RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Occasionally thin output, but some absolute gems. I am swayed by the fact that I had a schoolboy crush on her - a beautiful woman singing well crafted folk songs with incredibly incisive and sensitive lyrics, how could I not be captivated (my heroes are not always obvious). Recommended song and album: "Left Of Center" and "99.9 Degrees Farenheit".

She's a cheery little soul our Suzanne isnt she. There's nothing like spinning one of her platters to lift you out of a black mood. Then again she must bear a great deal of responsibility for spawning the monstrosity that is the genre of the angst-ridden female singer-songwriter.

A true uncompromising talent.

Her earlier stuff is phenomenal. Great voice, great band, great talent! She undoubtedly deserves a lot more recognition than she got.

I have often wondered why Suzanne Vega was not able to maintain the momentum she had when her song Luka hit the charts in 1987. Vega was part of a string of new folk artists that rose to popularity in the early and mid 1980s. Folk music and it's cousin folk rock were very much in the musical mainstream for most of the 1960s. Hard core folk artists and their fans kept the genre alive in small venues like clubs and cafes as disco, punk, and new wave stepped into the spotlight and enjoyed popularity for a while. As disco died and the clientele of Studio 54 entered the Betty Ford Clinic to shake off their cocaine habit, a wave of new folk artists began to gather a following, first in clubs and small stages, then on college radio stations, and finally within record companies. Along with fellow folk artists Christine Lavin and John Gorka, Suzanne Vega was leading the pack with a new style of folk music, a style more lyrically sophisticated and musically mature than the old style thus taking it to a new creative level. Vega's self titled first album in 1985 sold only 200,000 copies in the U.S but went platinum in Britain. A single from that album Marlene On The Wall did well enough that it helped maintain Vega's popularity. In 1987 she released the album Solitude Standing, her finest achievement. She had expanded her songwriting style and complimented her new songs with full band arrangements and a less folk oriented production. The lead single, Luka was a first person account of child abuse and the lyrics struck a chord with radio listeners. The album was in instant hit debuting at number two in the U.K. and in the U.S. the record went gold within 3 months, peaked at number 11 on the charts and eventually went platinum. Luka hit number 3 on the American charts and was nominated for three Grammys. Her follow up albums sold respectably well but did not recapture her 1987 popularity. As her life has progressed and she has gone through marriage, childbirth, and divorce, she continued to expanded her subjects and include some of her own life in her writings. Her 2001 release, Songs In Red And Gray seem to mark a return to the more direct sound she had in Solitude Standing, but it appears that she is unable to recapture the mainstream popularity she once enjoyed. In light of today's increase in child abuse I would like to see Luka released again followed by a CD of her socially relevant songs so that a new generation can discover and enjoy this creative and talented performer.

unique voice, great lyrics

Everyone is a f**king Napoleon.

She is uniquely herself. A gifted lyricist, songwriter, vocalist, and storyteller. I saw her live back in the early 90's and she was great. She posessed a very unique and funny sense of humor and was not at all full of herself.

I think Suzanne Vega is probably the finest lyricist, songwriter, and soft-rock vocalist of the past two decades (1984-2004).

Suzanne Vega is one of the most under-appreciated artists in America; in spite of being a New Yorker, she is much better known in Europe. Her songwriting shows incredible sensitivity and insight. Suzanne's voice is not that of a "diva" (stupid word, anyways) but she does wonders with what she has. Her singing is delicate, sophisticated and her wordlyness sets her apart from the Lilith Fair types. She won't sing about the horrors of womanhood: as a true artist, she shows compassion and empathy toward humans in general, regardless of gender etc etc. Seeing her perform live is an experience one is unlikely to forget; Suzanne Vega's a natural born charmer. In fact, she's so charming she doesn't even know she's charming! But back to her music, it's interesting to note how she's been influenced by movies (see "Kaspar Hauser Song") or movie stars ("Marlene on the Wall" pays hommage to Dietrich)and even by French poets; Solitude Standing's "Night Vision" was inspired by Paul Eluard's poem "Juan Gris".