There is something about Tracy Chapman’s voice that can make any song heavy with meaning and dense with feeling. Every lyric is wrapped in a kind of personal truth. Chapman’s signature melancholy style certainly has not lost any of its power.

Though she may always be known by the masses solely for a handful of songs from her early albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Chapman is still writing and performing, and has continued to be successful on the European charts. Our Bright Future is her eighth album to date.

All of the songs are rooted in solid country influences and are, overall, earthy, and modestly orchestrated. “Thinking of You” and “A Theory”, two folksy and almost light-hearted tracks, depart subtly from the rest. There aren’t any surprises on this album. The Tracy Chapman we were introduced to in her 1988 self-titled debut is essentially the same artist you will hear on this album. Chapman, however, seems to be one of the few artists who can pull this off.

Like few others, she came into the music scene with a sound and lyrical content that was already so mature. Since her early twenties, at the beginning, Chapman has put her old soul on display, which was consistently shone though in her music. Her musical style is not one that has much leeway in terms of range or evolution. To some, that may translate as boring, but to fans of Chapman and her music, I am sure that her albums have continued to consistently please. Chapman has made a name for herself within this genre, a reputation that is as solid and grounded as the music she writes. Now, in her forties, Chapman is still singing and writing music that digs through the immeasurable depths of life experience.

For an artist like Chapman, I think it would be best to end off with a verse from one of her tracks:


After the earthquakes the hurricanes / The fires and floods / I'm jaded cynical angry and glum / The worlds too absurd and obscene / For true love / And more than happy to let me become / The last person on earth



Track Listing:

Sing For You
I Did It All
Save Us All
Our Bright Future
For A Dream
Thinking of You
A Theory
Conditional
Something to See
The First Person on Earth
Spring