Customer Reviews

Nine Objects Of Desire

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having been a longtime casual Suzanne Vega listener who never liked her enough to actually purchase an album (though "Solitude Standing" and "99.9F" have seared themselves in my brain through listening to them on others' stereos), this album caught me completely off-guard. It is so smart, so wise, so sensual--God, is it sensual--that you may find yourself constantly wanting to replay certain tracks; did she really turn that phrase so cleverly? ("Caramel" "No Cheap Thrill" and "My Favorite Plum" rank high in that respect.) What are those mysterious instruments she has backing her up? ("Lolita" and "The World Before Columbus" spring to mind.) How is she using her voice--never a powerful or especially dramatic one till now--in such enigmatic ways, with so many sly nuances? ("Stockings" "Headshots") Each song is a gem when listened to on its own, but the cumulative effect of the entire album is to feel as if one is sinking deeper and deeper into a mystery--Vega is Everywoman and none you've ever known before, and every door she opens leads to another, smaller door in the labyrinth. This is unquestionably one of the best albums by a female singer-songwriter in the 1990's, ranking up there with the best of Sheryl Crow, Sam Phillips, Liz Phair, Fiona Apple, Alanis Morrissette, Madonna, et all. Vega, cooler than any of them, bewitches so dextrously because she does not seek our approval; she is already queen of her own dominion, and we have the rare privilege of being allowed a fleeting, enigmatic glimpse into it before she quietly and firmly locks the gate and pockets the key, smiling inscrutably to herself. Go, be seduced.

Being a child of the new generation, I kinda swallowed all of Suzanne Vega's recordings into one full year of listening (even her latest stuff); each record being so richly layered and unique, I took my time with each and it was not easy to decide, but this record, 1996's Nine Objects Of Desire was most definitely my favorite.

For one, it's different; it's a jazz-tingled, blues sprinkled, funky instrumentalist love affair with seduction in general. Each song is a short anecdote to passion; and this passion can be as exquisite, yet simple as a plum (My Favorite Plum), as supple as caramel during the envisioning of an intimate evening (Caramel), or a masculine figure to sweep her off her feet (Thin Man - a personal favorite due to its sheer exuberance); some of these songs denote so much sentiment that it makes you wonder how privileged Suzanne Vega was to feel these fundamentally rare emotions, or at least render such a rich retelling of them.

Nonetheless, the topper of the concept of the entire album is that they are really desires; she marvels in the sensations, but there is this prevailing emotion of yearning, which is how life is, for the most part. The near 40 minutes that the album lasts will be like a breather, a snippet of the perfect erotic fantasy, the perfect evening, the perfect love affair, the perfect vocal savoring, even the perfect honeymoon. The album really scratched an itch in me.

Highlights: Lolita, No Cheap Thrill, Casual Match, Caramel, Birthday, The World Before Columbus, and Thin Man.

This was Suzanne Vega's second album produced by Mitchell Froom. There is a great variation in moods and styles and Froom obviously has a great skill of giving Vega's songs inventive arrangements without ruining them with over-production.

This album is a natural follow-up the very experimental album "99.9 F" which had a lot of odd sounds and rhythms. You find quite a lot of the same things here, but the overall impression is that of a softer and more refined album.

What make Suzanne Vega's albums so good is the songs and her soft voice; what makes her albums great is the perfectionism in which the songs are arranged and produced. Both elements are present on this album, which may very well turn out to be her most satisfying and enduring.

A handful of these songs would have fitted nicely into "99.9 F"; "Birthday", "Stockings", "Casual Match", "No Cheap Thrill" and "Lolita" . Among them my favourites are "Stockings", with great sensual lyrics, "No Cheap Thrill" and the almost heavy "Birthday".

On other tracks a more refined touch is apparent. "Caramel" is a latin-inspired great tune with a tasteful hornarrangement. "My favourite Plum" is another memorable song with a beautiful string arrangement. "World Before Columbus" are "Honeymoon Suite" two acoustic songs with Vega playing the guitar. I particularly like the thought-provoking lyrics of "Honeymoon Suite".

"Headshots" is another favourite.

Least appealing are the jazzy track "Tombstone" and the riff-based "Casual Match" and "Lolita"

This is an extraordinarily sensual album, as noted by others, with "Stockings" and "Caramel" standing out. The other standout to me is "World Before Columbus," a warm love song, with the rest of the songs good enough but forgettable. Contrary to some of what you may read here, "Nine Objects" wasn't a clean break from the "99.9Fº" sound still found here on several songs, but the bossa nova style used to good effect on several others was new for Vega, as were other jazz touches, and they suit the material perfectly. I'm not sure everyone below is interpreting Ms. Vega's often-cryptic lyrics properly, but her poetry is as rich here as ever, and the heat of this CD, however subdued and smoldering, was a welcome contrast to earlier material. Though I only really fell in love with a few songs, "Nine Objects" was my favorite of her first 5 CD's for a long time. On re-listening 7 years later, I think this is because the sound is consistently gorgeous, perfectly produced, and this helps one overlook the unremarkable quality of the bulk of the songs. Of course, "unremarkable" by Suzanne Vega standards is so remarkable that there is nothing to criticize here except by comparison with other work by the same artist. Musically, this CD draws me in like none of her others save "99.9Fº", and lyrically it's second to none save perhaps "Songs in Red and Gray". This is no second-best, though - Vega's works are all different, and I'd consider this one an essential for any serious (or perhaps less-than-serious) fan.

Suzanne Vega pulls back a bit from the 'left of center' (reference intended) disk of '99.9 F Degrees' w/this album. Though I loved her first two albums, this one is by far my favorite. It blends part of the folk aspect of 'Suzanne Vega' and 'Solitude Standing' w/some of the edge of '99.9 F'. It is the perfect mix. (i purposely do not mention 'Days of Open Hand' b/c I find it is so entirely weak.)

There truly is no bad song on this album and producer/then-husband, Mitchell Froom, brings out the best in her performances. "Stockings", "No Cheap Thrill", "Headshots", "Birth-day" and "Honeymood Suite" really make the album - though I mentioned, there really is no bad song.

I was hoping she would continue in this vein after her marriage broke up. Her subsequent disk is good - but really reverts back to her first two albums.

Obviously w/a five start rating, I would suggest you pick this disk up.

In Nine Objects of Desire Suzanne Vega is a songwriter on the very top of her game. Intelligent songwriting is a quantity in very short supply these days and Vega makes it look easy, with each song telling a different story. One would think that the music might suffer when so much attention has been paid to the lyrics, but this is not the case, musically each song is very well crafted. Many of the songs have a haunting or spooky quality to them, perhaps most exemplified by "Headshots," which probably got the most radio airplay, but they are all very evocative. "Nine Objects..." is what every album should be like, no clinkers among the bunch.

I love this CD! It's great when your relaxing at home with a cup of coffee. I'm only nineteen and I don't usually listen to this type of music. It's very easy listening. Caramel is my favorite and probably the only one I've really listened too, but I can let the CD just play while I'm at home and every song is nice.

Timing must be everything. Within the same week I picked up this excellent 1996 set at a garage sale, fell in love with the addictive "Caramel," and then heard the same song from the trailer of the new Mike Nichols film "Closer" starring Julia Roberts & Jude Law. With its samba beat and lyrical imagery, "Caramel" is a gorgeous track, "It won't do to dream of caramel, to think of cinnamon & long for you." Vega does a terrific job on many of the tracks here including "Headshots" with Steve Donnelly's haunting electric guitar, "He's just a poster, but he's everywhere. A face under a street lamp ripped & hanging in the air." "Casual Match" has a great insistent beat with Vega's haunting half-whispered vocals. "Lolita" also percolates with a bopping rhythm track. "Tombstone" is another catchy track, "I don't need to see the gates of famous men, but I do try to see the kingdom every now & then." "Nine Objects of Desire" boasts a number of sterling tracks. I'll wait to see if "Caramel" is included in the soundtrack for "Closer," but perhaps this set will again get some deserved exposure. Enjoy!

Vega continued to re-invent herself throughout the 90s. This was her second "industrial-folk" album and it would be followed by Songs In Red And Grey in 2001 (which sounded less 'produced' than Nine Objects).

Nine Objects Of Desire has some of her most memorable songs and the album never sinks too deep into mediocrity. The stand-out tracks are the jazzy "Caramel", the groovy "No Cheap Thrill", the silvery "World Before Columbus" and the closing number "My Favourite Plum". Personally I prefer the follow-up to this album. If you end up liking Nine Objects you should definitely try Songs In Red And Gray.

Having been the first Suzanne Vega album i've ever bought , this seemed to me unimpressive and quite bizzare at first . It is wrong though to try to judge Nine Objects Of Desire without taking the time to study carefully the songs and to distinguish the role it plays as a part of the discreet yet essential change in Vega's sound .

While on 99.9F the singer made the big step and reinvented herself by mixing her guitar melodies with funk and machinery sounds , on this offering we find her giving jazz a try . The lyrics are once more challenging and sharp . On " Birthday (love made real) " Vega sings about the experience giving birth . " One Thing i know , this pain will go " she declares at the beginning of the song only to start shouting " shake all over like an old sick dog... " with stange enthusiasm on the refrain . On " Honeymoon Suite " she tells us a hauntig story about visions and ghosts in some hotel-room in France . Her lines in many tracks are full of metaphors and symbolisms . What does her " Favourite Plum " stands for on the last track ? Is it a man ? Or is it the life she wants to have ? It's all these details that make this record so exciting .

Musically the variety is easily being sensed by the listener. Vega choses to follow paths she's never been to before and sings a bossa nova confession of lust in " Caramel " and the smoked , bluesy " Headshots " on which "...a poster of a boy on the wall " whose " two eyes in the sade ,a mouth so sad and small " brings in mind an old lover .

See Nine Objects Of Desire as a piece of potrait's puzzle picturing a woman who behind her calm looks hides so much soul and personallity . That's when you'll understand how great it actually is.