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Tracy Chapman: New Beginning

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s

Artist: Tracy Chapman
Title: New Beginning
Released: 1995
Label: Elektra Asylum Records
Time: 62:19
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Appears with:
Category: Pop/Rock
Rating: *****..... (5/10)
Media type: CD
Purchase date:  2001.02.20
Price in €: 6,99
Web address: www.tracychapman.com

 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Heaven's Here on Earth (Tracy Chapman) - 5:23
[2] New Beginning (Tracy Chapman) - 5:33
[3] Smoke and Ashes (Tracy Chapman) - 6:39
[4] Cold Feet (Tracy Chapman) - 5:40
[5] At This Point in My Life (Tracy Chapman) - 5:09
[6] Promise (Tracy Chapman) - 5:28
[7] Rape of the World (Tracy Chapman) - 7:07
[8] Tell It Like It Is (Tracy Chapman) - 6:08
[9] Give Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman) - 4:31
[10] Remember the Tinman (Tracy Chapman) - 5:45
[11] I'm Ready (Tracy Chapman) - 4:56

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Tracy Chapman - Organ, Acoustic & Electric Guita, Vocals, Background Vocals, Producer

Lili Haydn - Violin
John Philip Shenale - Keyboards
Eric Rigler - Whistle, Scottish Small Pipes
Adam Levy - Electric Guitar, Background Vocals
Cameron Stone - Cello
Scott Roewe - Didjeridu
Rock Deadrick - Percussion, Drums, Background Vocals
Andy Stoller - Bass, Background Vocals, Tamboura

Don Gehman - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
Eddie Schreyer - Mastering
John Ewing, Jr. - Assistant Engineer
Doug Trantow - Assistant Engineer
Lee Cantelon - Art Direction, Design
Christine Alicino - Photography
Lavonne Murlowski - Graphic Layout
Diane Medak - Production Coordination
 

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1995 CD Elektra 61850
1995 CS Elektra 61850

What made Tracy Chapman's self-titled 1988 debut significant was her ability to bring the troubling stories of America's underbelly to an audience mostly removed from such problems, but eager to listen. Her supremely crafted songs quickly became anthems, making her the first popular African-American singer-songwriter to reach mega-stardom. Seven years later, Chapman's fourth album, NEW BEGINNING, arrives with new stories, while diving into previously unexplored territory. Chapman's knack for gripping storytelling is most evident on the chilling "Cold Feet", which describes the dangerous choices rational people often make to get ahead. Her protagonist takes only one risk in an otherwise peril-free life, but it turns out to be a fatal one. While we've all heard similar tales, "Cold Feet" forces even the most self-assured listener to examine his/her own decisions. Where NEW BEGINNING differs from her earlier work is Tracy's willingness to turn the microscope on herself. "Heaven's Here On Earth" affords us a glimpse of her spiritual side, while "At This Point In My Life" is Chapman at her most introspective. These songs show us more of Tracy Chapman than we've seen before and, in the tradition of the best singer-songwriters, force us to examine ourselves.



Tracy Chapman is concerned on her fourth album, New Beginning. She frets about the environment. She worries about the state of modern relation-ships. She's even anxious about the fate of our very souls. Normally such solicitousness is an ominous sign. Proselytizing tends to bring out the bloat in most artists. Call it Sermon-on-the-Mount-itis. It's a fate that befalls Chapman for much of New Beginning. Songs like "The Promise" and, most egregiously, "The Rape of the World" may be well-meaning, but the writing is hackneyed. There isn't much on the entire record that approaches the incisive wit of Chapman's first single, "Fast Car," and her overlooked second album, Crossroads. Yet New Beginning succeeds on the sheer strength of Chapman's voice. Even on a precious tune like "Smoke and Ashes," her sheer conviction and sturdy vocal timbre never waver. Much respect must go to Don Gehman, her co-producer. Gehman not only utilizes Chapman's regular band, he also gives them a sharp, midsize-venue sound. It's a resonance similar to his production for the Huey Lewis and the News of our time, Hootie and the Blowfish. But Chapman is a far more expressive singer than Hootie's Darius Rucker. And New Beginning is more than a troubadour discovering the joys of auditorium rock. It's about experimentation: the country twang in "Cold Feet," the tough, bluesy grooves of "Tell It Like It Is" (not the Aaron Neville classic). It's also about moments: the passionate way Chapman repeats "I believe" three times in "Heaven's Here on Earth" or the weary optimism she displays in the refrain of "I'm Ready." It's these flickers of aural – not verbal – poetry that redeem Chapman's hummable homilies. Her angelic voice, aided and abetted by Gehman's heavenly production, is New Beginning's saving grace.

RICHARD TORRES - Rolling Stone
(RS 721) Posted: Nov, 16 1995



Despite what the title may imply, New Beginning doesn't see Tracy Chapman adopting a new musical persona, as so many singer-songwriters have done to boost their declining credibility. If anything, her style is as conservative as it was on her previous three albums. That said, the contents of New Beginning are slightly lighter than her eponymous debut, and her political views--which were emblazoned all over her second album, Crossroads--have been toned down. "Give Me One Reason" is a punchy bluesy number, and the "Smoke And Ashes" is a stylish, romantic composition. Admittedly, nothing can match the originality and brilliance of her debut album, but New Beginning proves that she is still just as unique and relevant in a world full of Tracy Chapman wannabes.

John Galilee, Amazon.co.uk



One might assume that the difference between Tracy Chapman's third album, which spent less than three months in the charts and failed to go gold after her first two albums had sold in the millions, and her fourth, which restored her to substantial commercial success, was the album's hit single, "Give Me One Reason." In fact, after a disappointing start, New Beginning turned around and started selling a few months after its release and before the single took off. It went gold the week that "Give Me One Reason" hit the charts. Of course, having a hit single helps, too, but since "Give Me One Reason" is a nearly generic blues song that isn't particularly characteristic of Chapman or of the album, it may have brought in an audience that didn't get what it expected. Though she has added a backup band, Chapman continues to take a simple musical approach that focuses attention on her voice and to sing lyrics that alternate between intimate emotional portraits and broad political generalizations that seem more felt than deeply thought out. Three songs here, "Heaven's Here on Earth," "The Rape of the World," and the title cut, are about the state of the whole world, which is viewed in either excessively sunny or gloomy terms. As such, Chapman's relationship songs, though they too can be a little vague, register more powerfully because they are so personal. As the title suggests, Chapman is adopting a more open and hopeful posture in both her feelings and her politics on New Beginning, and while the surprise success of "Give Me One Reason" is heartening from a career perspective, that's the real news here.

William Ruhlmann, All-Music Guide



Tracy Chapman has been both blessed and cursed by her particularly stunning and original debut. While it set her apart as one of the more acclaimed singer-songwriters of the past decade, it is also the mark against which all of her successive works will be judged. But there are a hell of a lot of other reasons to love a Tracy Chapman record aside from hoping that it will contain "Fast Car II." One is her rich, mellow vocals, highly reminiscent of Joan Armatrading's (check out "Tell It Like It Is"), with whom she also shares a great deal stylistically. Another is her pretty and understated melodies, which meander through these longish songs, repeating their themes over and over again in she same way that they do on Van Morrison's Hymns To The Silence ("The Rape Of The World"). While certainly not as somber or bleak as her debut, New Beginning retains Chapman's typically sparse instrumentation with the occasional touch of "island" flavor or rocking spiciness. Lyrically, she's still exploring socially-conscious themes, albeit on a grander scale than the more visceral and harrowing accounts found on that darned debut. Start with "Smoke and Ashes" and "Remember the Tinman"; then try "Heaven's Here On Earth," "New Beginning" and "The Promise."

ALEX ELLERSON - Nov 20, 1995
CMJ New Music Report Issue: 452



Mit diesem Album -- der Titel lässt es erahnen -- versuchte die im amerikanischen Cleveland geborene Sängerin 1996 eine musikalische Neuorientierung. Zwar genießt auf New Beginning immer noch die für Tracy Chapman so typische Mischung aus klagendem Gesang und harmonischer Akustikgitarre oberste Priorität, doch tauchen im Klangkosmos der farbigen Songschreiberin vermehrt Streicher- und Klavier-Passagen auf. Die verleihen Songs wie "Heaven's Here On Earth" oder "At This Point In My Life" leider manchmal einen leicht kitschigen Touch, der durch die zum Teil doch sehr naiven Texte noch verstärkt wird. Zwar besitzt New Beginning mit dem luftigen "Give Me One Reason" einen der schönsten Songs aus dem Werk von Tracy Chapman, unterm Strich sind jedoch ihr Debüt Tracy Chapman und das Anfang 2000 erschienene Album Telling Stories dieser Platte eindeutig vorzuziehen.

Wolfgang Hertel, Amazon.de



Nach nur sieben Jahren im Musikgeschäft - noch dazu mit Erfolg - startet die schwarze Songwriterin bereits einen "Neuanfang". New Beginning, das vierte Album der 31jährigen Amerikanerin, markiert dennoch keinen Wendepunkt: Wie auf den drei Vorgängern dominieren feine akustische Gitarrenläufe, dezente Percussion, ein Piano und natürlich Tracys kehlige Stimme. Aber sie besinnt sich stärker auf ihre Wurzeln und die Tourzeit Mitte der 80er mit der Gruppe 10 000 Maniacs. Dieser melodische Folkgeist druchströmt die elf schönen, unspektakulären Songs.

© Audio



Von der Folk-Sensation zum Lieblingsopfer für Kritiker, die gerne einen Verriß schreiben: Kein Wunder, daß sich Tracy Chapman nach einem Neubeginn sehnt. Gravierende Änderungen indes gibt es keine, und das ist gut so. Nach wie vor bekennt sich die farbige Sängerin aus Cleveland zu einer intimen Songpoesie, auch auf die Gefahr hin, mit manch schlichtem Vers (das Booklet enthält deutsche Textübersetzungen) Zynikern Munition zu liefern. Die Gitarren erhalten unter Akustik-Spezialist Don Gehman (Hootie & The Blowfish, John Mellencamp) vermehrt Beistand von Klavier und Streichern. ** Interpret.: 07-08

© Stereoplay



Recorded at The Site, San Rafael, California; NRG Studio, North Hollywood, California; Scream Studio, Studio City, California. All songs written by Tracy Chapman. "Give Me One Reason" won a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. Tracy Chapman earned four additional Grammy nominations for NEW BEGINNING. "Give Me One Reason" was nominated for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and the album was nominated for Best Pop Album. What made Tracy Chapman's self-titled 1988 debut significant was her ability to bring the troubling stories of America's underbelly to an audience mostly removed from such problems, but eager to listen. Her supremely crafted songs quickly became anthems, making her the first popular African-American singer-songwriter to reach mega-stardom. Seven years later, Chapman's fourth album, NEW BEGINNING, arrives with new stories, while diving into previously unexplored territory. Chapman's knack for gripping storytelling is most evident on the chilling "Cold Feet," which describes the dangerous choices rational people often make to get ahead. Her protagonist takes only one risk in an otherwise peril-free life, but it turns out to be a fatal one. While we've all heard similar tales, "Cold Feet" forces even the most self-assured listener to examine his/her own decisions. Where NEW BEGINNING differs from her earlier work is Tracy's willingness to turn the microscope on herself. "Heaven's Here On Earth" affords us a glimpse of her spiritual side, while "At This Point In My Life" is Chapman at her most introspective. These songs show us more of Tracy Chapman than we've seen before and, in the tradition of the best singer-songwriters, force us to examine ourselves.

CDUniverse.com



Entertainment Weekly (12/1/95, p.74) - "...her resonant voice imbues these low-key songs with a warmth that seduces you..." - Rating: B

Vibe (12/95-1/96, p.156) - "...her once timid alto is more refined, and she delivers her material in a softer, slightly higher pitch than she is usually known for....Lyrically, she appears to be having more fun with this material too..."

Dirty Linen (4-5/96, p.67) - "...her songs, beneath her throaty vocals, present a refined melodic edge that makes several songs worth hearing over and over."
  

 L y r i c s


Talkin' bout a revolution

Don't you know
They're talkin' bout a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
Don't you know
They're talkin' about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper

While they're standing in the welfare lines
Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation
Wasting time in the unemployment lines
Sitting around waiting for a promotion

Poor people gonna rise up
And get their share
Poor people gonna rise up
And take what's theirs

Don't you know
You better run, run, run...
Oh I said you better
Run, run, run...

Finally the tables are starting to turn
Talkin' bout a revolution


Fast car

You got a fast car
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere

Anyplace is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
But me myself I got nothing to prove

You got a fast car
And I got a plan to get us out of here
I been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living

You see my old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
I say his body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
We leave tonight or live and die this way

I remember we were driving driving in your car
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
And we go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a big house and live in the suburbs
You got a fast car
And I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
You gotta make a decision
You leave tonight or live and die this way


Across the lines

Across the lines
Who would dare to go
Under the bridge
Over the tracks
That separates whites from blacks

Choose sides
Or run for your life
Tonight the riots begin
On the back streets of America
They kill the dream of America

Little black girl gets assaulted
Ain't no reason why
Newspaper prints the story
And racist tempers fly
Next day it starts a riot
Knives and guns are drawn
Two black boys get killed
One white boy goes blind

Little black girl gets assaulted
No one know her name
Lots of people hurt and angry
She's the one to blame


Behind the wall

Last night I heard the screaming
Loud voices behind the wall
Another sleepless night for me
It won't do no good to call
The police
Always come late
If they come at all

And when they arrive
They say they can't interfere
With domestic affairs
Between a man and his wife
And as they walk out the door
The tears well up in her eyes

Last night I heard the screaming
Then a silence that chilled my soul
I prayed that I was dreaming
When I saw the ambulance in the road

And the policeman said
"I'm here to keep the peace
Will the crowd disperse
I think we all could use some sleep


Baby can I hold you

Sorry
Is all that you can't say
Years gone by and still
Words don't come easily
Like sorry like sorry

Forgive me
Is all that you can't say
Years gone by and still
Words don't come easily
Like forgive me forgive me

But you can say baby
Baby can I hold you tonight
Maybe if I told you the right words
At the right time you'd be mine

I love you
Is all that you can't say
Years gone by and still
Words don't come easily
Like I love you I love you


Mountains o' things

The life I've always wanted
I guess I'll never have
I'll be working for somebody else
Until I'm in my grave
I'll be dreaming of a live of ease
And mountains
Oh mountains o' things

To have a big expensive car
Drag my furs on the ground
And have a maid that I can tell
To bring me anything
Everyone will look at me with envy and with greed
I'll revel in their attention
And mountains
Oh mountains o' things

Sweet lazy life
Champagne and caviar
I hope you'll come and find me
Cause you know who we are
Those who deserve the best in life
And know what money's worth
And those whose sole misfortune
Was having mountains o' nothing at birth

Oh they tell me
There's still time to save my soul
They tell me
Renounce all
Renounce all those material things you gained by
Exploiting other human beings

Consume more than you need
This is the dream
Make you pauper
Or make you queen
I won't die lonely
I'll have it all prearranged
A grave that's deep and wide enough
For me and all my mountains o' things

Mostly I feel lonely
Good good people are
Good people are only
My stepping stones
It's gonna take all my mountains o' things
To surround me
Keep all my enemies away
Keep my sadness and loneliness at bay

I'll be dreaming, dreaming...
Dreaming...


She's got her ticket

She's got her ticket
I think she gonna use it
I think she going to fly away
No one should try and stop her
Persuade her with their power
She says that her mind is made
Up

Why not leave why not
Go away
Too much hatred
Corruption and greed
Give your life
And invariably they leave you with
Nothing

Young girl ain't got no chances
No roots to keep her strong
She's shed all pretenses
That someday she'll belong
Some folks call her a runaway
A failure in the race
But she knows where her ticket takes her
She will find her place in the sun

And she'll fly, fly, fly...


Why ?

Why do the babies starve
When there's enough food to feed the world
Why when there're so many of us
Are there people still alone

Why are the missiles called peace keepers
When they're aimed to kill
Why is a woman still not safe
When she's in her home

Love is hate
War is peace
No is yes
And we're all free

But somebody's gonna have to answer
The time is coming soon
Amidst all these questions and contradictions
There're some who seek the truth

But somebody's gonna have to answer
The time is coming soon
When the blind remove their blinders
And the speechless speak the truth


For my lover

Two weeks in a Virginia jail
For my lover for my lover
Twenty thousand dollar bail
For my lover for my lover

And everybody thinks
That I'me the fool
But they don't get
Any love from you

The things we won't do for love
I'd climb a mountain if I had to
And risk my life so I could have you
You, you, you...

Everyday I'm psychoanalyzed
For my lover for my lover
They dope me up and I tell them lies
For my lover for my lover

I follow my heart
And leave my head to ponder
Deep in this love
No man can shake
I follow my heart
And leave my mind to wonder
Is this love worth
The sacrifices I make


If not now...

If not now then when
If now today then
Why make your promises
A love declared for days to come
Is as good as none

You can wait 'til morning comes
You can wait for the new day
You can wait and lose this heart
You can wait and soon be sorry

Now love's the only thing that's free
We must take it where it's found
Pretty soon it may be costly

If now now what then
We all must live our lives
Always feeling
Always thinking
The moment has arrived 


For you

There're no words to say
No words to convey
This feeling inside I have for you
Deep in my heart
Save from the guards
Of intellect and reason
Leaving me at a loss
For words to express my feelings
Deep in my heart
Look at me losing control
Thinking I had a hold
But with feelings this strong
I'm no longer the master
Of my emotions

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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