SUZANNE VEGA: "Solitude Standing"

Original released on LP A&M SP 5136

(US, April 1987)

The songs on "Solitude Standing", Suzanne Vega's second album, had years listed beside them on the lyric sheet, so you could see that some of them dated back to 1978. But that bold admission heralded the album's triumph - its diversity was what made it so good. Partially, that was because the old songs were the equal of anything on the first album - tunes like the a cappella slice-of-life "Tom's Diner" and the warmly romantic "Gypsy" simply wouldn't have fit thematically on the debut. On "Solitude Standing", however, they became part of an album of story songs set in a variety of musical contexts; many had band arrangements, and in fact, members of Vega's touring band often were credited as co-writers. Additionally, Vega had developed more as a singer without losing the focused intonation that had made her debut - one of many compelling elements which helped make "Luka," a character song about domestic abuse, a fluke hit. (William Ruhlmann in AllMusic)

SUZANNE VEGA Debut Album

Original released on LP A&M 395 072-1

(GERMANY, April 1985)

Though early comparisons were made to Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega's true antecedents were Janis Ian and Leonard Cohen. Like Ian, she sings with a precise, frequently half-spoken phrasing that gives her lyrics an intensity that seems to suggest an unsteady control consciously held over emotional chaos. Like Cohen, Vega observes the world in poetic metaphor, her cold urban landscapes reflecting a troubled sense of love and loss. The key track is "Small Blue Thing," in which the singer pictures herself as an object «Like a marble/or an eye,» «made of china/made of glass,» «lost inside your pocket,» and «turning in your hand.» The sharply picked acoustic guitar and other isolated musical elements echo the closely observed scenes - everything seems to be in tight close-up and sharp focus. Often, the singer seems to be using the songs to measure an emotional distance; sometimes, as in "Marlene on the Wall," she observes her own actions from a remove. In "Freeze Tag," she tells a companion, «I will be Dietrich/and you can be Dean»; in "Marlene," a poster of the aloof movie star «watches from the wall,» observing the singer's succession of lovers, and she tries to emulate her heroine's persona, telling the current one, «Even if I am in love with you/all this to say, what's it to you?» The ten songs on "Suzanne Vega" constitute the self-analysis of a young woman who desires possession without offering commitment; no wonder that, upon its release, it was taken to heart by young women across the country and in Europe. (William Ruhlmann in AllMusic)