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Tracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman

1988

Buy At Rough Trade
Tracy Chapman
Album Summary

Tracy Chapman is the debut album by singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, released on April 5, 1988, by Elektra Records. The album was recorded at the Powertrax studio in Hollywood, California. In 1987, Chapman was discovered by fellow Tufts University student Brian Koppelman. He offered to show her work to his father, who owned a successful publishing company; however, she did not consider the offer to be serious. After multiple performances, however, Koppelman found a demo tape of her singing her single "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", which he promoted to radio stations, and she was eventually signed to Elektra Records. In early attempts to produce the first album, many producers turned down Chapman as they did not favor her musical direction. David Kershenbaum, however, decided to produce it as he wanted to record an acoustic music album. It was recorded in Hollywood, California, in eight weeks. Most of the writing is based on political and social causes. Tracy Chapman gained critical acclaim from a wide majority of music critics, praising the simplicity, Chapman's vocal ability and her political and social lyrical content. The album received commercial success in most of the countries it was released, making it to the top of the charts in many countries, including Austria, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. It peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with sales exceeding over six million copies in the United States alone. Three singles were released from the album, with the most commercially successful single being "Fast Car". The song was performed at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute. It rose to the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 and also did well in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and other European countries. Tracy Chapman is one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.78

Votes

16748

Genres

  • Folk
  • Singer Songwriter

Reviews

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Jan 22 2021
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3

This album broke my heart. Tracy has a strong, unique voice, and a gift for storytelling. The problem is, the stories she weaves are often about people experiencing domestic violence and poverty. I spend my days talking to murderers, pedophiles, people experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty, and domestic violence sufferers; when I punch out at the end of the day and throw on some jams, I want something that helps me escape the real world for awhile, not give me poignant reminders of its ugliness (to be fair, it wasn't all doom and gloom, and there were healthy doses of hope as well in the lyrics). All that being said, these stories do need to be told, and Tracy tells them brilliantly. Music isn't just about escapism, it is often about activism and speaking truth to power as well. This album is brims with that energy, and its value can't be overstated. My personal enjoyment: 2.5/5 Did it belong on this list: 5/5

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Nov 18 2021
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5

Fuck. I have loved this album since I first listened to it shortly after its release in 1988. But I haven't listened to the album in the last decade or two. When I saw it pop up here, I was happy to revisit it. Then I started listening. "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" started broke my heart as the lyrics came flooding back before I heard them again. They stabbed my heart as I realized 33 years have passed and there was no revolution. Poor people didn't rise up. Economic inequality instead accelerated to ridiculous proportions. And we all watched. As the remaining songs unfold I am devastated. All of them as relevant today as they ever were. The songs on this album say so much so well. They are so much more painful today than in 1988. Then I listened through eyes of hope. Thirty-three years later I listen through eyes of despair. I had no idea... The shadows cast from this album's light in 2021 are so much darker than in 1988. I desperately seek refuge in Tracy Chapman's voice. It's so warm and beautiful as it twists a knife in my soul. This is one of the hardest things I've listened to. Still I wouldn't change a note. I'm at a loss of what, if anything, I can or should do about it. "Look at me losing control Thinking I had a hold But with feelings this strong I'm no longer the master of my emotions. No words to say No words to convey..."

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Sep 17 2020
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5

There are songs, and then there’s Fast Car

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May 28 2021
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5

This was a really challenging record for me, as I had never heard anything from this record beyond "Fast Cars". I expected Chapman's lyrics to be more autobiographical, but surprisingly, Chapman is more of an observer. She is able to describe the injustices and systematic racism she's witnessed in such a digestible and beautiful fashion. I bet artists like Lauryn Hill and Fiona Apple listened to the Chapman growing up. Fav Tracks: "Behind The Wall", "For You" and "Fast Cars" Rating 4.5/5

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Jun 07 2022
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2

Secretary rock! Music for secretaries. For those about to take a bubble bath with a glass of Chardonnay before retiring to bed with a Marian Keyes and a Rampant Rabbit, we salute you! Perhaps I should elaborate on what secretary rock denotes. Secretary rock is the genre of genteel singer-songwriters playing mild, offensively inoffensive acoustic numbers on either piano or guitar usually about the desire for love rather than love itself, primarily for a adult female audience pursuing an accessible, usually romantic, occasionally bittersweet and above-all tasteful slab of music to play in the evening; such women may well own copies of Nevermind and OK Computer, but they turned them off when Territorial Pissings and Fitter Happier came on, never to be played again. Remember Dido? Her No Angel (such a secretary rock title) is the paradigm of the secretary rock album. Of course, the term secretary rock comes with slightly unfortunate assumptions about the gender of its fans; that said, prog rock has the same issue inverted. Also, plenty of male acts purposefully make secretary rock: Michael Bublé, David Gray, Jack Johnson and John Jackson. But we should acknowledge that secretary rock is a genre primarily aimed at women. As a broad-shouldered, hairy-chested, hairy-toed sort of chap, secretary rock is not really the genre for me, in the same sense that boy bands aren't marketed towards your thirtysomething straight guy (although more thirtysomething straight guys have a secret fondness for Take That and N-Sync than you think). Tracy Chapman's debut album, Tracy Chapman, is one of the main progenitors of modern secretary rock: no dissonance, very weak eroticism, no vocal or instrumental gymnastics (secretaries may own a Mariah Carey album, but Mariah ain't secretary rock), slightly pompous, an exercise in bourgeois good taste. And there's the problem. It's so beige. It lacks any bite, to the extent that you wonder if it's still alive. Can't secretaries dream bigger? The aspirational cosiness of the album does a disservice to both the creator and the listener. A secretary's reach should exceed her grasp, or what's a Kate Bush for? Actually, I am overlooking the political currents running through the album. Or rather, I don't find much intrigue in them. I have said before that popular music is not where adults should derive their political opinions on, but the protest song is, at its best, one of the great traditions of popular music (how many political classical pieces can you recall? Beethoven's Third?). But Talkin' Bout a Revolution is utterly platitudinous and quite smug. What revolution is Tracy Chapman advocating? I suspect she just means better schools and hospitals (which is obviously not a bad thing to want, but it's hardly the Beveridge Report). For Cthulhu's sake, secretaries are surely cleverer than this? Tracy Chapman is surely cleverer than this? Both can do better. Both know they can do better. Both need to realise that lovemaking is not just the most intimate expression of love a person can experience with another, it's also the most fun a person can delight in with another. It's all lovely to cuddle a lover through the night, but it's even lovelier to explore the delights between the sleights of their thighs. Mr. Rampant Rabbit can hop off.

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May 16 2022
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4

We have fixed nothing since 1988.

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Apr 28 2024
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5

That top rated review that calls this secretary rock - sure but it's the secretaries from "9 to 5" Spoiler alert: they smoke weed and fantasize about killing their misogynist anti-labor boss, then kidnap him and stage a corporate coup to establish revolutionary pro-worker policies. Also one of them is a lesbian icon and one of them is an infamous war protester and one of them is an unbelievably talented and beloved folk singer songwriter.

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Jan 07 2022
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4

Tracy Chapman by Tracy Chapman (1985) “One of the [slaves] struck up a song, appearing to make it up to his own pleasure, generally hitting on rhyme, without much attempt at reason … as if the poor, dumb heart, threatened, —poisoned, —took refuge in that inarticulate sanctuary of music, and found there a language in which to breathe its prayer to God. There was a prayer in it, which Simon Legree could not hear.” —Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) I first became acquainted with the music of Tracy Chapman from a mix tape that was put together for me by a treasured friend in the late 1980s to ameliorate the ignorance imposed upon me by my ill-advised flight from commercial popular music. Chapman’s stark, woeful strains evoked a peculiar pain—not of social protest or redemptive lament, but of unadulterated suffering. The genius of this album lies in its fusion of suffering and song. With an exceptionally strong contralto voice, Tracy Chapman sings out from a background of (only) occasionally inventive but non-distracting acoustic compositions. That is, unless she’s delivering an a cappella wail (“Behind the Wall”) about domestic violence that makes you want to defund the police and call a social worker instead. Never mind. The ambulance is here. The opening track “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution” is not programmatic protest but an expression of the victims of social evils crying out in pain. It may serve as a warning to those with ears to hear, or soften the hearts of those who may someday be in a position to effect change, but don’t hold your breath. “Finally the tables are starting to turn” is anything but a victory lap. The Revolution is still a whisper. In America, when the poor people “rise up and take what’s theirs”, we just import more poor people. Welfare, unemployment benefits, and The Salvation Army are illusory. Chapman has settled in on the anger and frustration of the poor, laying their case before the cosmos. Who’s listening? Please pay attention to the popular second track “Fast Car”. It is not (as it might seem on a cursory first listen) about the hope of escape. Rather, it’s about the despair of being trapped in the same domestic horror that once bound the lyric protagonist’s mother. The singer’s ‘rescuing’ husband, like her father, has now himself become a drunk, leeching lazily off her, the ‘working mom’. And compare the drunkenness of this leech who “stays out drinking late at the bar” to the drunkenness she once felt in the passenger seat of his ‘fast car’. The fast car that once was a metaphor of deliverance has become a metaphor of rejection—“I’d always hoped for better…so take your fast car and keep on driving.” The theme here is the pain resulting from the vanity of misdirected hope. From such pain potent prayers emerge. Racial barriers are nakedly exposed in “Across the Lines”. There are, in fact, those who would dare to go “across the lines, under the bridge, over the tracks” (and the strategically planned urban segments of the interstate highway system) “that separate the whites from the blacks”, but they’re not in view when “the riots begin on the back streets of America”. Chapman has the fortitude to give explicitness to things that, in Bob Dylan’s phrasing, are “better left unsaid” (“Union Sundown”, Infidels [1983]). Even when she seems to embrace traditional themes of repentance, the rejection of envy, and love (“Baby Can I Hold You”, “Mountains O’ Things”, “For My Lover”, and “For You”), there is a studied equivocation and abandonment of intellect and reason that reveals—you guessed it—pain. Prayer after prayer on this extraordinarily painful record. If one can listen to this entire album without succumbing to moral fatigue, one will have grown. Simon Legree, however, still cannot hear. 4/5

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Sep 25 2021
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4

Et vas-y que je raconte ma vie nianiania que j'ai parlé à des meurtriers et des pédophiles nianiania, mais qu'est-ce qu'il faut pas lire...

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Jun 06 2022
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5

Every generation gets the Janis Ian it deserves. With apologies to Suzanne Vega, Tracy Chapman immediately became Gen X's Janis Ian the moment "Fast Car" was first played on the radio. There was nothing else like it, and soon that song was EVERYWHERE. This album soon followed, and it cut through - and soared above - every trend musically. No one was writing or performing songs like this. It turns out she was discovered by the dude who would one day create and produce the Showtime series Billions, which is just insane. Fast Car is the key track here (Fast Car is a 5). But this album has ten other tracks just as important, which is why this album had no problem reaching the number 1 spot on the Billboard 200 album chart during the era of peak George Michael, Def Leppard and Guns N Roses. Turns out folks can relate to songs that talk about the police always arriving too late if they even bother to arrive at all. Somehow Tracy Chapman was both right on time and way ahead of her time.

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Oct 18 2021
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5

My first album where I do not recognize the artist, and after doing some quick research, she sounded like a musician I would love. And I did! Tracy has a beautiful, husky voice, and it goes so well with her genre of music. She is also a talented instrumentalist, as seen in her guitar flourishes here and there. As a huge folk music fan, this album captured my attention immediately upon starting, and I was constantly enamoured with the sound throughout the entire experience. While I may not necessarily relate too much with the subject matter of the lyrics, and I am nowhere near educated enough about the time period to truly understand most of them, they are still extremely impactful, and Tracy is clearly making a statement. She is also a brilliant lyricist, and you can really paint a picture with most of the songs, particularly those with a narrative style of lyricism. The songs that were more concerned with matters of the heart (Fast Car, Baby Can I Hold You, For My Lover, If Not Now..., For You) really tore at my soul...I am a sucker for sad love songs, and Tracy knows me so well apparently lol. In conclusion, this is a lovely debut album that remains timeless in the modern era.

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Sep 25 2021
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4

Le grand problème de cet album se trouve dans le très célèbre titre Fast Car, et je vais vous expliquer pourquoi. Vous êtes desormais très familiers de mon camarade d'écoute robcuillère, célèbre pour ses reviews d'albums absolument desastreuse. En plus d'être un piètre critique musical, un menteur, et un plus mauvais amant que moi, rob a une autre tare: il est un piètre musicien. En effet, il fut un temps ou rob se pensait devenir le nouveau James Arthur, jouant de sa gratte pour séduire les femmes. Vous l'aurez deviné, la qualité de sa musique était evidemment désastreuse, et comme tous les piètres guitaristes, rob s'amusait à interpéter Fast Car. Je ne peux desormais plus apprecier ce titre, qui me rapelle a quel point rob nous cassait tous les oreilles. Je vais tâcher de me procurer des enregistrements de rob pour étayer mes propos.

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Nov 18 2021
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5

Terrific. Chapman's at her best and most authentic with a spare arrangement, just her voice and guitar, maybe some percussion. A couple of tracks seem over orchestrated and overproduced, which unfortunately makes them feel dated. This is still a great album. Lyrics are bleak but vivid, some fine story-telling. Fast Car is on my top-shelf of favorite songs.

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Nov 05 2021
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5

Tracy Chapman as a singer and performer is a delight. Tracy Chapman as a songwriter is a damn national treasure. The fullness of the human condition can be found in this one album and it's heart-achingly beautiful. The world is better for having these songs of love, loss, despair, and hope in it.

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Aug 18 2021
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5

Truly a gem, Tracy was ahead of her time! These tracks are gorgeous, the emotions are so potent and real. A favorite of mine.

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May 11 2021
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5

One of my closest friends loves Chapman, I’ve only ever known her big hit. There’s a particular sound she has that I hear others try to emulate or some close to, but it’s the mixture of a unique voice, laid back music and lyrics that are the most fucking honest and sincere thing I’ve heard. Having a straight vocal track was a cool touch.

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Apr 06 2024
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3

Haven’t heard this whole album before. It’s nice. A subtle mix of styles. It sounds like the late 80’s, but not in an embarrassing way. I like the idea of folk/protest music that is melodically interesting. Bob Dylan should take some notes. 3.5

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Nov 02 2021
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5

Amazing voice and simple but powerful lyrics. Bonus points for being just over 35 minutes long. Says what she has to say and leaves. Great album.

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Nov 21 2023
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3

I can understand why it took off so much in the 80s. Everyone had been listening to the same glam metal and synth-based pop for the past decade that it was refreshing to hear something so stripped down. No distracting synths. No exaggerated vocals. No cliche or throwaway lyrics. People find something so refreshing with genuine emotion and empathetic stories that people can relate to, and the world went crazy for this, so much so that contemporary folk saw a revival in popularity. In a minimal production, most songs have instruments that serve no other purpose than providing an atmosphere for the lyrics. The beats and riffs are repetitive and only speak up when Chapman isn't singing. The loudest, fastest songs are in the middle, but they don't follow any complex melodic structures, but they do provide a bit of diversity, like the sophisti-pop ambiance of "Mountain O' Things", the reggae of "She's Got Her Tickets," or the modern country of "For My Lover." If I were judging the songs alone by their melody, I would not be impressed. There's not particularly noteworthy about any of them except the catchy hooks of "Fast Car". To me, their significance is simply to create the setting and carry the mood of each song. I personally hate "Baby Can I Hold You" because it actually is exactly like other generic 1988 pop music stroke the vocals and lyrics, and yet it's the 2nd most popular track. But what's so special about this record are the lyrics and vocals. With a minimalist or repetitive melody, the attention is on her and voice. She speaks slowly and clearly. And her lyrics are simple, easily digestible, with a lot of repetition, very easily getting her point across within a couple verses. There are no hidden messages or twists. "I'll be working for somebody else until I'm in my grave" "Everyday I'm psychoanalyzed for my lover, for my lover. They dope me up, and I tell them lies" "Some folks call her a runaway - a failure in the race - but she knows where her ticket takes her" Nothing cryptic about any song on here. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's so popular because for once the common man can hear social issues about race, class, and sexuality as clearly as they come in a digestible music format. And compared to other pop music where the singers feel the need to impress the audience with their vocal chords, Chapman speaks with emotion. It's a bit catchy, not entirely spoken, but you can hear her desperate pleas and attitudes, not spiteful or hopeless like modern social commentary in pop music is, but rather soft and optimistic but disappointed in the current state of affairs. I understand her message, and I understand how so many people who feel emotionally strong about these subjects can relate to this so much. And since these issues persist today, there is a canonical permeance to her music that will continue to touch generations for as long as society is structured the way it has been since the 60s. I will say I don't agree with a lot of her messages. I'm all for social equality, but I do feel a lot of her messages are nothing more than painting a pessimistic view of the state of society. "Why?" is a song that infuriates me and shows how simple minded she is yet how clever she thinks she is. I am here to write my view on how this record "objectively" stands subject to my biases in musical taste. And with her clarity, focus on themes, and accessible short song lengths, she's able to easily get across her messages across well with heart-wrenching emotion... and those are her greatest strengths. The issues she talks about aren't new by any means. Many artists have covered the same for decades. But she can do so without the fluff. And her incorporation of modern 80s music provides a good starting point for other artists to follow, so I'll give her the points for innovation and trajectory of contemporary folk for decades to come. I do find the literary devices she employs to be pretty lame. She tries a bit too hard, but I don't think she's good as a songwriter. It's short and clear, but not imaginative, fluid, and (in most songs) she doesn't expand her ideals beyond the first few verses, leaving them pretty flat. The melody utilizes stripped down popular 80s genres, which provides diversity and can appeal to people of all sorts of music interests, but it's all boring and again flat, with little to show beyond the surface. A coherent album experience to keep people engaged, but almost none hold up as standalone songs. Balancing these strengths and weaknesses, I feel I'm justified in my review with 3 stars. It's not a "mediocre album." She could be a better writer, and she could write stronger and more consistent melodies. I understand this would sacrifice her shot at being one of the biggest musicians of the year, but my review isn't too reliant on how likely she could appeal to the people, otherwise I'd have to give much more leeway to generic pop music.

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Jan 28 2021
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3

Had only heard the singles. It kind of surprised me that this came out in 88 as I remember those first two songs on the album being in the atmosphere throughout the 90s and I associate her sound with the 90s. You can definitely hear her influence on alot of what came after. Ahead of it's time in that way and a very unique sound when you think of what else what was going on at the time. Such a clean/pristine/naked/vulnerable sound. I guess sometimes stripping things down can be revolutionary. Kind of an amazing that an album so at odds with the sound of the time and one that was so political was able to be such a smash hit. It gets a little more 80s sounding on "baby can I hold you" and "mountains o things" with those arrangements.

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Dec 17 2024
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5

I will dedicate the start of this review to rebutting what is currently the fourth-highest rated review of this album. This review basically goes along the lines of: "This is a genre called secretary rock. I don't like secretary rock because the music isn't offensive and it's marketed at women. I'm a man and I don't like music for women. Give me complex man music!". I encourage you to go and read the review in full. It really is something to behold in its chauvinistic laziness. It's also quite baffling that the author chose *this* album to use as a poster child for his complaints about secretary rock. This album (a) isn't rock, (b) is known primarily for its socially conscious folk. Couldn't you have saved your whining for someone who, you know, actually made what is considered "secretary rock"? Now my actual review: This album is great. Her voice, the songs, combined with the stripped back production, is fantastic. Having done a bit of reading about this I think the story of how she was discovered (and how the recording process panned out) is fascinating and well worth reading. There are definitely some dud songs on this album, with some jarring lyrics or forgettable tunes, but about 2/3 of the songs are superb; I had no idea she wrote Baby Can I Hold You for example! And the sound of this album has really aged well. I was amazed to find out it is basically as old as me. Best songs: Fast Car Baby can I hold you Mountains O' Things For My Lover Talkin' Bout a Revolution Worst songs: For You

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Dec 16 2024
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5

The guy who left the Secretary Rock review is absolutely unhinged. Beautiful music, strong themes that are sadly still very relevant today. Gotta be a 5.

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Jul 08 2024
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5

❤️❤️❤️ wonderful album ❤️❤️❤️

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Jul 07 2024
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5

Day 35 - July 6th, 2024 I love lesbians <3. 5/5.

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Oct 31 2023
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5

Love it, a brilliant album from a pretty uninteresting time in music, if a more hopeful one politically. Listened to it constantly back then, still play it occasionally and am always blown away by the great tunes

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Jan 25 2021
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5

Behind the wall is chilling and hauntingly beautiful. The use of silence is really fitting.

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Feb 23 2021
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5

Very good album. Lots of emotion and every song telling a story. Tracy Chapman has a great voice and great skills as a songwriter.

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Jan 23 2025
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4

It was so cool to see Tracy at last year’s Grammy’s after all these years. The hits have definitely stood the test of time, and the rest of the album too, as it fleshes out Tracy’s laser sharp commentary on the social problems of the day. Making this album almost essential listening; nothing’s really changed and the subject matter sadly is still relevant to this day. I don’t think it’s a perfect album, maybe it’s one weakness is it does stay stoutly within that lane, but I give it a 4 out of 5 stars partly for how smart it is. Favorite cuts for me are “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution”, “Fast Car”, “Across the Lines”, “Mountains O’ Things”, “For My Lover” and “If Not Now…”.

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Jan 16 2025
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4

in the age of G'n'R and the fall of Communism, Tracy Chapman made a folksy alt-rock album about the failings of the American Dream and materialism, and it sold millions of copies. maybe that success is due to the breakout success of "Fast Car", but that song is pretty outwardly political too -- it's a female-focused portrait of being let down by every man in your life as they drink their lives away, something that no fast car to the city can take you away from if you let it follow you. in my opinion, it's the last great American folk song, and everything after is pure revivalism. nobody has enough money in Chapman's songs, they're all starving or ignored or hurt, and it feels a little refreshing that it became popular in the decade of Me, even if by accident. there's a bit of a reggae misfire on "She's Got Her Ticket", but the rest of the album is worth a thrift shop salvage for deep cuts like ""For My Lover" and "Across the Lines". it's a perfect album for a day where you feel kinda bad but not miserable, you know? everything is overcast and the world's getting to you through the phone screen -- it's not gonna erase those things, but you'll at least feel a bit better equipped to deal with it.

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Apr 13 2023
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4

Lovely acoustic album of the 1980s. Wasn’t too out there, but did have some original and unique bits to it which make the album very enjoyable. The combination of different genres and less popular instruments really add the creativity of this album. 4/5

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Nov 03 2022
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4

I don't remember listening to any other songs than the first two tracks, which I believe were singles. Overall, I thought this was a pretty decent singer-songwriter album. I enjoyed her pleasant deep voice and delivery, as well as the tasteful musical accompaniment. However, some of the songs were maybe a little too simple to completely win me over.

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Apr 11 2022
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4

Once again, all my ratings are based on my opinion on my first listen. Many albums in the past have taken time to grow on me, and my opinions could change over time. I’m also listening in order, commenting on each track individually. The first track, Talkin’ Bout a Revolution, had nice background music. The vocal performance was strong, and was overall a good opening to the album. The second track, Fast Car, was also a great listen. I’m in the process of driving now, and I could relate to the lyrics of the song quote a bit. Not just the car part, but the overall message as well. The vocal performance was once again good, and this track was another that I liked. The third track, Across the Lines, was very powerful. The message of racism and segregation in America was very strong and the sound was great. The vocal performance was also very good, and this track is my favorite so far. The fourth track, Behind the Wall, was an interlude about domestic violence taking place in the room next to Tracey’s. The police come late and do nothing, until eventually the woman is hospitalized. It was a great interlude that helped push the message of the project further. The vocal performance was well executed and the theme was very strong. The fifth track, Baby Can I Hold You, took a step back lyrically from the last track, but was still powerful. The theme throughout the lp so far has been consistant storytelling, reinforced by powerful vocal performance and good background mixes. This song followed the same formula and sounded amazing while doing it. The sixth track, Mountains O’ Things, was a nice change of pace instrumentally and vocally. The lyrics weren’t as powerful as the last tracks, but we’re relatable and transparent. While listening to this track I could see into the aspirations of the artist, and it was delivered with beautiful singing and instruments. The seventh track, She Got Her Ticket, was another well executed song that got its point across. Tracy remains consistant with her vocals and back track, while continuing to remain interesting and not become repetitive. The eighth track, Why?, was another strong song. Tracy once again remains consistent. The theme of not understanding the world and all its issues and contradictions was very heartwarming and relatable. The lyrics are not complex, but still hold weight. The vocal performance and instrumental continue to blend in with the rest of the lp. The ninth track, For My Lover, was a balled about the dedication of love Tracy has toward her partner. The song continues the same formula, making a strong song, but still failing to separate it from the others. This formula is enough to make a good lp, but not a great one. The tenth track, If Not Now…, took a step performance wise. The vocal and instrumental performances were the strongest on the lp so far. The lyrics were nothing special, but still conveyed it’s message of choosing to love now rather than wait. The song was definitely one of the best on the lp, and holds much replay value for me personally who struggles with indecisiveness and overthinking. The eleventh track, For You, was another balled. This song was not much different than the last balled For My Lover, and was nothing very different instrumentals. It was disappointing as a closing track, and left me wanting more out of this project. And not in a good way. The consistency was definitely present, and definitely showed the potential for a young artist on their debut project. The replay value is much higher than the last 2 lp’s I’ve heard, and I enjoyed it the most. My rating for this album is a 7/10, with my favorite tracks being Across the Lines and the interlude Behind the Wall. I’m definitely excited to hear more from a talented artist.

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Aug 28 2021
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4

This is a really good album. Deep, soulful, emotive singing. Politically charged "protest" lyrics, that also sound personal. Toe tapping arrangements and excellent if slightly dated production touches, the songs are great. A classic of its time and If I remember correctly hugely influential in kikcstarting a rebirth of the singer songwriter genre. 4.5 🌟

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Apr 20 2024
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3

It’s kind of strange for me when an album like this gets generated for me. This is one of those “sonic ether” records, a record that’s been in background of my life for a long time, that I’ve been aware of since I was a kid in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I’ve never heard the whole thing until today, but I know enough of it not to be surprised by what it sounds like and to know that it would probably be a pretty enjoyable record to listen to. So it was kind of funny to me when “Fast Car” had a resurgence thanks to that cover of it last year (this year?). It was a little weird to see people coming back around to this album after 30 years, but the cyclical nature of our culture is often surprising to me, because usually it’s the things you wouldn’t expect that end up coming back into style - even if it’s only briefly. These are exceptionally well written songs with poignant lyrics and, for the most part, the record doesn’t sound particularly dated, but even after listening today, I can pretty confidently say that it’s not going to make its way out the sonic ether and into any sort of regular rotation for me.

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Oct 31 2023
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3

Fast Car is brilliant, and a masterclass in telling a simple story with economy and impact. The two other singles are great, though dots in the rear view. Across the Lines is a song I’ve been fond of since a friend used to sing it to us back at university, only slightly badly. Behind the Wall is powerful. The second half of the record is fine, but after a couple of listens I can recall little apart wincing at a couple of very late-80s production choices.

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Dec 14 2021
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3

A very pleasant experience. I thought Tracy Chapman was a white bloke until about 2015

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Apr 05 2024
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2

If you don't like the kind of music they play in the waiting room at the doctor's office, you won't like this album in the slightest. It's honestly shocking how much influence it seems this album has had on modern songwriting with its simplistic, incessantly repetitive melodies and signature self-indulgent singing style. (I guess I'm thinking 2010s sappy pop ballads.) The album is filled with enough richly ringing acoustic guitar and 80s production to make it a somewhat bearable listen for me personally, however, but you quickly want it to be over. FUCK FAST CAR

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Mar 07 2023
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2

I can only assume she's listening to this album for the album art. That's exactly how I felt listening to it. Slightly disappointed and waiting for it to end.

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Jun 28 2023
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1

First two tracks use the same riff. Somehow insufferably grating for a mellow artist. Vocals have a hidden piercing quality similar to the frequency of the cry of a newborn. Avoid.

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Mar 05 2022
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1

3rd track into and i hear only guitars and percussion boring

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Nov 15 2021
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1

Songs about issues. Not for me. Too pop

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Jan 15 2021
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1

I just can't do it. Sorry Tracy.. The songs that you passionately crafted all those years ago were hijacked by top 40 radio and stuffed into our ears until our cerebral cortex resonated at the same frequency as your warbly tones. This is what happens when you weaponise folk music. Disarmed by relentless repetition.

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Feb 11 2025
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5

Thank you, algorithm. This is exactly what I needed after last week's debacle. Excellent album that has something to say and makes you feel something.

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Feb 11 2025
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5

I thought this album was going to be very easy to get through with it only being 35 minutes long. It was not as Tracy’s message in this album will sit with me a long while. This really is not my vibe, as it’s too sad for me to want to repeat this very often. But the powerful songwriting, and the relevance of the albums subject material even today makes this higher than my preferred listening experience.

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Feb 08 2025
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5

The phrase that keeps popping up in these reviews is "heart breaking". The lyrics deal with poverty, social injustice, domestic abuse, and other difficult issues. Chapman emerged as a popular local singer in anti-apartheid circles. What feels particularly tragic is the sense of hope throughout it, as though Chapman is holding up the weight of the world on her shoulders and has no intention of letting go. What particularly surprised me about this album was that it came out in 1988. The sound is so distinctly 90s to me that it must have been hugely influential in bringing popular music back from the era of synths and hair metal stadium shows, back to more personal and acoustic sounds of college campuses. Either way, it's a beautiful and socially conscious album that really exceeds expectations.

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Feb 04 2025
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5

This is the beauty of this project. My perception of female singer-songwriters from this era hasn't always been the most informed and, therefore, not always the most kind. There's a certain crunchiness I, accurately or not, ascribe to performers like Chapman. Lilith Faire types. Performers that, while talented, insist upon themselves and their art. That can be annoying. This was, of course, an outdated, sexist and juvenile opinion, one formed in my younger years and never reexamined or challenged. And that is where the beauty of this project comes into play. I would probably have never picked up this album if not for this project. I never would have reexamined my opinions of Tracy Chapman or even given her work a fair shot. And yet now I have. And goddamn. The entire thing is a completely understated sharing of one person's life experiences. It's understated because to her, this is life. It's what she's experienced and what she's been through. It's her norm. It's remarkable to us, the listener, because it isn't normal for us. Or maybe it is and we see ourselves in it. I personally can't say that I see myself in her work, but that's what makes it remarkable. It's a beautiful, painful, genuine look into a life that I could otherwise only struggle to relate to. It's an understated masterpiece of an album that conveys so much while asking very little of its listener. It doesn't take you on a sonic journey. It doesn't try to wow you or impress by overwhelming your senses or blowing you away with its production. The album, and Chapman, simply want you to listen. That's it. Just listen to her stories. She isn't the best vocalist ever, and the production is mostly scaled down enough that it's in no way ever distracting. And that's intentional. Because you just need to listen. I can't say enough about this. It's an easy five stars. I have such a newfound respect for Tracy Chapman, and I regret that I ever had anything else but that for her. Standout Tracks: Talkin' Bout a Revolution, Fast Car, Behind the Wall, Mountains O' Things, Why?, For You

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Feb 04 2025
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5

I really liked this one. She has a beautiful voice and several of the songs were quite touching. It's rare that someone's voice is so clear I can actually make out the lyrics without having to focus too hard. Fast Car is an all-timer too. 4.5 but rounding up because I'm like dat. Understanding.

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Jan 30 2025
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5

i genuinely cannot stop winning this is ridiculous

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Jan 28 2025
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5

Tracy Chapman is a treasure! I love love loved this album!

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Jan 28 2025
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5

SELF TITLED!!! 7 more stars are needed!

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Jan 27 2025
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5

Beautiful and powerful. Ela tem todas as palavras e o gogó pra enviar a mensagem certa. Um triunfo em composição e interpretação correta pra acompanhar.

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Jan 26 2025
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5

5/5 Tracy Chapman's low-key but precise vocals over delicate guitar suit her songwriting perfectly, whether telling a beautiful story or delivering a passionate message. The second side beginning with more traditional pop production actually takes a bit of her fire. However, each song is tightly structured and has its own melodic credit and vibe. It is an exceptionally good album. Talkin' Bout a Revolution 5/5 Fast Car 5/5 Across the Lines 5/5 (FAV) Behind the Wall 5/5 Baby Can I Hold You 5/5 Mountains O' Things 4.5/5 (LEAST FAV) She's Got Her Ticket 4.5/5 Why? 5/5 For My Lover 5/5 If Not Now... 5/5 For You 5/5

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Jan 25 2025
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5

If you look up “yearning” in the dictionary you should see the cover of this record. What a powerful combination of voice and message.

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Jan 25 2025
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5

Would listen to again! Really love her voice and style.

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Jan 24 2025
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5

very classy, very soulful. nothing else to say, just perfect

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Jan 23 2025
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5

Strong start. First 5 songs all remind me of my childhood. Back half requires more listening but still, very good vibes.

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Jan 23 2025
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5

diese einfachheit der instrumentalisierung kombiniert mit engagierten texten - dieses album ist auch nach 30 jahren noch immer hörenswert. mir gefällt der opener Talkin‘ Bout A Revolution, aber auch Why? und alle „leisen“ und feinen Songs.

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Jan 23 2025
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5

Ein grossartiges Album und richtiger Klassiker. Ist eine Freude wieder mal zu hören.

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Jan 21 2025
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5

I didn’t really appreciate Tracy Chapman at the time when this released. I was young and it never clicked. As I’ve gotten older, this album has continued to grow on me. A lot of the themes on her songs are still relevant today.

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Jan 21 2025
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5

I forgot how absolutely amazing I think this album is. Fast Car is a classic, but the whole first half of the album contains only amazing tracks. Important masterpiece.

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Jan 18 2025
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5

Loved how raw and emotional it was. I knew "Fast Cars" but otherwise had never heard of this singer before. Pretty glad I got to change that. Amazing album.

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Jan 16 2025
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5

Incredible voice. Breaks my heart because topics she sings about didn't change.

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Jan 14 2025
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5

Have loved Tracy Chapman since the first time I heard her song Fast Car on the radio. Guessing back in 1988. She is a an amazing storyteller. Vivid and emotional. That song was a perfect blend of message and music. Her album is filled with excellent tracks. Baby Can I Hold You is another well know and great song. She also has a lot tracks asking us to look at and rethink our acceptance social injustice. These are lesser known, since they didn't as easily suit radio play. Across the Lines; Behind the Wall; Why; and Mountains O'Things were the ones in this category that most affected me. She also has a few tracks examining a need to love and be with the one we love even if it is at a sacrifice. If it was at all inspired by her own life, made me both admire the depths of her commitment for love, and also want to be a friend to her back then to try to tell her "oh no girl, this is so not healthy". 🥺

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Jan 03 2025
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5

Her voice and guitar are pure honey. This album is legendary for a reason.

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Jan 02 2025
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5

Tracy's voice is beautiful, this is a great album.

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Jan 02 2025
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5

I have this on vinyl and I think the rest of it is overshadowed by Fast Car. It’s great through- start to finish

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Jan 01 2025
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5

War lange Zeit eines meiner Lieblingsalben, immer noch gut!

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Dec 28 2024
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5

🎧Fantastic record. I’ve loved Fast Cars for many years, can’t believe it’s taken me this long to listen to the rest of the album.

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Dec 27 2024
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5

What a gifted musician and song writer. I enjoyed this album a lot. Great vocals and finger picking on the guitar. The arrangements were very simple and perfectly executed.

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Dec 25 2024
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5

Day354 - baby can i hold you us my favorite tracy chapman song and the hold album still feels fresh 36 years later

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Dec 25 2024
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5

one of the easiest 5's I've ever had to give out. Grew up with this album, every time I listen its a like a warm hug, also getting to experience songs that I completely forgot about. Chapman is a fantastic performer and song writer. You could easily just put Fast Car here and get great ratings but there is so much more. Sorry for gushing.

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Dec 25 2024
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5

Really honest songwriting and a beautiful soulful voice. I only really knew Fast Car off this album but was blown away by the rest of the songs. Definitely joining my vinyl collection

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Dec 23 2024
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5

Such a special album. The world could use more Tracy Chapman. The lyrics are spellbinding, the melodies are memorable, and the instrumentation is simple yet just... the perfect vehicle to deliver the lyrics. As close to a perfect album as I've heard.

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Dec 17 2024
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5

Nice, her fast car is great. I like her album a lot! Giving it a 5 cause I'd happily listen again.

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Dec 11 2024
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5

Smooth listen. All quality if that is the mood.

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Dec 04 2024
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5

Awesome... This kinda save my life some 36 years ago Beautifully produced album and killer musicians, got it on vinyl since than

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Dec 03 2024
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5

i have no idea why nobody told tracy chapman slapped this hard. she rly knows how to hit wtf

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Nov 30 2024
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5

Loved this one!! Takes me back to old school Tracy Chapman listening. Fast Car is a classic and I enjoyed rediscovering it.

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Nov 25 2024
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5

A great chill album even tho the things she was saying was not very chill

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Nov 16 2024
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5

when i was living at home in the suburbs during lockdown i was obsessed w the car as a metaphor for the illusion of freedom— how, growing up in the suburbs, there’s not much else to do bedsides drive around. you COULD go anywhere, but you end up driving around in circles, ending up where you started every time. anyway fast car is one of the greatest songs ever written tracy chapman forever.

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Nov 15 2024
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5

During the recent resurgence of Fast Car, I thought it was overrated. On a fresh listen, that is a damn good song. I didn’t pay too much attention to its lyrics before, but she can really paint a picture with her words, in this song and others. Love the style overall, but there’s a decent amount of variety as well. Loved Mountains O’ Things, She’s Got Her Ticket, and many others.

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