Disc 289 is...Matters of the Heart
Artist: Tracy Chapman
Year of Release: 1992
What’s Up With The Cover?: A typical Tracy Chapman cover - a picture of her head - this time so close up, the whole think didn't fit in the frame. I dub this cover with the faint-praise of "OK".
How I Came To Know It: I was a fan of her previous two records, so when this one came out, I was quick to buy it.
How It Stacks Up: I have four Tracy Chapman albums, and after today I will have reviewed three of them. The top three are all very close in quality. "Matters of the Heart" is really the equal to "Crossroads" but since I've already given "Crossroads" the silver when I reviewed it back at Disc 234, I'll reluctantly slip "Matters of the Heart" into a strong third.
Rating: 4 stars.
"Matters of the Heart" is the last of the first stage of Chapman's career, with a very stripped down folk guitar sound. Later albums started to jazz up the production and quite frankly lost me in the process.
Not so, "Matters of the Heart" which has Chapman once again tackling her favourite themes - most notably the plight of the lower classes and the heartache of relationships gone wrong. Nothing new here, as both are time honoured themes in American folk, so the question becomes how well they are delivered.
The answer is, 'with excellence'. The opening track, "Bang Bang Bang" is the story of how violent youths, denied opportunity, will one day turn on the rest of us. I found myself comparing it to Elvis Presley's "In The Ghetto" except at the end of "Bang Bang Bang" the youth shoots you, instead of being shot by the police.
In the unrequited love section of the album we find great songs, my favourite of which is the title track, "Matters of the Heart." I like the way this song lyrically goes into all the hyperbole of love you would expect, but grounds that language in a worldly understanding. The singer knows she is foolish in matters of the heart, but welcomes it, saying:
"I won't call it love
But it feels good to have passion in my life
If there's a battle
I hope my head always defers to my heart"
In addition to themes of social justice and love, the album has a more upbeat feeling than Chapman's earlier work. Many of the songs evoke dreamers. Sometimes we experience the sadness of someone who only has nightmares ("If These Are The Things"), sometimes we are someone who - despite being locked up - still dreams of the sea ("I Used To Be A Sailor") and sometimes we are full-fledged dreamers, aware that our heads are in the clouds but not wanting to have it any other way ("Dreaming On A World").
I find the character in "I Used To Be A Sailor" the most interesting, because the room they are locked in is padded. I wonder why they are in a padded room? Are they really a sailor, or do they only dream they are a sailor and are actually in a mental institution? Or is it some combination thereof - meaning they are insane, but they actually did use to be a sailor? Perhaps they live in some futuristic world where sailing has been outlawed, and those who engage in it are deemed mentally unfit. That last one seems unlikely, but if there's a future where you can't drive a Red Barchetta, surely there's a world where you can't go boating. But I digress...
Musically, the album is softer than the previous two records, and sees a return to the sparser arrangements of her debut album. Her vocals are just as powerful, though, and Chapman never feels anywhere but in the moment when she sings. Consequently she brings you into the moment with her.
If you're a dreamer like me, this record is for you. If you're not a dreamer, then this record will help you appreciate why we dreamers wander about absentmindedly the way we do. Maybe you'll join us for a while.
Best tracks: Bang Bang Bang, I Used To Be A Sailor, Dreaming On A World, Open Arms (no - not the Journey song) and Matters of the Heart
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