This year marks the 20th anniversary of Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut album. Over the past two decades, the musician has produced seven exceptional albums. Still, Chapman has managed to stay true to herself and her soulful style in all of her works, and her eighth release is no disappointment.
Our Bright Future is Chapman’s latest addition to her long line of successful works. The album features 11 new powerful songs written by Chapman herself. Each song marks another achievement for this acclaimed musician by presenting the listener with another emotional song to listen to.
Chapman is able to reach a wide range of listeners with her new album by combining different genres into one superior sound. That sound is still true to Chapman’s trademark style by giving the audience catchy lyrics and, of course, Chapman’s distinct voice. However, there is a remarkable growth in Chapman’s songs that is noticeable on the new album.
Since releasing the first single, “Sing For You,” off the new album, Chapman has received rave reviews for her traditional sounds. The hit is distinctly Chapman with the lost-love lyrics and somber sound. However, the singer-songwriter is able to show her fans her wide range of skills by adding more instruments to support her voice and singing only a simple “do, do, do” instead of over-complicated lyrics.
One of the stand-out songs off the album is “I Did It All.” The song begins with Chapman rambling about different drinks and hanging out with friends at the bar. As the song progresses, a soft clarinet is added to the background to give the song a more classical feel, and all the involved instruments are amplified. While listening to this song, it’s easy to imagine Chapman in the ’50s, singing at a nightclub while lying on top of a piano. It’s a nice addition to her list of hits, most of which are somber and depressing.
Even Chapman’s songwriting seems to have grown over the past 20 years. Her lyrical abilities were first recognized for her well-known hit “Fast Car” but have since matured into a more spiritual sound. The song “Save Us All” has an obvious religious inspiration, giving us the lyrics “I know Jesus loves me/ In my heart I know it’s true/ I know Mary’s little baby/ Came into the world/ Just to save me/ But I don’t know about you.” The lyrics transform the song into more of a Gospel, but the track is still one which anyone can enjoy.
More prominent lyrics from the album are from the track “Our Bright Future.” In this song, Chapman goes a little mainstream and talks politics. Her lyrics “All of your children/ Even the ones/ Sent out to martyr/ To face the gun,” get straight to the point about politics and the war. Now that Chapman has grown into a prominent figure in the music industry, she seems more willing to let out her true opinions.
If you are someone who has been a fan of Chapman since the beginning, then her latest album Our Bright Future will not disappoint. For those of you who have yet to experience Chapman, now is the time to do so because the veteran artist is at her finest.
4 stars out of 5.
