Tracy Chapman

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

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..."

There are songs, and then there’s Fast Car

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.

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

We have fixed nothing since 1988.

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

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...

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 radical lesbian icon and one of them is an infamous war protester and one of them is an unbelievably talented and beloved folk singer songwriter.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

❤️❤️❤️ wonderful album ❤️❤️❤️

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

unrelatable. my car is slow

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.

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 🌟

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.

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

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.

Tendenz zu 4

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.

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

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

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.

Not a big fan of her voice

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.

NOT for me.

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

Not my cup of tea

Songs about issues. Not for me. Too pop

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.

Smooth listen. All quality if that is the mood.

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

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

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

Fantastic record

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.

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.

Que voZ

Vittu vad bra den är!

The topics covered in this album are sadly still as relevant today as when it was written. Love the music.

folk/Americana/protest magnificence

I could listen on repeat

Iconic

Do you like the rewrite of Fast Car? Well, Tracy Chapman released the original! I love the original, and I love the new one as well! I love Chapman's music, and her range as well! I hope that you'll be able to listen to this album sometime! I highly recommend this album!

Loved it!

This is a stunning and heartbreaking album of folk songs. Many of them tell stories of the working class and racial inequality in America. Others focus on broken relationships where the characters battle loneliness and disappointment. All of them are sung with deep compassion by Tracy Chapman, whose powerful voice is an emotional force. The opening sequence of songs is incredible. The rallying cry of "Talkin' About a Revolution" is a great opener, leading into the bittersweet storytelling on "Fast Car." "Across the Lines" is an impassioned song about race relations. And "Behind the Wall" is just devastating. I hear the influence of classic folk artists on this song (I'm thinking of Joan Baez, who I was introduced to from this list). The a capella delivery stops your tracks. There are a lot of other styles on this album too, like the sparkling power ballad "Baby Can I Hold You," the reggae-tinged "She's Got Her Ticket" and the country twang on "For My Lover." "Mountains O' Things" was another highlight for me. Great lyrics about how the American dream is focused on collecting stuff we don't need. Incredible album.

All the hits. The non singles are a bit flat

Timeless classic.

Wow. This album's great. I feel like I haven't gotten as many albums from women within the past few months as I should. Sure, I did get Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, and Beyoncé in the past month, but then you have to go back nearly two months to find the Dolly Parton album I got before those ones. Needless to say, Tracy Chapman's debut album serves as a nice source of variety that I've needed from this generator as of lately. Let's talk about the album now. As stated earlier, I think it's absolutely wonderful. Everything about this album just works. Tracy Chapman's singing is nice. I really like it. She really gets to shine on songs like "Behind the Wall," which only has her voice in it. Of course, most songs on this album aren't just singing. The other 10 songs all have instruments in them too. Fortunately, they're also great! The sound is generally fairly soft, with a heavy focus on acoustic guitar. There are moments where other instruments show up though. I really like both styles. The writing is arguably the highlight of this album. There are some absolutely amazing songs on here. The highlight, of course, is "Fast Car." What a song. That song alone justifies this album being on the list. Other songs like the opener, "Talkin' Bout a Revolution," and "Across The Lines" do a great job at focusing on social issues in an interesting way. Other songs like "Baby Can I Hold You" and "For My Lover" are just very solid love songs. This album's great. There are definitely albums I like more, but the impact of this album and the quality of its music are more than enough to justify this album's legacy. Light 5/5.

Wow, didn't expect this, honestly. This is definitely 5 for me this generator really suprised me.

This is a stone cold classic. The melodies are timeless and the vocal is so emotive it cant be beat. Unless you pay attention to the lyrics in which case they may be. The stories told are heartbreaking and the unfulfilled optimism 30 years on tells its own story.

I listened to this a lot as a teenager and am very familiar with it, although I haven’t heard it for ages. For me it has stood up well, there is just something about the melancholy lyrics and the sound that always resonated and still seems to, going by the 2bn steams on Spotify. I have this down as an all time classic

Now this is a classic. The recent remake of fast Car brought a lot of people back to Tracy Chapman, and deservedly so.

I remember buying this album when I was a younger man and how much it spoke to me despite any similarity to my life experience. By the end I was saddened by how much these tracks still speak to me, only things have gotten much worse decades later. This album was not just of its time, but seemingly for all times.

One of my top favorite albums of all time! Such an amazing soul and activist!

From the familiar voicings of Fast Car to the unexpected acapella of Behind The Wall. This entire album transcends time. The political insights of Why? remain a point of discussion in modern times. And it’s Fucking Tracy Chapman. This album rocks, but softly and beautifully.

vital and true. her voice is so smooth. i especially liked the songs that went a little outside of the typical singer-songwriter acoustic guitar + basic percussion formulation with the more syncopated (??!?!) drums. fav tracks: fast car [duh]; baby can i hold you; mountains o’ things; why?; for my lover

WOWWWW that was so beautiful. i am not someone that typically pays attention to lyrics but i was very moved by the lyricism of this album, particularly Behind the Wall, Across the Lines, and Baby Can I Hold You. The political themes are unfortunately pretty timeless and universally applicable, and the music itself doesn't sound dated or trite -- it feels really fresh and different than anything else I've listened to -- so I see why this album is considered such a classic.

Yeah, Luke Combs’ cover of “Fast Car” is great … but it’s only a reminder of how urgent and transcendent the original was and is … from a 23-year-old college grad who’d been playing open mics and college radio in Boston. My dad had three tapes in his car when I was a kid: this album, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” and U2’s “Joshua Tree.” They are all desert island albums, something you could live on for the rest of your life.

This is a great album. The storytelling is top notch, and it sounds as if nothing has changed in 36 years...

Tracy Chapman's music hurts my heart in the best way.

You can't really fault this album. It was something completely different when it came out, and it snowballed to the point that everyone seemed to have a copy and listen to it almost constantly. It didn't matter what your usual choice of music was, you had a copy of this album. Several standout tracks, not one weak track.

Christ her voice is so beautiful. Glad to finally be made to sit down and listen to more from her than Fast Car - that being the second track feels so bold and so understated in her brilliance. I gotta do more things more, man.

One of greatest song writers ever and a voice that transforms those works into something beyond

Phenomenal writing and pleasant listening. Lyrics are still so real and important 36 years later.

First time hearing Tracy Chapman, very unique voice. Songs didn’t age a bit. Fast car alone puts it on top for a 5. Favorite track: Fast car other picks: talking about a revolution, behind the wall(only voice with bo instrumentation), baby can i hold you, mountain of things.

Never saved so many songs off the same album, love it

Tracy Chapman's blend of folk resonates with me.

Absolutely incredible album. Powerful lyrics, a beautiful unique voice, and a perfect light guitar that backs up and compliments her voice so well. This is a gem!

Evocative powerful and an anthropologist

5/5. A beautiful and sad album of important messages and quiet songs of longing and heartache. There is love throughout but scarce enough to remind you of the bleakness of the world. Optimism is a message trying to break through each song but it always ends in disappointment at the police, society, yourself. She has a very accessible voice and each song provides enough diversity that doesn't sound like a plain acoustic pop album. Best Song: Fast Car, Baby Can I Hold You, Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution

Fantastic album discussing generational poverty and life in the inner city.

Tracy Chapman is simply one of the best to ever do it. This album is heartbreaking, thought provoking, eternally socially relevant, and just damn good

Great singer songwriter with a short but sweet album with some great themes. 10/10

Masterpiece of masterpieces

I'm so excited for this!! Talkin' Bout a Revolution - incredible. What a beautiful voice. The noise cancelling headphones are really doing this justice. You better run run run run run run run run ! Fast Car - yes yes yes yes Across the Lines - I didn't know this one before now. I like it. A softer song (production wise, not lyrics) than the other two Behind the Wall - is this a cappella? beautifullll voice - hard hitting lyrics Baby Can I Hold You - this is beautiful Mountains O' Things - I don't know why I wasn't expecting lyrics like this. she's incredible She's Got Her Ticket - not my favourite on the album, but still enjoying it Why? - same as the above, but it's a very good tune For My Lover - god her voice is beautiful If Not Now... - this feels hopeful, I like it For You - I want Tracy Chapman to be in love with ME! This was lovely Might listen to this album again immediately I liked it that much. thanks Tracy love you

I can get wary about political songs. Not usually because of the politics, but because it's difficult to make political prescriptions into song lyrics without them being impossibly clunky or without them flattening into a lack of specificity. Sometimes, on a micro level, I feel like Tracy Chapman can brush up against the latter. But on a macro level this is an album full of stories of characters pushed to the margins, suffering from domestic violence, addiction, poverty, all wanting something greater. As an album length statement, it's hard to get more resonant than that.

Beautiful and timeless. Could be one of the best folk albums of all time with one of the best folk songs of all time on it.

Incredible album from an incredible singer-songwriter!

yeah this is a classic

Pre-listening thoughts: FINALLY A WOMAN!! And Tracy Chapman at that! This is such an exciting album. Tracy is such a brilliant storyteller and I am so very excited to not only listen to an album by a woman but a queer woman of color. Post/during listening thoughts: I’ve already heard the first two tracks of this album. I love Tracy’s voice. The folk-rock genre blend on this record is flawless and keeps energy flowing while also keeping the sound down to earth and intimate. Some of the production does lean very 80s though. Theres something about the way that Tracy places emphasis on certain syllables and places words within the rhythm that I’m awful at describing but is very pleasant to listen to. Not a bad track on this album. These issues are still super prevalent today, a timeless record but at what cost? 9.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: yes and everyone should Fav tracks: Fast Car, Across the Lines, Baby Can I Hold You, She’s Got Her Ticket, If Not Now… Least fav tracks:

very powerful, behind the wall es una canción a acapella que no necesita music for how powerful it is. Increible proyect, very vulnerable and personal. 10/10

Really great folk album. Vocals and guitar well done. Fast Car got tons of airplay when it was released but this is my first listen to the whole album

5 - Yeah this was stunning. Really powerful and beautiful at the same time

an album i've heard countless times, an artist that i did and do regard as my all-time favorite, a collection of songs i could never get enough of. the easiest 5 so far.

Singer-songwriter, folk rock. Beautifully melancholic and passionate, very political. What an amazing experience. Love her vocals and the instrumentals fit perfectly. Especially loved the vocal only song. Very special album Strong 4.5/5

I really don’t love that cover of fast car making it’s rounds, but I did love this album!