>> On Beauty & Crime, Suzanne Vega's Blue Note Records debut, the Manhattan native uses New York City as the backdrop for a collection of eleven new songs that juxtapose acoustic guitar-driven melodies with coolly synthesized beats; intensely personal lyrics with compelling, short story-like narratives; images of today's scarred cityscape with memories of Vega's old Upper West Side 'hood and Lower East Side haunts. The past commingles with the present, the public with the private, familiar sounds with the utterly new, just like the city itself. Making her first new studio album in six years, Vega says, "I feel like I really stretched my limits. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone--to sing in keys I wouldn't have sung in before, to work with different textures, to be unafraid of doing what ever sounded good to me. I wanted to make a modern classic." <<

Audio samples and a complete tracklisting are available at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H6SU9A/?tag=imwan-20

I've heard the whole album ( love those blogs!) and to me it sounded better than anything she's done in a while. I thought that it harkened back favorable to her earier material. I'll be listening to it much more than some of her others.

Thanks for the quick review. I have given up on her as well, at least after "Nine Objects of Desire" I hated it and only listened at a station on her next one. Didn't like it either so didn't buy that one. I did get the Retrospective and like it. Go figure. I liked 99.9 a lot so if this new one gets her back then I might giver her another try.

I've liked her entire catalog although some more then others. Favs are the debut & 99.9.

This is really a good one! It is released in the UK as of today (11 June 07). Apparently the Japanese version (due in July) includes a bonus track, "Obvious Question".

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QUCYT4/?tag=imwan-20