Tracy Chapman

1	Talkin' Bout a Revolution 2:38
2	Fast Car 4:58
3	Across the Lines 3:22
4	Behind the Wall 1:46
5	Baby Can I Hold You 3:16
6	Mountains O' Things 4:37
7	She's Got Her Ticket 3:54
8	Why? 2:01
9	For My Lover 3:15
10	If Not Now... 2:55
11	For You 3:09

Barnes & Noble

Tracy Chapman's left-field hit, "Fast Car," catapulted this earnest and enigmatic folkie from Boston coffeehouses to MTV and rock arenas. In short order, she went from opening concerts for labelmates 10,000 Maniacs to coheadlining stadium shows with Bruce Springsteen and Peter Gabriel on the Amnesty International world tour. Her rapid success was stunning and short-lived, but both her signature song and debut album are as fresh and moving as when first released. On "Fast Car," Chapman spins a sad escapist tale with a striking matter-of-factness and a hint of longing; the arrangement is equally spare but soars at just the right moments, as the gloss in David Kershenbaum's production adds to the song's power. That's the formula for most of TRACY CHAPMAN, and it makes for a riveting experience. The sad thing about these tunes -- which deal with the marginalized, the victimized, the abused, and the relentlessly hopeful -- is that, ten years on, songs like "Behind the Wall," "Mountains o' Things," and "Why?" are often more relevant. Chapman herself has retreated from stardom, but her songs remain stirring, stinging, and important. Michael Hill

All Music Guide

Arriving with little fanfare in the spring of 1988, Tracy Chapman's eponymous debut album became one of the key records of the Bush era, providing a touchstone for the entire PC movement while reviving the singer/songwriter tradition. And Tracy Chapman is firmly within the classic singer/songwriter tradition, sounding for all the world as if it was recorded in the early '70s -- that is, if all you paid attention to were the sonics, since Chapman's songs are clearly a result of the Reagan revolution. Even the love songs and laments are underscored by a realized vision of trickle-down modern life -- listen to the lyrical details of "Fast Car" for proof. Chapman's impassioned liberal activism and emotional resonance enlivens her music, breathing life into her songs even when the production is a little bit too clean. Still, the juxtaposition of contemporary themes and classic production precisely is what makes the album distinctive -- it brings the traditions into the present. At the time, it revitalized traditional folk ideals of social activism and the like, kick starting the PC revolution in the process, but if those were its only merits, Tracy Chapman would sound dated. The record continues to sound fresh because Chapman's writing is so keenly observed and her strong, gutsy singing makes each song sound intimate and immediate. Stephen Thomas Erlewine