Disco de Suzanne Vega: “Beauty & Crime [Bonus Track]”

When I picked up Suzanne Vega's seventh studio release "Beauty & Crime", I did what a lot of people do these days - I ripped MP3 files for my computer. When I saw that the total time of the songs was only 34 minutes, I was a little disappointed because I have waited 6 years for her follow-up to the terrific "Songs in Red and Gray". But then I played the songs. Wow! The lady still has the magic. Although the songs are pretty short (only one exceeds 4 minutes and I actually think that song - "Bound" - drags on a little too long), they pack a punch. Personal favorites are "Edith Wharton's Figurines", "Unbound" and the one everyone seems to like, "New York is a Woman", which is about a suburban man's first trip to New York City. As a suburban man who will soon take his first trip to New York, I feel like Suzanne just gave me a tour!

I thought the CD was great and I hope she sees enough success with it that we'll hear from her again, hopefully sooner than 6 years from now. I'm looking forward to seeing her for the first time live later this year.

As far as Billboard charts go, the only successes Suzanne Vega probably had were "Luka" and "Tom's Diner". But chart positions don't necessarily reflect quality, as her latest album Beauty & Crime might be her best work yet.

Though this is the first studio album Suzanne has released since 2001's

, the break suited her well because this album never runs out of highlights (but it's not like Songs in Red and Gray was a bad album either). "Frank & Ava", "Zephyr & I" and "Ludlow Street" are storytelling gems, "New York is a Woman" and "Edith Wharton's Figurines" are well-thought-out metaphors, and "Angel's Doorway" is very creative. The back-to-back "Bound" and "Unbound" also compliment each other nicely.

Suzanne Vega might not be as popular as she used to be but Beauty & Crime proves that her music is still indeed beautiful, so pick it up.

Anthony Rupert

Suzanne is a storyteller. She writes through her music and tells her stories through song. The music and musicians are terrific. There is insight, emotion and nuance all put to a modern mix of jazz, folk and rock. These are soundtracks for a life lived in New York and as textured as the City itself.

Because, judging by the huge number of negative responses to reviews of this album, there's something odd going on here. Clearly, a lot of people just don't like Suzanne Vega, which is fair enough - she's an acquired taste. But, if you like her, this is an excellent outing... sure, it lacks the raw "edge" of her best early work but then she's now in her late 40's and artists mellow with time. Maybe her fans don't like this unfortunate (or fortunate) fact of musical life. Certainly rating an album review on either basis is pretty unfair.

Truth is that, as with her previous albums, it takes time for the underlying strength of her inherently "catchy" tunes to register but, once they do, it's as good as anything else she's released and, fan or not, a pretty good slice of high quality MOR folk/rock. Time for a bit more objectivity...

I fell in love with Suzanne Vega from Solitude Standing. This is probably the best work by Suzanne Vega in my opinion- beautiful melodies, a poet's heart for words and imagery, and a voice calm, pure, and even sad in all the right places. From this beautiful start, Vega has had other works here and there that I purchased but I was never excited about them as much as I was about Beauty and Crime. Most of the reviews I read had good things to say, and I agree. Musically, there is more complexity and a richer sound than her earlier arrangements of vocals, acoustic guitar, and bass. This is quite evident in the first two tracks and is especially good on Bound, with all the strings and great bass sounds. Vega, as a songwriter, also displays her craft with confidence, creating compelling stories, images, and melodies about NYC, love, and references to literary and pop culture, i.e., Edith Wharton and Frank and Ava. However, I felt a deeper emotional attachment or connection to Solitude Standing than I did with Beauty and Crime. Perhaps I was in a different stage of my life at the time of Solitude Standing (I remember listening to this on my Walkman walking around the city as a student) but Solitude Standing was just more nuanced, beautiful, and more intensely captured the imagery and moods of the city and of love. Although Beauty and Crime is musically more sophisticated, it somehow misses the warmth, gentleness, and beauty that was Solitude Standing. Overall, I appreciate this CD from an arrangement standpoint and Suzanne Vega is still one of my favorite artists (albeit some of this sentiment is still carryover from Solitude Standing). Although the CD lacks the warmth and beauty of songs like Gypsy, Ironbound/Fancy Poultry, and Calypso, there is a reminder of this beauty in the last song, Anniversary. This is my favorite song in the CD.