Advantages: A real classic that spans the generations Disadvantages: Still sold at full price!
...the car CD and selected Tracy Chapman, the 1988 classic album by.. guess who?
His girlfriend said “great” and announced that she too had the album that was released when she was still in nappies!
My daughters already knew “Baby Can I Hold You”, a perfectly crafted track that had been copied (quite badly) by one of the conveyor-belt boy bands.
What is it that makes this album such a classic, with such staying power and appeal ... ...class woman from Cleveland, Ohio, Tracy Chapman played the guitar as a child, and followed a successful education, ending up at Tufts University, reading anthropology and African studies. It was here that she started to perform her own songs, eventually recording a few tracks for the college radio station.
Elliot Roberts, who had a track record with Neil Young and Joni Mitchell became her manager and helped to sign with Elektra records in 1987.
...
john.sw 13.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
Advantages: Strong songs that can make you think and catchy songs that can make you sing. Disadvantages: When you listen to 'Baby can i hold you', the memory of the Boyzone cover version - Ronan, for the sake of humanity, STOP WEARING CRAP LEATHER TROUSERS!
Tracey Chapman is one of those artists who can be described as a really genuine singer/performer, with no pretesnions. Her songs are exactly that, "her songs", brimming with self opinion, honesty and life experience. 'Tracey Chapman' the album that brought her to the music-loving public's attention back in the 80s, is an excellent mixture of striking lyrics and original, memorable music. With the now veritable modern classics such as 'Fast Car' and ... ...tracks including 'Across the lines' 'why' and 'Behind the wall' this album is one of those albums that ought never to be left neglected at the bottom of the CD rack. Other highlights for me include the melodramatic 'For my lover', the uplifting 'She's got her ticket' and of course the song that has been and will be covered by many artists to come 'Baby can I hold you'. After hearing Tracey's own original, moody, intimate version of this touching ...
Broo 09.06.2001 (02.07.2001)
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Advantages: very distinctive sound Disadvantages: may be a bit sparse for some people's tastes
Tracy Chapman's eponymous debut album caused a sensation on its release in 1988. 13 years later, it is still a masterpiece, with its hearfelt simplicity and raw emotion. Chapman's career had been pretty much limited to a minor cult following in the USA until the 'Free Nelson Mandela' concert. One act had withdrawn at the last minute, and so her set was increased. Singing acoustically, this relative unknown became an overnight sensation due to her ... ...seemed to sum up the event perfectly. All of the songs on the album were self-written, and some of the copyrights date back to 1982, and so this really was the cream of her recordings up to that point. The demand for her album became huge, and reached it managed to reach #1 soon afterwards. Very short (35 minutes, 11 tracks), it is as basic as an album can be, but this contributes to the powerfulness of the message that she wants to put across. Singles ...
stoffy 28.08.2001
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Tracy Chapman's debut album was released in 1988 to high critical aclaim. The album is a powerful, emotive album which draws you in slowly till you are finally singing along with her. The album clearly shows that this is one woman who believes passionately in what she is singing about.Her political beliefs are undiluted as she looks at life for the have nots in the great American dream, but before you think you're just going to have left wing dogma ... ...first time I came across Tracy Chapman. I was watching the 70th Birthday party celebrations for the still imprisoned Nelson Mandala on TV. It was the usual round of big names singing along with mega loads of equipement and you got the impression that some were there not to celebrate the birthday of Mandala but to celebrate a few more record sales! Suddenly a small diminitive black woman came on stage sat on a stool with her guitar and sang her heart ...
jo1l 15.07.2000 (17.11.2002)
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Advantages: Great lyrics, very thought provoking Disadvantages: sad at times
...also have all of Tracy Chapman's other albums and apart from maybe 'crossroads' none of the others come close. Tracy Chapman deserves far more success than she achieves. This album is one I listen to time and again and certainly makes my top 10 album list. ...
nigelpm 21.06.2001
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Advantages: Outstanding vocals, beautiful songs and meaningful lyrics Disadvantages: None
...expect to enjoy listening to Tracy Chapman's 1988 debut album, especially as I was born only 3 years before its release. But I grew up hearing it in the background and dug it out from my parents' collection last year after catching 'Fast Car' on VH1. And I have to say that this is one outstanding CD. Tracy Chapman has a very distinct sound and a lot of vocal talent, and there are some really stunning songs on here. The lyrics are intensely meaningful ... ...but the words of each track go a whole lot deeper than most of today's pop songs; they really are incredible. My personal favourites are 'Fast Car' and 'Why'. Many record stores still sell copies of this CD and I would urge you to pick one up -- I have a feeling you'll be pleasantly surprised. ...
Lara_King 30.07.2000
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Advantages: Fast and furious Disadvantages: Old hat
Tracy Chapman's first offering, suprisingly entitled Tracy Chapman, was a great success in the U K album charts. It reached number one and hung around for quite some time. It is truly a great album, with every song as good as the last. It offers eleven great tracks, with many famous ones amongst them. The songs are up beat and very emotionally charged, and if you liked Ronan Keatings version of Baby Can I Hold You you'll love Tracy's version. I would ...
jelfsy16 16.09.2000
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Review of Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
Advantages: A stunningly emotive debut album Disadvantages: Perhaps a little too short for my liking
...was too.
This is Tracy Chapman's most commercially successful album, (even though her music is still as gorgeous as ever), and it won her four Grammys. Tracy Chapman grew up as a black working-class child, but succeeded in gaining an excellent education, including a degree from Tufts University, where she first began to get involved in radio performances. This background obviously shows through in some of her songs, such as Talkin' bout a revolution ... ...of such a high quality with deeply meaningful lyrics and fantastic vocals. Here no nuance of Tracy's vocal talent is left undemonstrated, and this is a fantastic introduction to Tracy Chapman for those who have only just discovered her, but would also make an excellent addition to anyone's record collection. ...
xxxxdomixxxx 12.05.2004
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Advantages: classic debut album from a great artist Disadvantages: The only weak track is track 4
Tracy Chapman really is one of the most under rated artists of the last decade. She first exploded onto the music seen in 1988 with her eponymously titled first album and from then on she has never quite achieved the brilliance of her debut.
She will probably be best known to most of you that have not listened to this album for Fast Car and the 'fairly recent' cover of Baby can I hold you by Boyzone(?). But these are only two of the many gems on ... ...albums which you can put on repeat and listen to over and over again without ever seeming to become tired of. The album on has 10 tracks and last just over 36 minutes so most of the songs are kept short and therefore, you are never bored by any one song that goes on for seven or eight minutes as many artists on more recent albums insist on including, although why I do not know.
It is a very emotional album and has many songs which are written from ...
Pulpdiction_1999 09.02.2001 (15.02.2001)
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...it.I had never heard of tracy chapman but I liked her music. She sings songs about everyday life where as most singers are afraid to do this.
I love this album I find I can just relax when I have it on.The songs are about men beating women and nobody helping,a women/man who hurt another person and now wants them back,racism towards people which causes a riot,a person who makes promises but does not carry them through and a women/man who would do ... ...out my life people have made me promises then not carried them through.
Tracy chapman is an american singer and has not been in the charts for a whil.In my personal opinion this is one of the best albums I have ever heard.I would recommend this album to everyone. ...
emma150 14.04.2001
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Advantages: Touching and original Disadvantages: Reminds you of Boyzone(!)
...had not heard any of Tracy Chapman’s work beforehand. It is also likely that even without knowing about it, you will have heard the most successful (and deservedly so) track on this album. That track being ‘Fast Car’, and without meaning to promote speeding, it feels perfect pumped up to full volume while driving at night time with the orange street lights flickering against the night sky. Beautiful, is the best way to describe the song.
However ... ...it’s positively accomplished in the form of ‘Across The Lines’. Further confirmation, if any was needed, that Chapman possesses one of the most beautiful voices to ever bless the ear. Upbeat though it is, it still manages to maintain a gentle and romantic feel. ‘Behind The Wall’ pulls the standards right down, and utterly disappoints, meaningful lyrics; maybe, but that’s about all it has going for it. Track number five, ‘Baby Can I Hold You’, would ...
Metalmorphosis8 08.12.2003 (09.12.2003)
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Advantages: Great lyrics - sung beauitfully Disadvantages: none
'Tracy Chapman' by Tracy Chapman is my all time favourite album of all times. Although I only purchased it on CD recently - it is the most played Cd in my collection.
Tracy Chapman is one of those artists we rarely hear of these days - but in my eyes we shoulf hear a lot more of her - her voice is second to none - deep and very thought provoking.
This album contains some of Tracy's better known song such as Fast Car, Bbay can i hold you - a full ... ...1. TALKIN' BOUT A REVOLUTION
2. FAST CAR
3. ACROSS THE LINES
4. BEHIND THE WALL
5. BABY CAN I HOLD YOU
6. MOUNTAINS O' THINGS
7. SHE'S GOT HER TICKET
8. WHY?
9. FOR MY LOVER
10. IF NOT NOW ...
11. FOR YOU
Each of these tracks will send you into a though provoking spin - the lyrics are all related to real life - one talks about domestic abuse and is in my eyes a really sad and distrubing song - but brilliantly written and sung.
Although ...
LIZZIE241079 05.03.2001
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Advantages: Thought provoking, amazing music and an amazing voice. Disadvantages: A tad depressing perhaps.
...is the album for you. Tracy Chapman has the most amazing voice. Granted you will be hard pushed to decide whether it is a man or a woman to begin with, but Tracy Chapman’s fantastic vocals will leave wondering how you ever managed without this album. She can do things with her voice you never dreamt possible. Her lyrics are deeply touching, especially the purely vocal track “Behind The Wall” (which just proves Chapman's amazing vocal talent) about ... ...like this album which has Tracy Chapman’s original version of Boyzone’s cover “Baby Can I Hold You”. You even know the quality of this album from the sleeve which has translated the lyrics into four other languages and this in the day and age when some artists can’t even be bothered to put the lyrics in English on their sleeves!! Definitely a cut above the rest and something different. A thought provoking and inspiring album. ...
Helcat 27.06.2000
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Advantages: great sound and lyrics Disadvantages: none in my eyes
...and bought another one.
Tracy Chapman has a voice like no other singer I have ever listened to before. Her voice is soft but yet again deep which provides great character for all her songs on this particular album.
I have to say after listening to the album many times over and over again that i personally have never bored of it - and can honestly say i never will. My favourite tracks are as follows :
TALKIN' BOUT A REVOLUTION FAST CAR BABY CAN ...
annawcrilly 30.03.2001
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Advantages: Excellent voice, music and lyrics Disadvantages: minimalist nature of the album may not appeal to some
...album of rock ballads.
Tracy Chapmans haunting voice, when combined with the minimalistic nature of the music and the meaningful lyrics makes this one of the best albums ever. Unfortunately however, Tracy Chapmans other albums have failed to live up to the standard set by this album, however, it would be hard for anyone to beat this. ...
kingsanj 05.04.2001
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One of the most striking debut albums ever released, this disc instantly established ... more
Chapman as a musical force, and with good reason. Immediacy, integrity of purpose and unqualified artistry are apparent in nearly every song. And while "Fast Cars...
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One of the most striking debut albums ever released, this disc instantly established ... more
Chapman as a musical force, and with good reason. Immediacy, integrity of purpose and unqualified artistry are apparent in nearly every song. And while "Fast Cars...
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