Tracy Chapman

3.5/5

woow, that girl has a unique voice!!! (please don't let her sing ever again, she sounds like she just got kicked in the balls)

Listened on 30th December 2023.

This was good. I remember when this came out but never listened to anything but Fast Car.

Sjunger mkt bra. Har ett uppenbart socialt patos vilket ska premieras. Dock är det bara hitsen som är verkligt bra. Ska man vara riktigt noga är det egentligen bara Fast Car som verkligen lyfter. Baby Can I hold you är ok bra men känns samtidigt lite som nåt som skulle kunna vara med i en sketch om en man som vill sätta på en låt för att skapa lite knullig stämning.

Aldrig lyssnat på Tracy annat än hitsen. Det är framför allt de två första låtarna. Som är väldigt bra! Bäst utöver de två är "baby can i hold you" For you också bra. Gillar det överlag. Hon har ju en riktigt cool röst! Hade väl helst hört någon till riktigt bra låt. Men hittills har det ju visats vara svårt med album. Allt för många dussinlåtar.

Några låtar är klockrena men några är sömnpiller men ändå en stabil 3a.

Absolute fire!!! Unique voice. Amazing lyrics

She's definitely talented, and has a strong social conscience. Pretty good songs too! Nothing less than good on my first impression. A fairly strong album.

Fast car earns this an extra star, the rest of the album went by largely unnoticed, liked that it was chilled but not gonna rush back to it

It’s a good album, and Fast Car is iconic. It’s an incredibly important album and one of the biggest selling albums of all time. However…I just struggle to connect to it. I don’t know why, it’s a good album, for sure,but that’s as far as it goes. Lyrically, it’s brilliant. It is timeless in that if I don’t know any better you could convince me it was released today, but still. Three stars

Nothing too special except for the voice

enjoyed it, soulful

gets pretty samey but still enjoyed bits

vroom vroom

The lyrics are pretty well crafted and she is a gr8 poet but I found the accompanying instrumentals too boring to enjoy it. Also fast car has been previously ruined for me. This is queer on queer violence. Sorry Tracy.

Good but dated.

Viele alte Bekannte, aber aus der Zeit gefallen

Fine. I remember Fast Car being a hit when I was a kid. That song seemed to be everywhere for a while!

Good voice, but not my type of music.

Niet alle nummers waren even overtuigend.

The middest

Gott

Das Album wurde noch vor den Loudness Wars gemastert. Es hat den Anspruch, dass man sich aktiv damit beschäftigt und es nicht noch mit zig andere Lärmquellen damit konkurrenzieren muss. Als es noch Schallplatten gab, durfte die Musik nicht zu laut sein, weil sonst die Nadel aus der Rille gehüpft wäre.

Easy listening, decent

A good collection of folk rock songs by Tracy Chapman. Her voice is beautiful and storytelling is also good, the songs are really sad because she experienced a lot of hardships in her life but she presents them in an accessible way. Some songs are a bit too samey to me musically. Overall good though not sure I'd want to listen to it again soon (because of the heaviness of the lyrics). 3.5/5.

Political folk with 80’s pop production. Some good songs here. Solid.

I will probably like this and also be sad. Ok so the thing I am most impressed with is the assurance in her voice. She sounds remarkably mature for someone in her early twenties and her projection is fantastic. The first two tracks are the most familiar to me and are the strongest—one could almost make the case that you don’t need much more than that—but for me the rest of the album wound up being unmemorable. But god damn, Fast Car is probably one of the best songs ever written, it’s so fucking good and Jesus is it sad.

3.5/5

It was good, but sad. I saved a couple songs. She seemed to have experience difficult circumstances - poverty, racism, DV, etc. I really would love to hear a younger female singer cover her song For My Lover in a simple way because the lyrics are beautiful. 3/5 because I would not listen to it again as its not my music taste but it was still good.

Blast from the past great artist and songs

Fast Car has a great hook, a lot of heart in the sadly timeless theme of deadbeat dads. I'm tired of it, but just because I'm tired of it doesn't mean it's not good. The rest I find a little same-y and inoffensive. I've had this forever and never listen to any of it. Still, I'm going to round up to 3.

Had no idea Chapman was so politically radical (in both senses of the word). Hard for me to get past the super slick late 80s early 90s singer songwriter sheen, from a sonic taste perspective, but it was doable, and this is a good one. Pulls no punches.

The first two tracks are really good; Fast Car is a banger. She has a good voice. While the production can be somewhat simple most of the time she carries the album with how good her voice is. The slower songs aren't really for me, but I can tell that they are good. This is a strong 3/5

It feels odd for me to call a political album plain, especially considering how it’s been many years since its original release and I have no way of truly knowing how this record fit in the musical landscape of its time, but it’s the main impression I got from this. Chapman is an effective storyteller and though I can recognize the power in her direct songwriting, a lot of the messages and sentiments she communicates through these songs have unfortunately become cliches with time. It’s of no fault of her own, though, but to me, all of the history that happened after this album’s release has only rendered these stories far too familiar in a demoralizing way. It didn’t help that a few of these songs aren’t really musically interesting to me, which I’m sure was meant to draw more attention to her lyricism, but to me, it only served to dull the power in her statements. It was a pleasant and relatable listen, but unfortunately it didn’t do much else for me. Fav tracks: Talkin’ Bout a Revolution, Fast Car, For My Lover, For You

2,5

I knew Fast car and the album was interesting enough to me to listen to again at some point.

Fast Car, Talking About a Revolution and (tho I don't like) Baby Can I Hold You are all serious tunes. Backed up by a pretty strong set of album cuts. The production is uber eighties, reminiscent of Paul Simon/Peter Gabriel at the time. It's a definitive three, but no more.

I never really got into the contemporary/soft rock scene of the 80’s and 90’s and lamentably didn’t recognize any of the songs here except “Fast Car.” That was definitely a staple on 98.3 The Key haha. Not a huge fan of the style/genre of music at first listen but there is certainly some important social commentary on this album- “Behind the Wall” was jarring, heartbreaking, and realistic. There’s something special about an artist’s first album- something they write and record often before having any fame, accolades, expectations, etc. (side note: that’s why you’ll hear about lackluster sophomore albums; the second album is really hard for a lot of artists to pull off after a successful debut). This is a great album from a singer-songwriter that went huge right after its release so this is the real deal, straight from her soul. Three stars for straight sound and enjoyment on my first listen, but more like four for content, cultural significance, songwriting value, etc. could I give this 3.5?

Solid 3/5 would listen to again but wouldn't necessarily seek it out.

#11. I have heard of Tracy Chapman before, but never actually listened to her music. It started out slow, but picked up a bit in the middle. This Lilith Fair kinda music isn't my really my jam, but I thought it was decent overall. 3/5: acceptable

Soulful, but overall a little too soulful. I can see why most of the tracks never made it to the Top 40.

FAST CAR!!!!!!!

Mega Klassiker. Schön, aber nicht ganz mein Sound

I liked fast car, but everything else on this album was forgettable. It was just simple easy listening music that didn't leave any impressions on me.

Great lyricism cant deny that. Just a bit boring to be honest. maybe I am desensitized but sociopolitical commentary such as "war bad peace good" and "dont beat ur spouse" isnt necessarily groundbreaking I am without a doubt being reductive, but there were few moments in this album that were actually interesting sonically.

Meh

new one for me

Good.

First time listening to the whole album. It incredible songwriting, pure, raw, heartwarming and touching. Her voice and tone is beautiful. The classics are great as always and nurtured by these lesser known songs with just as hard hitting stories.

Notable: Fast Car, Behind The Wall, Baby Can I Hold You, If Not Now...

Lovely popular music

The songs is political, a little sad. Overall, I wouldn't want to listen to it again. 3 stars. The second half gets better than the middle. The middle dropped but Why is a good song.

Quiet folk pop acoustic-guitar driven songs that emphasize Tracy Chapman's distinctive voice: kind of nasal/heady nearly yodeling on the highs, rich and warm in the lows, controlled and expressive in a deceptively wide range. The solo acoustic stuff is bit boring, her best songs bring in a backing band to speed things up and have a rich full sound and very pretty accents. Fast Car is such a great song, the simple guitar hook rising and falling restlessley, the call and response vocal urgently optimistic but full of ordinary disappointment, the big chorus's meaning shifting with each iteration of slow heartbreak.

Tracy Chapman seems honest, debuting; Fair play to her. There are the obvious song survivors, and plenty of equal quality. Everything's cut a bit short, clear, deliberate. Fault of the form, not the artist, perhaps, boxes for emotions that can neither hold nor burst.

Fast Car is an incredible track. The rest of the album really doesn't hit as hard. Not bad per se, but very middle-of-the-road and hard to give my full attention to. I'm not sure that this album would have gotten the ratings it did, or be on this list, without the inclusion of Fast Car. Fave tracks: Fast Car

Lyrically and musically superb, but just a little too dull for me.

'Fast Car' and 'Talkin' Bout A Revolution' are fantastic tracks- but the rest of the album is thoroughly forgettable generic singer-songwriter tracks. I know that some of that is because her album inspired a revival of the genre, and so a lot of those artists were following in her footsteps, but I still feel like this album was missing just one or two more good songs.

not my cup of tea

Not my cup of tea but I like the song give me one more reason

Liked the first half more

woman on guitar with drums on almost all songs. Interesting lyrics about overcoming poverty and issues with police etc, but finding the love in the middle of it criticises society/system without sounding overly pissed off at it not the biggest vocal range, songs sounded quite same-y, but was a good listen. quite slow pace for songs, you want to listen to the lyrics of the songs

Chill, short, good lounge music

3,5!

Fuck Boyzone, all hail Tracy Chapman!

Fast Car >>>>>>>> DECENT

Interesting, a lot of talent, not really my thing

-didn’t write a BL- AL: a solid album. Fast Car is a song I’ve known for all my life. The rest of them were very nice and soulful ballads. Definitely worth the listen, the only thing that was lacking in my opinion was diversity in the instrumentation. Otherwise excellent. FT: “Fast Car”, “Baby Can I Hold You” 3/5

It’s a strong record - and very angry but poignant - just not my genre. Her voice is lovely - her writing is also wonderfully political and human.

I know this is all political and stuff, but for some reason it doesn’t hit me the way it feels like it should. I don’t know whether it’s the instrumentation or the lyrics that I’m not a fan of. For the record, I like ‘Fast Car’ and ‘Behind The Wall’. This record is just whatever to me. I don’t mind its inclusion, though.

так себе

3.5

Album opens with folk-pop Talkin' Bout a Revolution. Fine if not somewhat boring song -- she's got a solid voice. Didn't know Fast Car was by Tracy Chapman. This song used to be everywhere growing up. Always found the guitar to be incredibly catchy with a chorus that makes anyone think they can sing along. Jam. Not my closest listen, but Across the Lines seems to be a song about racial inequality in America. Pretty, but sad song. Behind the Wall is an incredibly evocative social commentary touching on the fact that police never come fast enough and there is no point to call. Sung completely A Capella, emphasizes the focus on the subject matter at hand. Her voice is like butter... Baby Can I Hold You seems oddly placed following Behind the Wall. I understand you gotta pay the bills, but the juxtaposition is a bit jarring. Back to social commentary, Mountains O' Things is a song about materialism told over a smattering of percussion. Tuned out for a couple songs... For My Lover comes back with a folk-country sounding song. I like the roll of it. All said, I'm glad for this album to have come up on this list. While it isn't something I will come back to for repeated listens, I'm glad for the experience. Tracy Chapman has a beautifully smooth voice and she uses it mostly to speak of social issues. I found the first half of the album to be more interesting than the later and kind of tuned out towards the end. Standouts to me are Fast Car, Behind the Wall, and Fore My Lover. I'm a pretty solid 3 / 5 here.

I had only heard Reel Big Fish's Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution but this one makes me want to run for city council more to start my revolution. Definitely have heard Fast Car. This is a solid tune that's easy to get stuck in your head. I'll probably be humming it later tonight. I do like Across the Lines. The next couple songs were kinda boring. I know the lyrics represent something deeper I'm just working and it's not evoking the emotions I'm sure it's supposed to. Mountains O things is straight out of Tarzan! Overall the lyrics and voice are really strong. Still not my cup o tea but she is certainly powerful.

one of the better folks, has like three of four songs I'd re-listen to. Deserved three stars just because I don't really like folk. I prefer my music to not be a snoozefest

3/5. I enjoyed this album. It showed a lot of Tracy’s range, but suffered at times from the same singing style. Her Pro-Black, Pro-Women stances made this album one of tragedy and I thought those stances helped her dig deeper into her emotions.

Am important musician with important messages, but this debut felt a bit flat to me.

# 25 : I've always liked fast car and I found this a pleasant album with some good listening songs. 256 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time!

Lovely voice (whisper it - boring songs)

Tracy Chapman earns her singer/songwriter chops with here. 3.5/5.

Ik heb dit vroeger grijs gedraaid. Vooral de eerste helft is briljant, maar daarna zakt het toch een beetje in.

Mooi maar niet helemaal mijn geluid. Wat schandalig is, is dat ik ‘Baby can I hold you’ alleen van Boyzone kende.

This was pretty melancholy

The singles are great

Poignant lyrics that paint pictures, swell you up with emotions and sweep you off your feet. Nearly each song has the simple arrangement of Tracy's voice, her guitar and a drummer colored by some percussion. At times a few additional instruments join the formula. It feels barebones yet full and strong.

The hits are still hits but the rest is simply the rest…

As much as I like Tracy Chapman’s singing and excellent songwriting, the album didn’t hold up as well for me as I’d hoped it would.

Fast Car on kyllä hieno kappale. Muuten ihan jees jees jepaa

Talkin bout a revolution and Fast Car are obviously enormous hits, as a beginner guitarist among the first songs I learned to play. The rest of the record couldn't quite keep up, but it was solid. Why and Across the lines stood out as well.

Ehkä miespuolinen Joni Mitchell mutta tenhoavampi. A-puoli oli tosi hyvä, B-puolelle olisi tarvittu päräytyävämpää vaihtelua. Jännä ääni (Ed Sheeran kuulostaa tältä)

Yeah yeah yeah, “Fast Car” aside, a lot of these lyrics are too heart on sleeve and obvious. The political songwriting is so overt Phil Ochs would blush, the playing is expert but standard. One’s more likely to fall asleep than take action after listening to this.

Good

3/5

first time listening have heard fast car

Pleasant enough to listen to, good stuff. She has a wonderful voice.

Great album, with an iconic song. Good vibes, would definitely listen to again over the summer

3.5

what do I have to say about this one... It has some really good lyrics and Tracy's got a beautiful voice. I do think that some of the songs can be a bit boring and annoying... All in All 6.5/10 (3/5)

This album was nice, easy listening. She has a soulful, sincere voice. The sound doesn't deviate a whole lot throughout except for that one song with only vocals. Overall, it's not my taste, but also wasn't bad so I'll give it an average rating.

Was a phenomenon, wasn't it, her sudden rise. Was it about the public's hunger for authenticity or need for quiet, simple and relatable tunes? Today, this feels a bit pallid, a touch tepid. The distance between the grimness of the material and the neutral (almost numb) delivery is quite striking. No doubting that "Fast Car" is a great song. And shame it feels so relevant today.

If I could give a "music that everyone likes award" it would be this, classics but nothing that is exceptional. It's just good, nothing more, nothing less

Cualquier cosa compuesta y producida en los '90 está bien.

приятно вечерком послушать алкоальбом: под бутылочку белого

одна из немногих акустик, которой я даже думал ставить 4, ну вкусно. но все таки 3+

Vreemd dat artiesten met veel muzikale creativiteit op de eigen naam als titel uitkomen. Zit de creativiteit dan alleen in het muzikale hokje? Afgaand op de titel draait het nu allemaal om Tracy zelf. Terwijl Tracy best wat te vertellen heeft, zoals in de ijzersterke hit. Normaal zie ik zang vooral als instrument en let ik niet zo op de tekst. Maar zonder enige inspanning komt de tekst van Tracy vrij makkelijk binnen. Dat is een prestatie op zichzelf. Dat gezegd hebbende duren de 36 minuten van Tracy wel erg lang. De eerste twee nummers luister ik met plezier. Maar daarna haak ik toch echt af. 2 sterren voor het album als geheel en een halve bonus-ster voor de eerste twee nummers.

Het is eigenlijk akoestische muziek, maar de jaren 80 hebben een iets te grote invloed qua drums. Het lijkt wel of er gated reverb is toegepast, waardoor die drums een enorme echo krijgen. En zo pleuren ze er wel meer synthesizergeluidjes, panfluiten en irritante tingeltjes in, die totaal onnodig zijn. Het zijn prachtige ingetogen liedjes, waarbij al die jaren 80 poespas eromheen volgens mij alleen maar storend werkt. Hier hadden ze echt een moderne muzikaal uitgeklede remaster van moeten maken: alleen Tracy met haar gitaar. Al vrees ik ook een beetje voor dat het dan iets teveel richting de door mij zo gehate Joni Mitchell gaat, want daar haalt Tracy wel iets teveel de mosterd vandaan soms. Afgezien van die jaren 80 productie, staan de liedjes op zichzelf keurig overeind en heb ik ook dit weer met plezier geluisterd. Ik twijfel tussen 3 of 4 sterren. Nog een keer geluisterd op maandagochtend. Er staan een aantal sterke nummers tussen, maar ook wat mindere. Hoe geengageerd te teksten zijn, heb ik me nooit door laten beinvloeden. Dus ook nu niet, 3+ sterretjes.

Genres: Contemporary folk, folk rock, roots rock Formed: 1987? Run time: 11 songs, 36 min, 9 sec It’s a great album with many accolades and awards. Three singles were released from the album: Track 2, "Fast Car" (677M plays on Spotify), Track 1, "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" (153M plays) and Track 5, "Baby Can I Hold You" (266M plays). All were successful. Every other track on the album has over 9M plays. Tracy sings about life (in general and sometimes specifically black lives). Singer songwriters generally create songs with great stories and meaning and Tracy Chapman is no exception to that rule. I loved the three singles mentioned above. The others are good, but didn’t capture me in the same way. I probably won’t listen to the album again, but I will look for other songs by her. When Spotify finishes an album it plays something equivalent. It chose Neil Young and David Grey, which is quite good company to be in! My Rating: ***

Not the biggest fan of folk music, but it was pretty good. It deserves another listen when I'm not working, though overcoming my allergic reaction to lyrics is hard.

Two tracks carry this album. Buts it’s not too bad of a coffee house record

Good lyrics. Not my thing though.

Det fortjener måske en ekstra stjerne, men jeg hørte det desværre ikke 100% koncentreret.

Rentoa ja helppoa kuunneltavaa. Pari biisiä oli entuudestaan tuttuja korvaan, mutta esittäjästä ei sitten mitään tietoa. Taipuu kolmoseen ja voisipa testata jotain muutakin ko. artisin musaa.

Chilli ja kesäinen. Sopi aurinkoiseen kevätpäivään autoa ajellessa ja sai hyvälle tuulelle

Fast car must be one of the biggest hits in the last decades, and rightfully so, it's a great track. Talkin' bout a revolution stood out to me too as great track which I hadn't heard before. The rest kind of blended together. Listening to two albums in one day might have been a bit much as the style is a bit similar to the first album "American Pie" and i got a bit fatigued towards the end. I feel I would've liked it more if circumstances were different. A tentative 3 stars, might have to give this one a second chance.

Inoffensive, mellow but I didn’t want a second listen. I appreciate the musicianship, just a 3*

Very pleasant. Although I have to say that I was expecting to like it more.

Fantastic voice and flattened music. It is not unlikeable, and it's clear that this influenced some modern songs, but it's forgettable.

A storyteller album, more Springsteen than Dylan The stories still seem relevant today, the folkie style aged ok

You forget how good some of her songs are, since Fast Car is so overplayed.

I long for more Fast Car. Unfortunately the rest of the album doesn't fulfill that wish.

She's a talented songwriter and musician, and should appeal to fans of Tom Petty. However, as much as I appreciate the skill, that style is just not my thing.

The good songs are really good. The remaining songs feel heavily dated (like late 80s chipper and wonderful), which is ironic since the message is dark. Tracy's a talented musician and singer, but outside of a few songs, I don't feel like this one holds up too well with time.

no bad songs but no stand out good songs really either. i feel like this would be a good album to play at a dinner party

nice

I know and love 'Fast Car', so I was expecting the rest of the album to also impress me. It didn't, it just kind of exists unremarkably and without sparking much controversy. I didn't dislike it, but exceedingly average results is failure in my book.

Let’s start with the fact that Fast Cars was, is, and always will be transcendental. If I’m being purely subjective on the whole album, it’s clear that the reason Tracy is on here is because of her lyrics. They are moving and they themselves are worthy of a 4 or 5. But instrumentally, this is nothing more than trashy acoustic calypso worthy of a 1 or 2. I’ll settle in the middle at a 3.

Not my cup of tea but a decent album. Starts strong but the second half fades. If you're into folk but with a social conscious and not lovey-dovey hippie folk, this is the album for you.

not may style

''fast cars oon kuullu varmaan mikäs miteä mieltä olet'' jassoo... katotaas... Souiremebervennviiveere draiving, draivinginyurcaer Speedsofastitfeltlikewasdrunk Citylaitssleiautbeforeus Andyourarmfletnocewradrndshldr And aaiaaai had afeeling that I belonged aaaiai had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone vai että sortuja lyrics..... ovi auki naps, vilkutus taakse, ovi kiinni poks ja yksi pykälä albumi alemmas heh... muistetaan sitten ensi kerralla ne yhteiset pelisäännöt for my lover

Relembrou os programas de rádios com as músicas românticas clássicas do final dos anos 80, por motivos de "Fast Car" e "Baby Can I Hold You". Realmente a voz e violão funcionou muito bem ao longo dos 36 minutos.

I intend on being overly cautious with these initial reviews since this in particular is the very first album I've listened to for this. I imagine I'll get better at articulating my thoughts on these over time. My first impressions were slightly mixed, since I haven't previously listened to much music of this genre nor from this era. I come from an Electronica/IDM background so I tend to have difficulty following and understanding vocals, however Tracy's excellent and clear vocal performances throughout the album made this pretty easy. Fast Cars was a familiar song, and I loved the percussion from Mountain O' Things. On a second listen, I also warmed up to Talkin' Bout a Revolution, which became one of my favorite songs of the album. After processing the LP some more and giving it another listen, I also warmed up to For My Lover. Overall, while I don't see myself returning to this album as I found my enjoyment of most of the tracks to be fairly neutral, it wasn't insulting enough to my ears to warrant a 2. It seems like a perfect introductory album, a very good example of a 3.

Fast car banger. Others were decent.

Folk. Muy buena voz pero un poco aburrido.

What an extraordinary voice. I don’t think I realised how young she was when she recorded this. Fast Car is amazing despite years of overplay on the radio. Talking bout a revolution and Baby can I hold you are also brilliant. The latter is incredible when juxtaposed with Behind the Wall on the album If the rest gets a little samey, it doesn’t diminish how brilliant the high points are of this album

There's something I love about this album in a nostalgic, boring, VH1 sort of way. Fast Car is a great song. I don't think anything else lives up to that one, though. Tracy's voice is perfect for this. I love the production on it. But nothing gets under my skin better than Fast Car.

Good songwriting (if a little worthy), plasticky sub-Gabriel production, a voice I don't particularly care for, a few brave choices with arrangements...that's a three star album, baby!

Quite enjoyed this! Just a nice voice, interesting lyrics and solid melodies.

Fast Car is the standout song, great bit of story telling and an instantly recognisable guitar hook. Bit too far down the complaint rock road for me but can't help admire her commitment.

It can sound rather revolutionary, but can also sound rather dated

Soulful and pretty, but at times a little boring.

The album is alright and some of the songs are pretty good but I got tired of the singer's voice about 10 minutes in. These overdrawn, shakira-like notes are like nails on a chalkboard after you hear them for the dozenth time

Some good bits. Nice background music

I liked it. I had heard a few of them before, but not all of them.

Tough one, wish I could rate 3.5 stars - adore some songs but some not. Unique voice, will return to a few songs not the album.

why, why did Boyzone cover this

I've only listened to Fast Car before and wasn't surprised that it appears on this album. Tracy got a unique and impactful singing voice that's impossible not to like. Not really my thing but still good.

Really big fan of the sound. Certainly a product of its time and I could dare the same exact album being released today since you do see the same themes in music today.

Great

Fast cars is great. Nice mellodies

Yeah, not really my cup of tea.

Very earnest singer songwritery from the 80s. Great voice and songs full of protest. Fast Car is great and there a couple of other good songs...there is alas some filler. None of her albums after this debut really made any impact. 3

Some bangers some filler. Amazing voice, more political lyrics than I remember, still relevant 35 years on!

Favourite song: Mountains o Things

pretty good, not my style though

3.5 I recognized the album cover to this one but knew little else beyond that, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn it’s a strong folk album with socially and politically conscious lyrics that rival even Bob Dylan. In fact, I think the lyrics are really what drive this album, and although dark and depressing at times, they’re always an ashamedly honest reflection of society… and sadly the subject matter still holds up just as much in 2022 as it did in 1988. There were a few lyrics I wanted to highlight here, including verses touching on racial assault in Across the Lines and police ineptitude in Behind the Wall, but instead I’ll urge anyone listening to follow along with the lyrics if possible - your experience will benefit greatly from it. The back half of the album isn’t quite as strong as the first, but overall it’s a well-paced album with a message more powerful than the musical backdrop. To be honest, I don't find most of the songs overly interesting musically, and I likely would have rated the album lower if not for the aforementioned themes, but I really feel like those are what cement this as an important listen, and I’m glad it’s on this list. Favorite songs: Talkin’ Bout a Revolution, Fast Car, Behind the Wall

I thought it was okay, there's no question about the emotion and storytelling in Chapman's lyrics. However, I just couldn't really pay attention. Maybe I was in the wrong mood to truly appreciate it, but I just found it very boring, and that's coming from someone who usually loves folk music. There were a couple of songs that caught my attention, and Fast Car is a classic, but I also come from the generation that probably knows the Jonas Blue cover better, so maybe that's half the reason this didn't properly click with me. Favourite: Mountains O' Things

Pretty solid, enjoyed his music for the most part

Solid tracks, some cohesiveness missing in the overall project. Had not listened to this before and I think it deserves another listen on a later day

S'écoute très bien, mais je m'attendais à plus

Nice 80s album, but of nostalgia

Really nice album but mostly average except for a few tracks that really encapsulate and communicate some really complex emotions. Worth just listening to the singles but not necessarily the whole album.

4/11, 36%

I’ve loved Talking Bout a Revolution and it was great listening to the rest of this!

En oo koskaan päässyt tähän sisälle vaikka oon koittanut kuunnella useempaan otteeseen. Silti en huonoksi väittäisi! 3/5

Fast Car on tosi kova ja hyviä sanoituksia muutenkin. Musiikillisesti vähän sellaista, että menee toisesta korvasta ulos.

Just a beautifully sung album honestly. It gets a little repetitive for me, but that's about the only thing I can point out. Favorite track: Mountains O'Things

Hon har ju en väldigt speciell röst.

I really like folk, and the good tracks on this album really stand out as some essential folk songs, Talkin' Bout a Revolution and For My Lover. However, the rest of the album falls short of greatness for me 7/10

Another chill ass album. Fast car is good but i dont know about 600 million streams good - there were better songs on here. Behind the wall was super cool and that got me invested in the rest of the record. The 2nd half of this album has some great songs. I'm gonna have to relisten to this one 6/10

Oh sí, éste es un buen disco de esa época. Definitivamente merece un puesto aquí.

Talkin bout a revolutioion, Fast Car - Classic, melancholic, amazing vocals, mellow instrumental, rock edge Why - underrated, anthem, progressive For My Lover - sweet. mellow, nice vocals Revolutionary, original, introspective, mellow but with an edge, overall decent album with a very catchy vibe, feels like a single song so not much diversity

Una voz muy angelical para canciones con buen ritmo y con un estilo de pop muy agradable de escuchar. Un poco del montón, pero se puede escuchar

I'm not sure if I just wasn't in the mood for this album today, but this one didn't really strike me all that much. Chapman is a gifted songwriter and has a beautiful voice, and I like the social messaging of music with more personal songs mixed in. I think perhaps the issue is that her musical style is a bit stripped down for me. Many of the songs are just her and a guitar, and I like a bit more accompaniment than that. I think there's a lot that's good to this album, but I was also bored pretty fast. 3/5

This album is good overall but a bit uneven. Fast Cars is a genuinely great song some of the others not so much. I do like her voice and style and she can make a clear point. 3.5 stars.

I'm really not a huge fan of her voice, sadly.

Some songs that I've heard but never knew the artist. I think a lot of these songs I've heard too often to really evaluate, but they aren't bad. Some of the instrumentation is a bit dated to me, and takes away from chapman's voice. 3 stars

So poignant and off it’s time

alr

Tracy Chapman is a powerful voice, both melodically and lyrically. This album vividly depicts a desperate slice of life with a passion and a clarity that you can't easily ignore or shake.

Deep

Two female singer songwriters' debut albums from 1988 in a row for me. Weird! I like the class and social consciousness of this album, and Tracy's voice is great. The arrangements are pretty unremarkable, though. I could tell you *nothing* about the melodies of any of these. I am glad artists like Tracy exist. I don't think I'll be listening to this again, though.

Folksy guitar + vocals. Fast car song.

I like Tracy Chapman well enough. A talented singer/songwriter. A great album for a long drive when you can take the time to appreciate the lyrics more contemplatively.

Fast Car! Love that Dire Straits guitar on She's Got Her Ticket. Mountains O' Things probably sounded more unique when reggaeton wasn't such a prominent pop genre.

Simple and powerful but also somewhat pallid and simplistic. And the material seems awfully angry and protest-y to be sung so calmly. One wonders how it became such a big hit, and remembers just how it might have happened and also feeling somewhat hopeful about someone like TC becoming such a star out of the blue (the editors of the book help explain the big break). The voice is very distinctive and "Fast Car" reads almost like a nursery rhyme for working-class adults. There are a few other solid tracks that one had forgotten and the overall authenticity can't be denied, though it's accurately described as naive.

Some great songs, amongst a few I wasn't a fan of, I've heard her music before, but wouldn't have been able to put a name to the song, I'll explore some of her other work. 3.5

cool ig, it's not my cuppa tea

Tracy Chapman was a good singer and in this album the two firts songs are the best.

Fast Car i Talking About Revolution su <3. Why? I For You su također dobre stvari. Međutim ostale baš ne osjećam, dosadnjikave su, jest da je tu poruka al nije mi to nekad uopće važno.

A fairly strong record, one that has a few too many "okay" songs for me to consider it great, but maybe upon a relisten I would think more highly of this. 3.5/5

Seems like it's my late 80s week! I remember 1988 when this album came out and it was in all record shops bins, featuring prominently. I also remember enjoying Talking 'Bout A Revolution when it came up on the music video clip channel (which I watched obsessively) but not enough to bother with the album itself. All in all, it's a pretty album, well played, nice sounding, slick production, and overall a pleasant listening. Some songs are more interesting, especially the more romantic numbers in my opinion (Baby I Can Hold You, For My Lover). But Fah fuck sake! Is it boring! Reviews say that this is the album that brought back protest music to the 80s audiences, but in 1988 I was still happy to listen to The Clash. That hasn't changed much, besides the fact that I have added, Public Enemy, Asian Dub Foundation, and Rage Against The Machine to my socially aware, politically charged arsenal, along with some other less known acts. Sorry, Tracy, you haven't made it to that section of my record collection. So next. Just an average album that doesn't subtract but doesn't add anything either.

I think it has some good songs that are very well written but idk man, it’s just kinda boring for me.

Great lyrics, great voice. Ultimately not my thing though. Fast Car is timeless obviously. Behind the Wall sadly still totally relevant. Baby Can I Hold You utterly tarnished in my mind by the ubiquitous Ronan Keating bloody version.

Political

not really my type of music, but i didn’t hate it!

Very pleasant album, with one of my favourite songs (fast car). A bit too literal in places for my taste, but overall sounds great.

Grumpy jumper

Sounds like women inventing being a lesbian. Acoustic 90’s women protest music.

Never heard this one all the way through. Great voice!

Nice sound, not what I was expecting a few songs I'll definitely keep listening to but I don't think I'm gonna have the album on repeat

Fast Car is a great song. There's some other good ones here and some that did nothing for me. It's not something I'd want to hear a lot of but it certainly isn't bad by any means.

Important album on the back of the hype of Live Aid.

Textes engagés comme je les aime, compositions simples et efficaces. Touchant.

soft rock is a good description she also wrote fast car which is cool 3.5

A pretty good album. This song has a couple timeless hits on it that helps elevate it. Some of the other songs are either political or slightly depressing. Definitely a deeper, darker album overall. Even fast car is pretty sad but it’s a good song. Overall it’s enjoyable. 6.8/10

Some very nice songs here, but a few weird tracks which drag it down to just ok.

This is an impressive debut album from Ms Chapman. Her song-writing and lyrics are impassioned and she pours her heart out, especially for the two singles which are the best songs on the album. The rest of the album wasn't up to the same standard, but overall it is a strong effort.

Strum

I was not familiar of Tracy Chapman by name. When I was listening to the first half of album, I was thinking that she sounded like a mid-90s artist. Turns out I was thinking that she sounded just like herself because she sings Give Me One Reason. That song is not on the album, but some of the album has a 90s feel to it. It definitely does not have a 80s sound. The album itself is alright. It is relatively short and I didn't skip any of the songs. I don't think the album warrants another listen. It is not quite a 3, but I will round up.

Decent album, but not really in my wheel house. 3/5

Tracy sure can craft a song.

According to Wikipedia, sandwiched between Breakfast In America and the Flashdance soundtrack in the best-selling albums of all time. Fairly astonishing that it sold that many copies on the back of a hit song. Does anything like that still happen these days?

Really good album, I love her voice and her story telling.

Couple of solid songs but otherwise I’d say just uneventful easy listening

Nice

some very good songs here

6/10 really nice vocal performance, but the songwriting was a little too on the nose and the instrumentals were decent but nothing special.

Favorite Track - Fast Car Where I was - Office How I listened - Amazon music on BT Speaker Listen Again? - Likely

This record starts out so strong but kind of slouches into standard sounding singer/songwriter adult contempo. That said, Chapman has a great voice and solid music skills.

I get why she is loved, but not for me.

If someone said "Fast Car" is the greatest single of the 1980s, I'd not disagree.

Chappers is fine, nice in places, maybe some historical resonance has been lost on me but absolutely acceptable listening that I probably won't ever revisit.

Ahhh, a big ol' 'OH this is who sings that song' moment for 'Fast Car'. Really nice album, relaxing, album.

I enjoyed this, very easy listen, smooth voice and whenever I happened to catch a bit of the lyrics I enjoyed those too. Solid 3.5/5, but rounding down as I'm not blown away by anything and I do require a bit more of a bop for a 4

Very good ballads. Good voice and story telling. (6/10) FT: Fast Car, Talkin' 'bout a Revolution

Average, nothing really stuck out to me. I'm not really going to remember this album.

Some really moving songs. And lyrically very engaging.

Interesting artist who had real authenticity, musicianship, and songwriting chops, but whose success came at direct cost to her ability to retain what made her so unique. This album has some great stuff, but is generally pretty heavy and sad. Some of the rather half hearted attempts at "African" and "Jamaican" sounds seems like they were someone else's idea.

Calm, relaxing, nice voice. Good album overall.

I knew Fast Car and liked it. She's got a good voice and good lyrics, but this is a heavy record for a cold Friday. Not sure how to place it.

It's okay, but not my jam.

Not huglely my cup of tea, but respect the talent. Fast cars remains as much of a banger as always

It’s a shame I found much of the music to either have dated production or a bit lackluster arrangement, because Tracy has such a compelling voice. And, even more than that, the biggest strength of this album is easily the lyrics. She touches on social issues in such relatable, character-driven ways that really make an impact. If you are a lyrics-driven listener this will be amazing, but ultimately lyrics are just something that don’t draw me as much as the music itself does, and that lowers the album a lot for my personal enjoyment. I’m giving it a 3, even if I think the album “objectively” deserves higher.

I had heard fast car before and honestly wasn’t a fan of it mainly because I heard it in places like target or Starbucks which made the song seem not genuine however listening to the song with the album put everything into context. Chapman is a great story teller and her writing goes from nostalgic to hopeful to almost haunting especially when she goes acapella. I definitely appreciate the artist and fast car now more than I did previously and I’m interested in hearing more

I really can't believe this album is 34 years old. It's not my absolute favorite, but I do appreciate it.

Like it

Nice but not my speed

This album has a very easy to listen to sound, but the words are so sad. I need to listen a few times to get the meaning.

Don't think it's aged very well, verging on tacky. Fast Car has always made me cringe a bit. Huge Mark Knopfler guitar sounds on She's Got Her Ticket.

wasn't crazy on talking 'bout a revolution, fast car was a bop, immediately like across the lines, not a fan of behind the wall, baby can i hold you was nice and i really liked it, love the drums in mountain o' things, she's got her ticket was a bit too reggae for me, why? was very upbeat and i liked it, for my lover had a nice story and country feel to it but i really enjoyed it, if not now was nice but probably not memorable, for you was a nice end to the album. overall I genuinely enjoyed the album, but thought maybe it went on a bit long. I mostly enjoyed the upbeat songs, some were memorable while others not so much.

6/10

Enjoying most of this.

Well, she's definitely doing something

Interesting album. I've always kind of liked Tracy Chapman's voice, and the tunes I'd heard on the radio were musically pretty simple but lyrically compelling. The album has a little more variety in style, even getting some reggae in there, but is mainly folk on the edge of pop at times. I would revisit this album, but leave it at 3 stars for today.

Nice.

Fast car is obviously a classic track, but the rest of album seems to fit into the "filler" category with totally uninspiring backing music, and none of the pacing of the vocals that makes fast car so interesting. "Why?" might be somewhat of a outlier, but generally this album didn't live up to expectations.

I've never really liked her but it was ok

Este si lo conocía. Es otro de los que quemaron las radios antes del grunge y en cierta forma permitió la llegada de estos. Cierta música folk, indie que permitió llegar a cosas diferentes. Tiene más grandes canciones de las que recordaba:"Talkin'Bout the revolution", "Fast car" o "Baby can I hold You". Lo volveré a escuchar.

truth

fena degil ama tum sarkilar birbirine cok benziyo

There are definitely some excellent songs in this album, but at the same time there are too many fillers. What is undeniable, though, are the qualities of Chapman's voice and singing.

Sparse instrumentation. Protest songs, but nothing has really changed. The pieces here are well done, but not something I am going to come back to again and again. You can only hear “Fast Car” so many times.

This was a good album but I really can't go past that which is why I gave it 3 stars. Favorite tracks: Fast Car, Mountain of things, She's got her ticket

There's plenty to like about this album, but the biggest problem is the similarity of too many of the songs. That said, she has an outstanding voice and powerful lyrics. Fast Car is the most well-known song and it's definitely a great track. There are a few tracks that are "different" from the overall folk/adult contemporary sound (e.g., Mountain O' Things - I really enjoyed the vocal tune and the drums in that song - and She's Got Her Ticket - straight forward reggae but at least different than the rest). The a capella Behind the Wall is certainly powerful...it's sad that my thought was that the lyrics were predictable. They shouldn't be. So, good album, but too much same-same. I don't mind hearing it, but I wouldn't rush to hear it again and that's why I give it a 3.

Fast Car is possibly one of the best songs ever written but I found this album disappointing in the main, sounds a little dated in 2025.

Very pretty and sad.

Truly lovely, and not our thing.

not for me

sounds good, not my style

For my lover is really good

Basée. Évidemment talkin’ bout a révolution. Moutains o’ things est chouette + for my lover. Je dirais que ça manque quand même de conscience politique, de consistante du discours ? Du coup on reste au niveau de la constatation de choses qui ne vont pas, sans aller beaucoup plus loin. Ça manque du côté révolutionnaire justement. Musicalement aussi, tout en trouvant ça assez poignant, ça ne me passionne pas au point de vouloir rejouer l’album.

Chapman has a voice made for this kind of smokey, deep folk music. The kind of music that really means something. It's impactful and you can tell Chapman has poured her heart and soul into a debut to ensure it was something that could resonate with listeners. I can respect that through and through. Obviously the first two songs "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" and "Fast Car" are big songs, but other tracks on here like "Behind the Wall" stand out for their full showcasing of Chapman's voice (also helps with pacing). "For You" is a smooth closer that allows for greater reflection on the album. The biggest thing holding back this album is that the other songs not mentioned end up being a sort of wash, lending itself to album filler which is a shame because it clocks in at under 40 minutes. Not a whole lot to this album and I wish that the other songs had a bit more to them. Not sure how but it would be tremendous if that aspect was improved. Otherwise, it's a fine album.

Nice songs

She has a great voice! I can't say I love the type of music she makes, but I still enjoyed listening to it.

Pretty decent. Remember it from when it came out but haven't listened to any of these songs apart from the singles since.

Good recording. Not really my jam.

Fast Car was the most popular song on this album. The rest is alright. Easy listening. 6/10.

2 great songs and a pile of sad ones

Good record, fantastic artist. Back half pleasant to listen to but forgettable.

a few iconic songs. high 3 / low 4

It wasn’t really my style of music, but she had a captivating voice and I thought the themes of the songs were scarily close to today.

This album is good (and she has an awesome voice), but admittedly, not one that I love as much as a lot of people. Maybe I’ve heard fast car too much. Maybe it’s just not my tempo. 7/10

Fun fact: when I was younger I thought Tracy was a man with a women’s name. Like Tracy Porter or Tracy Morgan. Not a big fan of Tracy’s music but the nostalgic vibes I get her voice have long since secured her a place in my heart. You can tell alot of her songs came from obvious pain and hard aches she was experiencing in her personal life, but also in the world. It’s really sad to listen to someone crying out about very specific issues that plague our world today, when you consider the lyrics were written 30 years ago! Fast Car for the win all day no contest. If Not Now (then when?) first runner up... and also a fitting question and theme song for the group! Keanu4prez ✌🏼

Track 01 - Very very Tasty Organ, twangy clean guitar, pinch harmonics, Drum mixing spacey tape delay. Vocal front centre. lyrical also well written 7/10 Track 02 - Lovely acoustic guitar sound and riff intro, again lyrical really great. Hopefully but also despite story feel very honest. 9/10 Track 03 - Almost Fleetwood intro, yum synth 80s pad, Lyrics political and rascal driven. 6/10 Track 04 - opening vocal again lovely and sad lyrical. Heavy subject. Track 05 - Break up song? Cheesy synth, cheesy lyrics ... lost track, most the songs are very similar in terms of lyrics and instrumental, which isn't a bad thing but there is enough variety. 6/10 all in all solid album but not enough to wanting more.

I appreciate some Tracy Chapman songs but overall bored by the album.

Overall a very nice calming and comforting album. Some of the lyrics are absolutely phenomenal. But not really my style of music, but I really enjoyed listening to it :)

WOAH "Fast Car" hit me in the nostalgia hard, I was like "omg what is this, I know this", super good. Like Jon said it's so honest/naked that it's kind of shocking especially at the time, this was a bit before singer/songwriter was so common. This performance on YT of her playing it for one of the first times just with acoustic guitar at Wembly is so cool, shes nervous and it adds to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teZsA_ci-7E If the rest of the songs matched "Fast Car" this could be a 4-5 from me, not something I'd listen to all the time but I can respect it. But, the rest of the songs do nothing for me, which is a shame. Still I can respect it.

A few big hits and some really nicely written songs. Solid production but I'd probably just chuck on the classics

like van morrison. easy listening.

@@@. Cool singer-songwriter acoustic stuff.

Better than the previous albums. Some good songs in there

It was fine. This albums sound felt like the forerunner for all of the acoustic based music of the 90’s except it was genuine. However, Fast Car is a desert island song.

Lovely voice,simple yet elegant instrumentals.lyricism about sexism and racism in america.Cool folk/soul album

Not my thing

Something new but don't like that much.

Ok but nothing special

Singer/songwriter, affekt, fortællinger, fast car

Several of the songs fell flat for me. Best track: Fast Car

Was a little disappointed given fast car. Had high expectations and overall a bit much for me but still not bad

1988. Key Songs: Talkin' Bout a Revolution, Fast Car

It kinda overplays the “protagonist in the midst of a depressing situation with a faint glimmer of hope” theme with every track. It’s most effective with fast car, then it just keeps beating that drum with poor 90’s production.

very okay album. a specific vibe that without fast car would be a 1

Where are the dynamics on this album? Tracy's vocals at time sound sincere, by the end of the album having that same delivery on each record, you find it hard to stay with the emotions she is trying to portray through her lyrics. Everything almost sounds too in place as well, so clean ye flat. struggled to make it to the end of this one.

A few songs were okay, but this was mostly meh

Slower than i like, but he has a pretty voice

Μιεχ. Λίγο παρόμοια και σχετικά απαρατήρητα κομμάτια

This album was played constantly by an ex that I have some very bad memories of. Sorry Tracy that you are the one that must suffer for this.

Not my thing

its ok but some of the songs i dont want to listen to in the future

Oh dear. Protest songs. I hope she has given away All the money she has made to the people she is singing about. That would be nice wouldn't it?