Tracy Chapman – Where You Live (2005)
purchase this album
My first reaction on seeing this was “Tracy Chapman still has a record deal?”
My second was “Huh. Sounds like a Tracy Chapman record.”
That’s about the long and the short of it, honestly — I know I’m supposed to offer something allegedly insightful or witty as far as commentary goes, but I’ve listened to Where You Live four or five times now, and all I keep thinking is that it sounds just like every other album Tracy Chapman has ever released: Pretty, mournful, and solidly built. A lot of people (myself included) enjoy making fun of her for being an overly serious, nakedly leftist folk singer, or for being so wholly identified with the Lilith Fair crowd, but whatever; she’s extremely good at what she does. It doesn’t really float my boat, but I can’t deny her craft.
Tchad Blake co-produces here and does a fine job, which makes two Blake jobs in the last month that haven’t sounded like complete, gimmicky shit. If he keeps this up, he’ll have a whole new career for himself as a producer for the over-40 female crowd (which could be incredibly lucrative, now that I think about it).
Bottom line: If you like Tracy Chapman, you should really like this album. If you don’t, there’s no reason to waste your time listening to “Change” (download) or “Going Back” (download).
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