Suzanne Vega

Close-Up Vol1, Love Songs - Cooking Vinyl 2010

Tracks: 1. Small Blue Thing / 2. Caramel / 3. If You Were in My Movie / 4. Gypsy / 5. Marlene on the Wall / 6. (I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May / 7. Harbor Song / 8. Headshots / 9. Songs in Red and Gray / 10. Stockings / 11. Some Journey / 12. Bound / 13. 99.9F° * / 14. It Makes Me Wonder * / 15. Freeze Tag * / 16. Knight Moves*

Comments:

Suzanne Vega has decided to re-record some of her earlier songs and publish them in a "Close-Up" series. This volume 1 is called "Love Songs". Almost all Vega's studio albums are represented on the release, and despite the fact that the songs were written over a period of more than twenty years, they work well together.

Some will surely find the collection redundant, since all the songs are largely performed very much like the originals. Many at a slightly slower pace, one has been lowered half a tone. The arrangements are simpler with Vega's acoustic guitar as the turning-point. However, there is also fine backing with both drums, bass and electric guitar. Incredible how little Vega's voice has changed over the years and has in no way been weakened

Although it is a great pleasure to listen to the album, I don't really think that these new versions have much that the old ones did not have too, and I don't think there is one single case where I would prefer the new song rather than the old. The great variation in the arrangements on Vega's original albums you'' easily miss - not least the very personal Mitchel Froom productions.

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