Suzanne Vega

Well, Louis, I guess it's the same in the US. iTunes only shows the 14 album tracks. I'm waiting for my CD to show up. It was shipped yesterday. Perhaps there is a card for download. Anybody know?

Ed

I heard States of Being Saturday night for the first time. First impressions follow.

The older songs, such as Undertow, Straight Lines and Cracking, sound very much like she sang them when she performed solo, prior to the first album. Her voice is more mature, confident and lovely even than then, when her voice was very fragile and cracked a lot. Also, she has a more contemplative, reflective sound now, that has been evident since Vol. 1, when some songs, like Marlene On The Wall, were sung at a slower tempo. I like the strings on Undertow. It seems to fit the mood very well. The dominant guitar on Cracking and Straight Lines are perfect by themselves, just like they were when she originally performed them.

More recent songs, like Pornographer' Dream, are much more clear without all the background instrumentation from the album, and so have less of the "pop song" aspect that characterized much of B & C. This sets the "question" about what the person really would like in a more effective way, and helps us see the dilemma better.

Instant of the Hour after is just riveting, and one of her most cerebral and intense songs in many years. I was intrigued by it when she sang it in concert, but I couldn't catch a lot of the words, because Gerry tends to overpower her sometimes. The lyrics "the pulse in your neck", "specimens" are so descriptive.

Blood Makes Noise has a good arrangement, although I think the "panic" that the song is meant to convey doesn't come through nearly as well as either on the original album version, or the duo version she used to perform with just her and Mike. I prefer that version, because the hard driving bass makes the "heartbeat" that underlies the urgency of the lyrics.

Penitent is very good, and the basic nature of this arrangement gives the poetry of the lyrics full exposure. The "complaint" and uncertainty of the narrator are more fully expressed without the distraction of the previous production. The strings work here, like they did on Q&tS on Vol 2, to help set the mood. However, I don't like the strings as well on Solitude Standing, which I think would have been best as a solo. She was playing it this way last year, like on this YouTube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..xgPeWA5zbg

Nevertheless, it’s a wonderful performance either way.

 
I really like Last Years Troubles, which also benefited from removing the pop song trappings and allowing the story, that human nature doesn't change and there is always evil in the world, come through. I've always loved the evocative lyrics of this song.

50-50 Chance works much better than I would have expected, absent the dominating string arrangement of Phillip Glass on the original version. It's very emotional, and perhaps leaving more to the imagination here intensifies that. The strings seem more muted, and Suzanne's voice more upfront. She draws you into it more this way.

My Favorite Plum is really great.  I've been aware that this was a really good song, with marvelous lyrics, but I don't seem to listen to NOoD much, for some reason. I love it. It's done perfectly, with the right touch of minimalism. Her voice is very alluring, too. I love the "make it faaallll", the way she draws it out.

Solitaire is different, and well done, with a nice guitar arrangement. It seems more "obsessive" than the album version, and more like some of the live versions she has played in the past.

Tombstone is the best yet, just the right mixture of electric and acoustic and percussion. I'm not real fond of the album version, and the rock and roll nature of the live versions seems a little extreme at times. But it is, after all, her "most cheerful song".

Heroes is also a nice balance between the full-blown rock & roll of the original and the more emotional live versions she has done in the past. I've always been amazed at how fast she can sing this song, too. It has come to be a real favorite of mine.

Way to go, Suzanne!

Ed

^^^^

I'm 100% convinced that they are worth EVERY dime. I just find it abusive that those bonus tracks cannot be bought individually – especially for those of us who are dedicated enough to have preordered the album. You could get the bonus tracks individually on iTunes Canada for volumes 1 & 2 – why isn't it the case here ?

What an irritating issue…

I wish I could help you, but I can't.