Indistinct, Ethereal Suzanne Vega: Days Of Open Hand

The Good: Some decent lyrics
The Bad: Some very repetitive lyrics, Musically unimpressive, Vocally unchallenging
The Basics: Sigh. Meh. Suzanne Vega's had better days than Days Of Open Hand.


It is, I believe, a reasonable concern for any serious music reviewer to become concerned that much of what one reviews might be influenced simply by the natural acclimation that comes with repetition. Certainly, many of us do not reread a novel before reviewing a book or rewatch every episode of a boxed set DVD with all of the bonuses multiple times before we review that. Indeed, with the rush to be one of the first to review a new film when it is released, movies are something we seldom sit through multiple times to get a rounded feel of the work before we review it. But with c.d.s, reviewers tend to listen to an album once and give a gut reaction review or we listen to the album multiple times and let the experience truly resonate with us before penning a review. When I found myself recently enjoying Avril Lavigne's debut album Let Go (reviewed here!), I became especially concerned that this might be the case with me. So, I popped in a new (to me) c.d. from Suzanne Vega that did not grab me much the first time around. Relistening to Days Of Open Hand five times in a row and having it not grow on me was certainly proof enough that the affliction I feared I was suffering from was not necessarily a serious concern.

For those who do not regularly read my reviews, I've recently become interested in the music of Suzanne Vega and was quite pleased with Nine Objects of Desire (reviewed here!) and underwhelmed by her best-selling Solitude Standing (reviewed here!). Days Of Open Hand finds me writing another review about another indistinct work and I feel overwhelmingly disappointed with this Suzanne Vega outing.

With eleven tracks, clocking in at just under forty-six minutes, Days Of Open Hand is once again a creation of the mind and imagination of artist Suzanne Vega. A pop album that borders more on folk and jazz than on rock and roll, Days Of Open Hand features Vega's vocals on all tracks, with lyrics she wrote and music she wrote or co-wrote. As well, Vega plays guitar (usually acoustic) on many tracks as well as providing background vocals and playing the fairlight as well. Moreover, she is a co-producer of this album, so it's inconceivable to believe that this is not her artistic vision.

The problem is, on Days Of Open Hand, Vega seems burned out. With under forty-five minutes worth of music, this album is hard to justify as much of it is simply repetitive filler. I wish I didn't feel that way, but I wish more that it were not true. Take the opening song, "Tired Of Sleeping;" this is a four minute, twenty-two second ditty with nine stanzas. Every stanza begins with "Oh Mom" and the four line refrain of "Oh mom / I wonder when I'll be waking / It's just there's so much to do / And I'm tired of sleeping" ("Tired Of Sleeping") pops up as four of those nine stanzas. One additional stanza alters only one of those lines.

Repetition is the killer throughout this album and it wears thin on the listener. "Book Of Dreams" repeats the line "In my book of dreams" twelve times in a song under three and a half minutes, the whole album becomes auditory gelatin. It's murky and viscous and sludge-like. It's uncommon for Suzanne Vega; usually when I am done with one of her albums, there are songs that resonate with me. Not so here; when I am done with this album, nothing sticks with me. "Tired of Sleeping" and "Book of Dreams" appear on her retrospective album and while "Room Off The Street" might be more worthy, I know I won't even miss that when I put this album away.

For those unfamiliar with Suzanne Vega, her works tend to be pop music with a somewhat more avant garde sound and/or lyric set to her songs. Her vocals often take precedence while production is low, giving her more of a vocal jazz sound. Additionally, many of her songs sing stories, which brings to mind comparisons of Vega to folk-rock artists. She has a pleasant alto voice and on Days Of Open Hand, Vega remains safely within her range, never honestly challenging it.

Worse than that, she seldom challenges the listener with volume. Days Of Open Hand is terribly understated in the vocals. Vega whispers along her lyrics forcing the listener to strain to hear her over the instrumentals. Her whispy voice - which is not nearly as annoying as some - is simply overcome by the guitars and percussion. So, when it's not a line that's being repeated ad nauseam, the lines tend to go right over the listener's head.

Most of the songs are slower and quieter. Indeed, outside "Book of Dreams" and the crescendo "Tired of Sleeping" eventually reaches, this is a slow, quiet album. The songs are not fast, the instrumentals are not particularly heavy nor overbearing. Instead, it's a quiet album and the vocals remain a quiet part of a quiet album and they are consumed by the instrumentals. Vega's voice isn't given a chance even against subtle instrumentals.

To return to the lyrics, Vega's albums tend to have songs that either express emotions, capture a moment in time like a photograph or tell a story. She sings of a friend's suicide attempt ("Fifty-Fifty Chance"), paints an image of a prognosticator ("Predictions") and wonderfully expresses a sense of being lost ("Institution Green"). But some of the songs work better as poems, read with one's own sense of rhythm and timing (and volume!) instead of set to Vega's musical vision for them.

The most disturbing example of this is "Men In A War." On this, the second song on the album, Vega sings about "Men / In a war / If they've lost a limb / Still feel that limb / As they did / Before" ("Men In A War") and when she describes that she makes an analogy to her own sense of feeling loss (with a completely different tempo and instrumental accompaniment). But then, she throws in a third person, a "she" who comes out of nowhere after "you" are addressed. This song is all over the place. Lyrically, Vega can't seem to find her subject or her point, musically, the song doesn't know whether it wants to be slow and poignant or singsongy and ridiculous. The lines go from the abstract of men in war to personal loss and the song would have been fine there, but she keeps mixing in more pronouns and its as jumbled as the album as a whole.

And ultimately, that's the problem with this album, for the most part the lines are sublimated to the music, the lines we do hear are either not Vega's best or are so repetitive as to be nonsense. Indeed, even though I like "Room Off The Street," it's not so much for the lyrics as what she says, but rather how she sings them. Despite the simple rhyme scheme, there's something refreshing about being able to hear Vega breathily sing out "Every sigh, every sway / You can hear everything that they say . . ." ("Room Off The Road").

It's still not enough. There are better albums by female vocalists; there are better albums by Suzanne Vega. She's produced albums with memorable melodies or decent lyrics. This is not one of them. In the end this ends up as another album that becomes repetitive auditory sludge when listened to over and over again.

The best track is "Room Off The Street" and worst track is the utterly unmemorable "Rusted Pipe" (after ten listens to this album, I could not tell you anything about this song, even when looking at the lyrics, it's not jogging even a melody!).

For other female artists, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Wicked Little High - Bird York
Horses - Patti Smith
21 - Adele

4.5/10

Check out how this album stacks up against all of the other music reviews in my pantheon of reviews by visiting my Music Review Index Page where reviews are organized from best to worst!

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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With Two Great And More Mediocre Tracks, I'm Not Alone In Finding Solitude Standing Average

The Good: "Tom's Diner" and "Luka" are amazing, Good lyrics
The Bad: Musically limited, Overall album does not leave as much of an impression on the listener
The Basics: Despite two (or three) amazing tracks, Solitude Standing is a remarkably average breakout album for Suzanne Vega.


I have a thing for ambitious debut albums. There are artists who come out of the gate with an impressive and daunting level of quality to their musical work that makes the listener immediately sit up and say "wow!" In fact, Fiona Apple's debut Tidal (reviewed here!) and the Jubilant Dog's album Abby are the only two debuts that come right to mind as impressive debuts where the artist had to work real hard to top with their second album. Far more common is the trend where an artist releases a stiflingly average debut and their sophomore album picks up and the artist grows over several albums. Solitude Standing is not Suzanne Vega's debut album, but it's her breakout album in the United States.

With eleven tracks, clocking in at a little over forty-four minutes, Solitude Standing is the Suzanne Vega album that introduced her to mainstream U.S. markets with her songs "Luka" and "Tom's Diner" (though, the remix by DNA that followed three years later had greater commercial success) and it remains her most successful album in her repertoire. I'm no expert on Vega; this is only the second album I've heard of hers. And despite my lukewarm review of Nine Objects of Desire (reviewed here!), I definitely enjoyed that album more than Solitude Standing.

Solitude Standing is definitely sold on its strengths. "Luka" and "Tom's Diner" are definitely the best tracks on the album and they appear as tracks two and one, respectively. In fact, "Tom's Diner" is presented at the climax of the album as an all musical reprise. So, there is an a cappella version of the song that opens the album and an all instrumental version that closes it. It's not until the DNA remix (not on this album!) when the two are put together.

For those unfamiliar with the works of Suzanne Vega, she hit it big in 1987 with "Luka," a simple singsong rock and roll song about child abuse. It's a well written, clever song that list a number of the symptoms of abuse and makes it into an anthem for those who suffer child abuse. Moreover, the song is accompanies by a wonderful sense of sound, the rock drums that accent the lines "Just don't ask me what it was. . ." ("Luka") create a distinctive punch to the song. Sadly, when it's been a long time since I've heard the song, I always find myself smirking to Vega's line "Yes I think I'm okay / I walked into the door again . . ." ("Luka"). Part of it is Vega's melodic voice as she presents the line, harmonizing perfectly with her acoustic guitar.

It's easy to see why "Luka" was a hit, being so different from anything else on the radio in 1987. Similarly, it's easy to see why "Tom's Diner" did not climb higher when it was released; it's so different as to boggle the pop-culture framework. That framework is that different is good, as long as it's a different the listener knows and recognizes. "Luka" has guitars, drums and sounds like a pop-rock song, regardless of the lyrics. "Tom's Diner" is a simple story poem about a woman sitting and having a cup of coffee on a rainy day in New York without any accompaniment. And while Vega's alto voice is an instrument of its own, the song is so strange and different that it falls outside the box.

Similarly, it's easy to see why there was no successful third single from Solitude Standing. I mean, it does not matter how much like a typical pop-rock sound your song is when you're singing about buying chicken ("Ironbound/Fancy Poultry"), Greek mythology ("Calypso") or the nature of reality ("Language"). This is not to say the songs are bad, only that they are so far outside the mainstream as to be hard to capture the popular culture's imagination.

That said, the superlative aspects of Solitude Standing are the lyrics and Vega's voice. One of the problems with the album is how the two interact. Suzanne Vega has a lovely alto voice that ventures into soprano territory on some of the songs, like "Calypso." She has a haunting affect that is carried on her voice like a bird on the wind. She is brilliantly sensual with her voice . . . most of the time.

The problem with the album (and track) Solitude Standing is there is a tendency for Vega's lilting voice to mix with lyrics that are rather predictably rhymed to make the affect unbelievably light. So, for example, on the song Solitude Standing, Vega sings "Solitude stands by the window / She turns her head as I walk in the room / I can see by her eyes she's been waiting/Standing in the slant of the late afternoon," with a tune and music that accompanies the lines that leaps up and down the registers in a way that is best described as a singsong style. This minimizes the lyrics. In this example, "room" and "afternoon" are not the most overdone rhymes, so the music and vocals create a simplicity that is not indicated by the actual lyrics.

Moreover, Vega's vocals are wonderful, when they can be heard. On songs like "Wooden Horse (Caspar Hauser's Song)," her singing is so quiet that the drums, keyboards and guitars overbear much of the early lines. Moreover, so much of the album is slow and sad that the overall effect of the work is somewhat like musical sleepwalking. There's a narcoleptic effect that occurs when one listens to this album repeatedly. The music, the obscured lyrics, the voice, is all good, but the net result is more tiring than inspiring. After the second song, there is nothing that truly rocks on this album, meaning the album sinks some into a sleepy, foggy place that becomes more tiring and sleepy in its pop-rock sound.

Backed by synthesizers, guitars, and drums on most of the songs, Solitude Standing lacks anything as distinctive as the first two (popular) tracks, making it a very repetitive sound for the bulk of the album. In keeping with the standards I set down in my review of Melissa Etheridge's album Yes I Am (reviewed here!), it becomes difficult to recommend this otherwise average album as the best tracks do appear on Vega's Retrospective album.

The best tracks are "Luka" and "Tom's Diner," the low of the slow middle is "Night Vision."

For other independent female artists, please check out my reviews of:
A Few Small Repairs - Shawn Colvin
Hotel Paper - Michelle Branch
The Dresden Dolls - The Dresden Dolls

5/10

For other music reviews, please check out my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Precursor To Fiona Apple and Aimee Mann, Suzanne Vega's Nine Objects Of Desire.

The Good: Good voice, Wonderful sound, Nice mix over the album
The Bad: Some ridiculously simple rhymes, Short
The Basics: Suzanne Vega impresses me on my first full album listening experience with Nine Objects Of Desire, a diverse-sounding, generally well-written series of musical stories.


This evening, I'm feeling somewhat verbally lame as I listen for the eighth time to Suzanne Vega's Nine Objects Of Desire. Whenever I encounter a new (to me) artist, I try to come up with an analogy that compares the new listening experience to one that I've already had. On my second listen through this album, I was hearing Vega's voice, her songs, her album and the style and sound came across as remarkably familiar. I've sat staring at my music collection to try to figure out why this particular artist is nagging at me so much and I am at a loss. The best I can say as I begin is that listening repeatedly to Nine Objects Of Desire reminds me some of Fiona Apple on When The Pawn . . . (reviewed here!) and Extraordinary Machine (reviewed here!). When I'm done with the album, I feel like I do after listening to Aimee Mann's soundtrack to Magnolia (reviewed here!). Sigh. So much for verbal lameness. Let's look at this album.

With twelve tracks spanning only thirty-nine minutes, Suzanne Vega's Nine Objects Of Desire is a mellow, jazzy pop-rock album that I went into cold. I was familiar with Vega solely from her two mainstream hit singles "Luka" and "Tom's Diner." Beyond that, I did not know her works, but she has been consistently recommended to me by people who know my musical tastes. Based on Nine Objects Of Desire, I think those people who recommended her to me have a pretty solid idea of what I like.

Nine Objects Of Desire presents Suzanne Vega as a vocally-strong artist with an eclectic musical backing that ranges all around the musical spectrum but generally falls within the range of pop-rock, though with songs like "Tombstone" and "Caramel," there are strong jazz influences. For some reason, she is characterized as "folk," by a number of places, but songs like "No Cheap Thrill" and "Birth-day (Love Made Real)" are pure pop. Perhaps Vega is considered "folk" because her lyrics use stronger diction and tell stories more than most pop-rock albums.

I love folk music for its storytelling nature, but usually folk is less refined than what Vega presents on this album. On "Headshots," Vega is backed by drums, electric guitars, bass, keyboards and a sample of a whistle as she sings "The sign said 'headshots' / And that was all. / A picture of a boy / And a number you could call. / Two eyes in the shade / A mouth so sad and small. / It's strange the way a shadow / Can fall across the wall . . ." The result is a very rich sound, that is very full and has a softer rock/pop feel to it, though the level of detail in her imagery is very strong, very tight and very complete.

As a result, Nine Objects Of Desire is not a simple album that simply sings of love and loss, like so many pop-rock albums. With lyrics entirely written by Suzanne Vega (three of the songs, she co-wrote the music for, though the rest she wrote the music and lyrics!), Nine Objects Of Desire is anything but simple. In fact, the album is insular and specific, packed with details as opposed to generic, bubbly and universal.

So, for example, Vega creates a beautiful and strong sense of place and stimulation of senses when she sings "It won't do / To dream of caramel, / To think of cinnamon / And long for you" ("Caramel"). Taste and scent are integral to memory and Vega presents hers, but she does it with such a sense of universality that the listener can empathize. That's strong writing. That may appear to be a contradiction, but it's not; I've no specific memories that tie longing to caramel and/or cinnamon, but when Vega sings about them in "Caramel." Like an actress perfectly expressing an emotion one has not experiences and getting an audience to empathize, Vega's performance of "Caramel" leaves the listener with a lingering sense of loneliness and longing that does not dissipate when the track ends.

Outside that, Vega uses strong visual imagery and ties it to emotions, as she ties stockings to desire on "Stockings." Vega certainly seems to know how to open songs with strong images as she presents with "I don't care for tights, she says / And she does not tell me why / She hikes her skirt above her knee / revealing one brown thigh . . ." ("Stockings"). If Britney Spears were singing with this much articulation, I might actually listen to her!

"Casual Match" sounds very much like a Fiona Apple song (I'm thinking "Fast As You Can" from "When The Pawn . . ."), though this album precedes her career. This may well be because Vega's vocal range is a pleasant alto that seems to have the ability to extend both into the higher and lower registers while maintaining a level of articulation that is wonderful and clear. No matter how Vega's musical accompaniment changes, her voice is always front and center, crisp and clear.

The sound of Suzanne Vega on Nine Objects Of Desire is all over the place, but in a very controlled way. The album sounds experimental, not sloppy. So, while it is ponderous and folk-like on the quiet "World Before Columbus," she is in full energetic pop-mode with "No Cheap Thrill" with guitars, clarinets, flutes, keyboards and drums. So, while the album is filled with essentially a whole orchestra of instruments, the tracks utilize instruments with a specificity that brilliantly creates the diverse sound that seems ultimately well constructed.

In fact, it is listening to "World Before Columbus" now that I come to my analogy. Suzanne Vega vocally sounds most like Shawn Colvin (Whole New You reviewed here!). Now that that is out of the way (hmm . . . "Lolita" on this album does remind me of Colvin's song "Mona Lisa" . . .) I think I have to use the disclaimer that if it took me so long and so many strong female artist's works to go through before I could figure it all out, I think this is a strong argument for the idea that Suzanne Vega is a true original.

And Nine Objects Of Desire is largely her vision of what music ought to be. She wrote most of it and while she does not receive a production credit, it seems unfathomable that she would be married to the producer (Mitchell Froom) if she did not like how he was assembling the album. She has a wonderful ear for combining instruments and this album contains her playing riff, acoustic and electric guitars on various tracks, so she certainly seems to know music.

The range, like the stories which range from sensory memories to admonitions ("Lolita") range from pop-rock with heavy guitars to piano-driven jazz instrumentals. This album will be enjoyed by anyone who likes a diverse listening experience that leans toward the pop-rock. This is a great album for anyone who likes strong, feminine voices. In fact, having listened to a lot of artists lately that I have not enjoyed, Vega is sticking out on this album as one that I have - despite my struggle for an analogous listening experience - thoroughly enjoyed.

Most of my genuine critique with Nine Objects Of Desire comes from the length of the album. I like to see an artist use the medium well and with less than thirty nine minutes worth of music, Vega could have made two albums and put them on one disc.

Also, some of the lyrics, despite the energetic, singsong way they are sung, make me cringe. On "No Cheap Thrill," Vega presents some of the all time most predictable rhymes with lines like ". . . don't be shy. / Who is that man who is catching my eye? / What's underneath all of the deadpan face? / Sitting so pretty with a criminal grace?" She continues with rhymes like Sea/me, pot/lot (that's where I wince), deal/feels, and stud/bud. I like the song, but it's more enjoying it in spite of itself as opposed to its lyrical strength.

Also, and this is admittedly completely petty, I'm lost with the title. The album is Nine Objects Of Desire and there are twelve songs. It's bugging me, seriously. The thing is, this is an above average album, but it's right on the cusp. I'm likely to pick up a copy for my permanent collection, but it's more of an average album than an extraordinary one. Regardless, it's better than anything I've heard lately from some of the other artists I've listened to and as it enters its tenth rotation on my player, I'm not sick of it and that ought to say something.

The best song is "Caramel" and I think the least good track on the album is "Honeymoon Suite" simply because it left so little of an impression on me.

For other albums by intriguing female artists, please visit my reviews of:
Susanna Hoffs - Susanna Hoffs
Wicked Little High - Bird York
Relish - Joan Osborn

7/10

See how this album stacks up against others I have reviewed (and read those reviews!) by visiting my Music Review Index Page where reviews are organized from best work to worst!

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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