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Tracy Chapman - Our Bright Future
- Twenty years ago, Tracy Chapman made her music debut and achieved a 6x platinum album. Now, at the age of 44, she’s back with a new album, Our Bright Future. She continues to give a mild and jazzy sound with the new installment.
The songs are all warm and are reminiscent of her previous albums. The only slight difference is that Chapman’s album is focused more on love and utopia. There is a slight theme of aging as well, which I’m not sure whether it is because of her maturity or possible mortality. As the lead single, “Sing for You” is a great way to introduce the album and a good choice for a single. Both “I Did It All” and “Our Bright Future” talk about the past. “Our Bright Future” returns to that classic “Talkin’ ‘bout a Revolution” lyrical style, except slower.
Although all the songs are good, the two standout tracks on the album are “Thinking of You” and “Something to See.” “Thinking of You” is more pop in comparison to the other songs, but the lyrics are also a little stronger than the rest of the album. I love the references to thinking in a dark room almost too deeply. “Something to See” is almost the spiritual successor to “Fast Car,” where the characters actually got out of the slums and are now free. There is a brighter future in the song where war and corruption are nonexistent. There is no weak link to this album.
On a first listen, Chapman’s album is dull and annoying, the second time around, the album’s concept is more fleshed out and it’s a great album lyrically. I’m not sure whether that is a compliment or an insult, but it is a very “mega bookstore chain” CD. It’s a great music for the background, where you’re sipping your tea and reading the daily news. The order of the tracks is well placed, but I doubt that shuffling the songs around would make much of a difference. As long as “Spring” is the last track, the rest of the songs could be in any order.
With age, Tracy Chapman has really stayed the same; she’s only gotten a little slower. If you’ve never heard Chapman, it actually is an easier pill to swallow than her previous albums; her other albums were more revolutionary in lyric. This album would be an interesting complement to a Norah Jones fan as well. She hasn’t caved to electronic synthesizers or keyboards; she has a pure band sound. If you need a lullaby album, or can work well with light jazz in the background, this album is great. If not, this album lacks the kick that Chapman’s former albums had, but shows strong signs of maturity.
Reviewer: Michael Pascua
new
Reviewer's Rating: 7.5
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Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 18-Nov-2008
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