From Amazon.com
Chicken Soup for the Activist's Soul
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I listened to a couple of the tunes from this album after a bruising, unsuccessful struggle to push for a good healthcare reform program, and it restored my spirit. These songs are deep, wise, committed but not preachy, and most of all, beautiful. I drew on Chapman's impressive strength.
Her music sounds influenced by Joni Mitchell, but the sensibility is different. Mitchell tells specific stories about individual incidents and people in her life, while Chapman sings more about aspects of life in general, especially from the viewpoint of an activist. To my mind they are both spectacular.
If you love the musical genre, the unconventional, creative tunes of Joni Mitchell, but need something to help you feel like keep on keepin' on, you can do no better than Chapman's "Crossroads".
One of Chapman's strongest works
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I have most of the rest of Tracy Chapman, but I hadn't actually stopped to listen to anything from this CD. Then I heard "Crossroads" on the radio and just had to go ahead and pick up the CD.
"Crossroads" is some of Ms. Chapman's strongest work. The ten songs are thoughtful, emotive and deliver a message of life lived hard with the hope of redemption that you will remember. My three favorites are "Crossroads", "This Time" and "All that you have is your Soul". Truthfully, there really isn't a bad song on the album.
The title work "Crossroads" is probably the most memorable of the bunch. As you might imagine, this music deals with choices.
"This Time" swears she will live her life differently this time around. She's made some mistakes, but this time will be different.
"All you have is your soul" closes the CD and carries on the theme of life and redemption that Chapman's established throughout the music. A lovely coda to some powerful tunes.
Rebecca Kyle, October 2009
ALWAYS ONE OF MY FAVORITES
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I DO NOT HEAR TRACY CHAPMAN ANYWHERE NEAR ENOUGH ON THE RADIO SO AM VERY HAPPY AT LAST TO OWN TWO OF HER CDS. SHE IS AMAZING! I BOUGHT THE ONE LOVE BOB MARLEY TRIBUTE DVD JUST TO SEE HER SINGING THREE LITTLE BIRDS. I WISH THERE WAS A TRACY CHAPMAN CONCERT ON DVD!
Too Racist and Political
Album Rating: (1 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: Enjoyed her first album. So I bought this one thinking it would be good as well. But, she's taken a bite out of the Racist/Political pie. Most of the songs take swipes at White Men and Conservative viewpoints. Same thing happened to Iris Dement when she compromised her style for her political viewpoints....She bombed. This is a stinker except for a select few including "All That You Have Is Your Soul".
Barack and Tracy
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I was listening to Telling Stories earlier today and then went browsing through my Tracy discography and remembered how much I loved the songs on this album, and the album as a whole. Tracy's mixture of seeing the world's sadness in a clear-eyed way and her determination to fight on with relentless optimism nonetheless makes me think of Barack's Presidential candidacy. What a combination. Listen to Crossroads, 100 Hundred Years, Material World, and, especially, All That You Have is Your Soul and be prepared to fight for justice.
Purchases
1 Crossroads
Purchases made through Amazon.com help support FolkAlley.com.
