SUZANNE VEGA - RETROSPECTIVE THE BEST OF SUZANNE VEGA

Suzanne Vega is an interesting artist. I remember hearing 'Luka' back in the 80's. Sadly, I kinda wrote her off because the song was far too easy to make fun of. We used to change the lyrics and sing all kinds of ridiculous things. It was an important song for bringing attention to child abuse, but for teenagers, it didn't have the same impact. Unless of course you were one of those kids getting hurt. Once again, the insensitivity of youth rears its ugly head.

When 'Tom's Diner' came out, I started paying attention to her. At least in the sense that I liked the song and the beat was really progressive at that time. That Soul II Soul urban beat that was so popular at the time. And the song itself caused me to think about smaller, everyday things I often looked over. Usually, children don't see art in the ordinary. It takes an artist like Suzanne Vega to bring that forward. Even after being strongly impacted by this song, I never paid much attention to her. I chalked this track up to the production work by DNA.

Years later, I had a friend who was really into her and played me a bunch of her CDs. I really enjoyed what I was hearing. Still not enough to pick up any of them. But I gained a great deal of respect for her and the type of people who listened to her. Then I saw "The Truth About Cats & Dogs". At one point, they play 'Caramel' and I realized this was a brilliant songwriter. This song is not only about longing and desire, it's about self control and denying yourself something pleasurable for a greater good. It was truly inspiring and echoed my own decisions regarding my life choices. On the strength of that song, I finally made a purchase.

I wanted something that would give me a complete concept of who this woman is as an artist and 'Retrospective' does is well. It's a well rounded collection of pop hits, obscure tracks and covers a wide range of musical styles Vega can write in. Great pop productions like 'Luka', 'Book Of Dreams' and 'Tom's Diner' are brilliant in their scope and execution. Then there's some of the more divergent material. 'Left Of Center', '99.9F*' and 'Solitude Standing' are more non-traditional singles she released that gained some airplay. There's a folk singer in Vega that leaps to the fore on such wonderful tracks as 'Tired Of Sleeping', 'In Liverpool', 'World Before Columbus' and 'Small Blue Thing'. As I listen to this disc, I discover gems right and left.

Vega has a sultry voice. It's sweet, but with a minor timbre. She's a little off kilter, but in a way that creates apprehension and anticipation. My impression of her is somewhat sad. I think much of what she's done has been changed and dictated by record companies. I continually get the impression through production and sound these songs are changed to fit some concept of what's acceptable and what will sell rather than remaining true to what Vega imagines. She's probably quite different live and I wouldn't be surprised if the live versions of songs are more true to what she envisions rather than what's released.

Practically all of the songs on this disc are worth listening to and have some great value. My favorite tracks are 'Tom's Diner', 'Caramel', 'Small Blue Thing', 'In Liverpool', 'Book Of Dreams' and 'World Before Columbus'. So many other tracks are great though. You won't go wrong picking this up if you've ever been interested in Suzanne Vega. It's a winning purchase. My final word: WINNING.

SUZANNE VEGA - RETROSPECTIVE THE BEST OF SUZANNE VEGA
01. Luka
02. Tom's Diner (DNA Featuring Suzanne Vega)
03. Marlene On The Wall
04. Caramel
05. 99.9F*
06. Tired Of Sleeping
07. Small Blue Thing
08. Blood Makes Noise
09. Left Of Center
10. (I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May
11. In Liverpool
12. Gypsy
13. Book Of Dreams
14. No Cheap Thrill
15. Calypso
16. World Before Columbus
17. Solitude Standing
18. Penitent
19. Rosemary
20. The Queen And The Soldier (Live)
21. Woman On The Tier (I'll See You Through)