or 'Baby, Can I Hold You Tonight'. The bluesy rocker 'Give Me One Reason', was massively overplayed at the time, although it's almost completely unrepresentative of the remainder of the record. It's mostly mellow singer-songwriter material, with the songs averaging around six minutes in length without any dramatic arrangement shifts or musical innovations - if listeners aren't prepared to follow Chapman's lengthy stories it's pretty monotonous and as such it falls firmly into fans only territory. At times the music takes second place to the lyrics, even if it's gently melodic and nicely arranged. The content of the lyrics is evident from titles like 'Heaven's Here On Earth', 'At This Point In My Life' and 'I'm Ready'; like her debut it's a mixture of social commentary and personal. Chapman's a good story teller, and the lyrics are as competent as you'd expect from an album that comes with a lyrics poster built into the booklet. Another feature of New Beginning is that it doesn't sound at all gritty like the debut; take away 'Give Me One Reason' and the grooving 'Tell It Like It Is', and this might as well be a solo Natalie Merchant record. Almost every song would be ideal as a low key closing ballad, but here they're all strung back to back with 'Give Me A Reason' in the middle disturbing the flow. Regardless, it's a well crafted effort with plenty of attention to detail in the songs and arrangements, but it does require a lot of patience to enjoy it since it's relatively same sounding, with subtle dynamics, and overlong. Songs like 'Smoke And Ashes', with its subtle dynamics and gentle gospel flavour, and the gentle string arrangement of 'The Promise' are representative of the craft expended on this record. It's a hard slog and too samey to get a high grade, but chances are that Tracy Chapman devotees will adore New Beginning anyway. Trim a couple of minutes off most of the songs and ship 'Give Me One Reason' to either end of the album, where it doesn't disrupt the flow, and it'd be much easier for everyone else to concur.
Telling Stories(2000)This time around, it's like Chapman corrected all the obvious flaws of the previous record, while simultaneously failing to improve upon it. Telling Stories is trimmed down to three and four minute songs, and there's nothing as out of place as 'Give Me One Reason' was on New Beginning. But despite a plethora of instruments, including exotica such as dulcimers, electric sitars, uillean pipes, bouzoukis, and Chamberlains, it's still samey sounding. More than ever, the mild textural backdrops and pleasant but predictable melodies are just a platform for Chapman's lyrics, and it's difficult to recall anything musically striking about this album, as she eschews dramatic arrangements and dynamic instrument parts. This time, the tone's more upbeat than usual, with positive songs like 'Devotion' and 'Wedding Song' in place of the earlier social commentary. While this record's more succinct and easier to swallow than its predecessor, it's even less adventurous, and unless listeners are enamoured by Chapman's conscientious personality there's little to be excited by. Still, like New Beginning, this is an album full of gentle pleasures, and this time they're more accessible, located within a more succinct framework. The moody guitar strums that open the title track, before the drums and organ kick in....Telling Stories is full of nice subtle arrangements and gentle melodies. The opening trifecta of songs is particularly memorable, replete with hooks, and showing more of a penchant towards accessible pop than anything on New Beginning. The rest of the album fails to match this level, although it has its moments like the Emmylou Harris duet on the eulogy 'The Only One' and the pretty 'Wedding Song' (toss in 'Devotion', 'Speak The Word' and 'Less Than Strangers', and possibly Four Weddings And A Funeral would be more appropriate title for this disc). Anyway, in summary, despite the fact that it's quite different in form and length than its predecessor, the net effect is pretty much the same; Telling Stories is nice for fans, but not terribly enlightening for anyone else.
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Written 2001-2007, Graham Fyfe
