Tracy Chapman’s eighth album ‘Our Bright Future’ was reviewed by Q Magazine who said “The lack of any overt passion, energy and fresh ideas makes a numbing and sadly all too predictable listen” – what a load of tosh from a magazine that actually makes a living from having no passion, energy and fresh ideas – total tosh.
The album is good, very good in parts (Our Bright Future, Thinking of You, and Save Us all) and demonstrates the longevity of a true songwriting talent that will always surpass trends and popular taste and hopefully outlive the Ahole reviewer from Q. Consider the fact that she has been making music commercially since 1988 when her self-titled album was released on Elektra; and what a debut including such delights as ‘Talkin’ ’bout A Revolution’, ‘Fast Car’, and ’Baby Can I Hold You’. It quite rightly made her the star she is today and quite rightly gave her the wider audience her songs deserve.
Her new album is, of course, more of the same, a subtle narration on life, love, war, religion – she is a true poet who can say more with a verse than many can say with a whole political speech. It’s quite a coincidence that I’ve been commenting on ‘The Wall’ in another discussion where Roger Waters recounts the themes of war so vividly, on the title track of Chapman’s album (‘Our Bright Future’) she displays, I believe, the same awareness, the same insight as Waters asking some sharp questions that will, of course be never answered.
The remainder of the album is of a similar quality and I recommend the purchase of this album – I also recommend a visit to her website http://www.tracychapman.com/
‘Our Bright Future’
To my father what of your sons?
All of your children
Even the ones
Sent out to martyr
To face the gun
Precious bodies opposed to bombs
Led on led on
To take the path
Where our bright future
Is in our past
To our father what of reason?
Say what you will
Believe what you want
The record shows
What we are not
Our true desires not our good thoughts
Led on led on
To take the path
Where our bright future
Is in our past
To my father what have you done?
To the children
Born innocent
But come to harm
For dreams of glory
And just a line in history
Led on led on
To take the path
Where our bright future
Is in our past
To our father what good may come?
To let the children
Walk alone
To fear to fail
And need no savior
To be at peace in our true nature
Lead on Lead on
Clear the path
So our bright future
May come to pass
May come to pass
May come to pass
I keep waiting for this lady to bring out a pure blues album. It’s in her, and it’s gotta come out. Listen to her “The Thrill is Gone” with B.B.King or her better-known “Give Me One Reaon”, and you’ll know where I’m coming from. Awards-wise, I reckon it’ll be the female equivalent of Clapton’s “Unplugged”. Remember, you heard it here first …
Oh I do hope you’re right UncleRaveDave! Let’s set up a petition website, something like tracychapmanmustrecordpureblues.com ! Oh wait, laughing mutt could have a subsection here on mftm – how about it dawg?
I have to admit that apart from the hits she had way back then, Fast Car and Talkin’ Bout a Revolution, I’ve heard hardly anything of Ms Chapman’s.
But this is a great song and I had forgotten what a good, distinctive voice she has. Also, it appears that her songwriting has really matured over the years. Does anyone know, does she write everything herself?
Probably get around to picking up one or two of her CDs, apart from this latest one, where should I start?
I don’t have all her albums but I would start with her first self-titled album and why not here latest ‘Our Bright Future’ as I’ve listened to a lot lately and can’t find fault with it.
I’d get “New Beginning”, mainly because it has “Give Me One Reason” on it. Otherwise, if you’re a pleb like me, “Tracy Chapman Collection” would be a good bet (of course, it has “Give Me One Reason” on it as well. And “All That You Have Is Your Soul”, also awesome).
@UncleRaveDave – let us plebs of the world unite!
UncleRaveyDavey – Don’t tell Spacey I told you this but he hates ‘Best of’ or ‘Greatest Hits’ collections. He prefers to explore an artist album by album, track by track and not rely on what the Record Company thinks are an artists best songs – he does make sense sometimes you know.
LD, I thought as much – which is why I prefaced my suggestion with the “pleb” word. I tend to work the other way round most times; I buy the “Best Of …”, and if I REALLY like what I hear after a couple of whirls, I hunt out an original album or two. That’s quite a big “IF”, though. Also, with some of the more obscure, or older, artists often all you can find are the Greatest Hits. Or, some tracks which I really enjoy, are not worth buying the original album for, or are only (easily) available on a compilation. I think I tend to collect songs, rather than artists. Probably also why I struggled with my Albums of the Decade.
Then too, when I CHILL to music, it’s normally by my own self-defined genres, and then it’s on shuffle / random ; with blues artists it sometimes gets a bit repetitive after their 3rd or 4th song in a row. With someone like John Lee Hooker, each of his songs individually is brilliant, but even to me they start sounding the same after awhile. I find, if I shuffle him in among 5 or 6 other artists, I actually enjoy each of his songs a lot more, than when taken as a collective.
When I really, REALLY LISTEN to music (try putting Pink Floyd on random, it just does not work !) then it’ll be the whole, original, unpolluted, as-the-artist intended option. So I think I know where the S’pig is coming from – it’s just that, for me, most times it doesn’t work that way.
PS: from all the comments, by all the “friends”, I think that my tastes probably are most closely aligned to LZ’s. I hope that scare anybody too much …..
LZ was infatuated with Cilla Black
UncleRavey Davey – I too like Greatest Hits collections and have many in my collection for two reasons – I don’t have the time to buy and listen to all the albums of a particular band and I reckon most Greatest Hits albums give a true reflection of a band/artist. I know Spacey will argue differently and I know that by buying just a greatest hits you are missing out on some songs that could be good but ….hey lives too short to worry bout it.
“I think that my tastes probably are most closely aligned to LZ’s. I hope that scare anybody too much …..”
Excuse me? I’m sitting right here, you know!
“LZ was infatuated with Cilla Black”
I think you’ll find that I have repeatedly stated my position here: can’t stand the woman but I have a fondness for her tracks from the 60s (Alfie, You’re My World, Liverpool Lullaby, etc.)
fondness = infatuation
Glad to see you’ve finally come out of the Cilla closet
But I was never *in* the Cilla closet – I’ve never hidden the fact that I love to singalongacilla, just don’t ask me to watch anything she’s been in since 1969!
LZ, it was meant as a compliment – and was meant to read ‘ … I hope that DOESN’T scare anybody too much …’
Cilla Black, wasn’t her real name Priscilla White ? Don’t have time to Google it right now. But I do love music trivia.
UncleRD, it was indeed Priscilla White (don’t need to google that one
). How she ever became a singer is a mystery even to me but there you go.
Hey Mrs LZ dont panic I love Cilla as well, she was just a hottie when younger not sure I would buy any of her music though.
Mr LD great review and video clip will buy I think to listen when I’m travelling. I have Tracy Chapmans greatest hits which is one of my favourite collection of songs. She is just so talented.