Solitude Standing

Solitude Standing

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Suzanne Vega emerged in the mid-'80s, and while her intimate voice and acoustic guitar brought to mind Joni Mitchell, her urbane lyrics suggested a sensibility that was as much reportorial as confessional. Vega's second album, which replaced the delicate acoustic textures of her self-titled debut with more dramatic arrangements, includes Vega's career song, "Luka," surely one of the biggest hits ever written about child abuse. But it was the energetic folk-rock production of "Luka," thick with ringing guitars and pushed by perky drums, that let the listener luxuriate in a song that suggested the darkness that can lurk behind a neighbor's door. The title tune confronts personal loneliness with a similarly powerful performance, while "Ironbound/Fancy Poultry" makes a downtown landscape sound downright homey. Well-turned tunes like "Calypso" and "Gypsy" recall the softer textures of her debut. Ironically, Vega's next big hit would come when the English production duo DNA made a dance hit out of "Tom's Diner," a nursery-rhyme tribute to a coffee shop that opens the album. --John Milward

Tracks:

Tom's Diner
Luka
Ironbound/Fancy Poultry
In The Eye
Night Vision
Solitude Standing
Calypso
Language
Gypsy
Wooden Horse (Caspar Hauser's Song)
Tom's Diner (Reprise)

Amazon.com

Suzanne Vega emerged in the mid-'80s, and while her intimate voice and acoustic guitar brought to mind Joni Mitchell, her urbane lyrics suggested a sensibility that was as much reportorial as confessional. Vega's second album, which replaced the delicate acoustic textures of her self-titled debut with more dramatic arrangements, includes Vega's career song, "Luka," surely one of the biggest hits ever written about child abuse. But it was the energetic folk-rock production of "Luka," thick with ringing guitars and pushed by perky drums, that let the listener luxuriate in a song that suggested the darkness that can lurk behind a neighbor's door. The title tune confronts personal loneliness with a similarly powerful performance, while "Ironbound/Fancy Poultry" makes a downtown landscape sound downright homey. Well-turned tunes like "Calypso" and "Gypsy" recall the softer textures of her debut. Ironically, Vega's next big hit would come when the English production duo DNA made a dance hit out of "Tom's Diner," a nursery-rhyme tribute to a coffee shop that opens the album. --John Milward

Customer Reviews:

This CD blew me away..........2007-07-20

When I first heard Tom's Diner it was like I was sitting there next to the artist watching these event unfold as you sat in the window booth. But I was blown away when she sang the whole thing in acapella. Luka I already like from hearing it on the radio. Ironbound and Gypsy stirred up images in my mind of hardship and fleating love. Night Vision took me a few years to figure out...yeah I am a little slow sometimes. But when I got it it was another 'wow' moment. That is what I like about Suzanne Vega's music. It makes me get lost in the lyrics images. Tom's Diner is a prime example. But if you are a person that likes lyrics that don't make you think or imagine then you shouldn't buy this CD.

A firm standing album.......2007-06-05

Despite the hype surrounding Tom's Diner and Luka, the rest of the songs on this album firmly stand on their own. The accoustics and artful poetry via Suzanne Vega stand out in her second album with thought provoking compassion. Don't merely fall into the envelope of Tom's Diner and Luka (which, while great songs, are not her only stars). After 20 years this album still holds strong and brings you to the nostalgia of a bygone era.

Mother of the MP3.......2007-04-10

According to sources on the web, the first song in this collection, Tom's Diner, was used as the model piece in the development of the mp3 compression algorithm. Thus, Suzanne Vega has earned the title, "Mother of the MP3." Somehow appropriately, since it is rendered without music in the first cut, music for Tom's Diner is played without words in the last. It is worth the price of the album if only for Tom's Diner. The rest is pretty good too.

This album got me through high school.......2006-12-30

Every song tells a story. I bought a tape of this CD when it came out and it had nothing to do with Luka. The best song in my opinion is Night Vision. Wow...

Suzanne Vega is a writer. In fact check out the book Solitude Standing and you'll see that her life is her lyrics.

They used to list her as folk music and I do believe it's because they can't "slot" her anywhere. Her music had too much soft guitar to be rock/pop so she got the folk label but now that there are more categories she could be considered alternative. That's what they call you when they don't know what you are.

If you like to be entertained by storytelling and good, well-written songs then you won't be disappointed with this purchase.

Whenever I hear anything from this album I'm taken back to those strong teenage emotions felt on rain soaked afternoons that I walked home listening to this in my walkman.

I have never seen another album on Amazon receive so many fives. The only one who didn't give five was actually rating a so-called live performance.

_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:**:-.FIVE STARS*:-._,.-:*'``'*:-._,.-

One of the few REAL Class acts .......2006-10-13

Suzanne is by far one of the most prolific female (or any other kind) singer songwriter in the world.I was skeptical when I first heard Luka on the radio on Suzannes debut.While that was and still a very good glimpse into her abilities...it wasn't her best. Fortunately for me I heard Solitude Standing on a progressive radio station and the "honeymoon" has never ended. In concert she is totally captivating with her non pretentious and humble musical masterpieces.Her use of linguistics, melody,and diverse subject matter never fail to transport one to a lush garden of imagination. Accents of meticulous placements of bass, and percussive spices that only one woman in the world can cook up. Truly one of a kind and the classiest acts ever to grace a stage.