Suzanne Vega

by Suzanne Vega

Overview

Though early comparisons were made to Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega's true antecedents were Janis Ian and Leonard Cohen. Like Ian, she sings with a precise, frequently half-spoken phrasing that gives her lyrics an intensity that seems to suggest an unsteady control consciously held over emotional chaos. Like Cohen, Vega observes the world in poetic metaphor, her cold urban landscapes reflecting a troubled sense of love and loss. The key track is "Small Blue Thing," in which the singer pictures herself as an object "Like a marble/or an eye," "made of china/made of glass," "lost inside your pocket," and "turning in your hand." The sharply picked acoustic guitar and other isolated musical elements echo the closely observed scenes -- everything seems to be in tight close-up and sharp focus. Often, the singer seems to be using the songs to measure an emotional distance; sometimes, as in "Marlene on the Wall," she observes her own actions from a remove. In "Freeze Tag," she tells a companion, "I will be Dietrich/and you can be Dean"; in "Marlene," a poster of the aloof movie star "watches from the wall," observing the singer's succession of lovers, and she tries to emulate her heroine's persona, telling the current one, "Even if I am in love with you/all this to say, what's it to you?" The ten songs on Suzanne Vega constitute the self-analysis of a young woman who desires possession without offering commitment; no wonder that, upon its release, it was taken to heart by young women across the country and in Europe. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	02/23/1993
Label:	A&M
UPC:	0075021507227

Tracks

1. Cracking
2. Freeze Tag
3. Marlene on the Wall
4. Small Blue Thing
5. Straight Lines
6. Undertow
7. Some Journey
8. The Queen and the Soldier
9. Knight Moves
10. Neighborhood Girls

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Suzanne Vega   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic)
Mark Isham   Synthesizer
Sue Evans   Drums,Percussion
Roger Squitero   Percussion
Darol Anger   Violin (Electric)
Steve Addabbo   Synclavier,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
C.P. Roth   Synthesizer
John Mahoney   Synthesizer
Steve Abbaddo   Guitar,Guitar (12 String),Vocals (Background)
Maxine Neuman   Cello
Frank Gravis   Bass
Paul Dugan   Bass,Vertical Bass
John Gordon   Guitar (Electric)
Shem Guibbory   Violin
Frank Christian   Guitar (Acoustic),Slide Guitar

Technical Credits

Greg Calbi   Mastering
Steve Addabbo   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Suzanne Vega   Composer
Kurt Upper   Assistant Engineer
Geoff Keehn   Assistant Engineer
Peter Laurence Gordon   String Arrangements
John Mahoney   Programming
Rhonda Schoen   Mastering
Larry DeCarmine   Assistant Engineer
Ronald K. Fierstein   Executive Producer
Charles Reilly   Photography
Matthew Vega   Photography
Lenny Kaye   Producer
Steven Miller   Producer,Arranger