SUZANNE VEGA / Days of Open Hand (1990)

The Folk beginnings can still be heard as influences in Suzanne's third album but the singer/songwriter has moved onto new plateaus musically; not necessarily higher or lower, just different. It's not Folk, Rock or Pop, it's simply music from the heart played in an understated way. I can well imagine it being someone's favourite SV album for that reason alone.
The obvious singles will likely be the thing that entice many people in, but the beautifully serene and occasionally mysterious poetry on the quieter tracks will keep them there; it may take longer to appreciate that aspect of the work, but for my money it's where the album's true strengths lie.

Songs of Note: Tired of Sleeping; Book of Dreams

3½ magic markers out of 5

SUZANNE VEGA / Solitude Standing (1987)

Like Suzanne's perfect début, her second album is constructed from story songs that together resemble a kind of musical book. She's added more instrumentation this time, making it sound less naked. I prefer the naked Vega (don't apply that to your filthy world view), so I find Solitude Standing less interesting. Her ability to draw the listener in with her voice hasn't changed, it's just not as immediate as before. It's the album that gave us Tom's Diner, but it's not the version that you may know from the charts, it's a capella.

Songs of Note: Luka; Gypsy

3½ things erased out of 5

SUZANNE VEGA / Suzanne Vega (1985)

Listening to Suzanne's début is akin to opening a treasured book of short stories, being enveloped by the experience, and then falling deep into the pages. It's built around traditional Folk music structures, acoustic guitar and simple harmonies, but channelled through Suzanne's story-telling voice it becomes something beautiful, introspective and uniquely intimate. She was only twenty-six when she made it; the lyrical content suggests she's one of those individuals that's born old and stumbles upon wisdom sooner than the rest of us. It's a perfect album from a beautiful voice in what's an often stagnant genre.

Songs of Note: Some Journey; The Queen and the Soldier

5 small blue things in the danger zone out of 5