Suzanne Vega - Suzanne Vega > Reviews > A remarkable debut album

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Great lyricist, this is her best album
Disadvantages:	Not the best singer ever

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

As a teenager Suzanne Vega wrote songs on medieval themes. This is evident in her first album, which includes songs like "Knight Moves ": "Watch while the queen, in one false move / Turns herself into a pawn / Sleepy and shaken, and watching while the blurry night / Turns into a very clear dawn" and "The Queen and the Soldier", which is almost more like a story than a song. In these two songs, Vega explores the differences between the sexes, and the way that we cannot fully understand each other. (I think).

On a lighter note,"Freeze Tag" and "Small Blue Thing" evoke childish games, with their imagery of marbles and playing tag in the playground, yet there is a darker side to these songs as well, with a hint of fragility and vulnerability: "In the wintertime / In the dimming diamonds / Scattering in the park / In the tickling / And the trembling / Of freeze tag / In the dark".

Whilst she is a wonderfully poetic songwriter, Vega is not an accomplished vocalist. She does not have a fantastic vocal range or very powerful voice, yet this suits her subject matter. A little halting and nervous in her delivery, perhaps a reflection of this being her first album, her voice reflects the issues that she sings about.

This is an amazingly powerful and assured debut album, and is by far the best collection of songs she ever recorded. The only weak link for me is "Neighbourhood Girl", which is less interesting lyrcially and not particularly great melodically either.

However, in every other track in the album, her immense talent shines through and she has a fantastic backing band - the bass lines especially highlight the fragile beauty of her songs.

If you haven't got this album already, rush out and buy it now. It is the best introduction to Suzanne Vega's music there is. Actually, I don't think anything else, out of the many albums she has done since, comes close. It is also one of the few highlights of the nineteen-eighties, which is still worth listening to and does not sound at all dated. "Suzanne Vega" can easily be found at a discount price as it is such an early album; as such it is an absolute bargain.

Very highly recommended.