Friday, October 29, 2010

Tracy Chapman - "Crossroads"

Tracy Chapman's second album is very similar in tone and style to her first. The album is made up of confessional and observational singer/songwriter type songs. Much of the music again focuses on acoustic guitars and Chapman's excellent voice. The major difference is that the songs here are far less open and they don't draw the listener in like the first album did.

There are a number of excellent songs here but they are not as catchy as the songs on the first album were. The excellent songs include the powerhouse "Freedom Now," about Nelson Mandela and is definitely the best song here. Also wonderful tunes are "Bridges," "Be Careful of My Heart" and "All that you have is your Soul." The rest of the album is a little too closed off to really connect to. It is a strong album that gains from multiple listens as you can examine Chapman's lyrics, but it is a difficult album to get into. I often find myself only playing the five best songs on the album. But this is still a decent companion to Chapman's debut album.

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