Where You Live

Tracy Chapman

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 13, 2005)
• Original Release Date: September 13, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000A3DG8A
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,253 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

For Where You Live musician Tracy Chapman wanted to keep the production and performance aspect simple. According to Tracy, "this approach creates an opportunity for more emotion." The lady speaks the truth. Where You Live is straight-up raw and gets high marks for achieving that pared-down effect. "Talk to You" is nothing short of perfection--four minutes of sparse, sad soul music sung to a departing lover. The next cut "3,000 Miles" is about a different longing, a poetry-rich track that captures the desperation of isolation, alone in a city filled with violence, and a yearning to be in a safe space. By virtue of being a folk singer with deep convictions, Chapman has not been shy about tackling difficult topics. On this release, "America" is easily the most political, a dialogue on appropriation starting from Christopher Columbus to the present day. Surprisingly, the disc’s first single, "Change" is one of the least gut-wrenching, so those who aren’t fans of the song best not be put off by it. Incredibly, Where You Live marks Chapman’s 20th anniversary as a recording artist. Along the way, songs such as "Fast Car," "Talkin’ 'Bout a Revolution" and "Give Me One Reason" have demonstrated her amazing power. On Where You Live, her testament to musical simplicity is a good move, allowing this important singer/songwriter a chance to showcase beauty, fragility, and a magically incendiary spirit. --Denise Sheppard

Product Description

For nearly two decades, Tracy Chapman has been a truly individual voice on the modern musical landscape, charting and artistic path that owes nothing to trend and fashion, and everything to personal spirit, intelligence, and integrity. An eloquent teller of stories that are at once deeply intimate and yet speak to universal human concerns and a wider social conscience, Chapman has created a body of work that has been as consistently compelling as it is honest and uncompromising.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Live It Up, September 15, 2005

By	Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Tracey Chapman is one of the more underrated performers of the last twenty years. Every two or three years she releases an album filled with quality songs. Where You Live is no exception to this rule. The album is an appealing mixture of socially aware and deep lyrics set to an easy flowing mid-tempo beat. Ms. Chapman has one of the warmest voices in music and she employs it to perfection on tracks like "Never Yours", "3,000 Miles", "Before Easter" and the highlight track "Talk To You". "America" is another classic political charged song from Ms. Chapman and lets hope she continues to shine a light on the issues as she has done so admirably well for so long.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Artist of Beauty, Inspiration and Honesty, September 15, 2005

By	John C. Bergeron (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With "Where You Live," Tracy Chapman continues to build on an important body of work. Her most consistent virtue (one among many!) is the choice she obviously made from day one, to use her wonderful writing and performing skills as tools to strip away the veneer of our daily comforts, and talk to us honestly about who we are, and where we are going. For many Americans, listening to the songs in this moving release will be like looking into a mirror, and for the rest of us, I hope they serve as an alarm of sorts, and an indelible reminder that this is where we all live. On several of these songs, Tracy's voice reminds me of the late great Nina Simone. Given the substance of their respective bodies of work, I believe both of them would be very comfortable with this comparison. This is a great record!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a rare treat!, November 19, 2005

By	Mr. J. J. Horan "jamesoboe" (Scotland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I wanted to post a review on this site to tell everyone that I recently attended Ms. Chapman's Edinburgh concert on 6th November which was part of her world tour. I've always had the greatest respect for her music and own most of her albums. Her "Debut" and "Matters of the Heart" albums have always been my favourites. She spoke to the audience on several occasions and came across as a shy, lovely and warm person. She sang all her most famous songs and many of the less well-known, yet equally powerful numbers from all of her albums. I can't begin to describe how this live concert confirmed in my mind just what a great gift to music her art is. It was truly affecting how she clasped her hands together in front of her while singing "Behind the Wall" and later performed "The Promise". It was all so incredibly moving. Of course, she sang about 4 or 5 numbers from her new album "Where You Live". She appeared so dramatic standing between two large drums (which she played), with her guitar around her shoulders while singing "America". It forcibly struck me how powerfully her songs communicated in the context of a live concert when perhaps certain of her more abstract songs are a little difficult to understand in the more intimate setting of one's own room or on a discman. I enjoyed this new album. It continues her tradition of great song-writing, offering thought-provoking, moving, conscience music. Treasure her America! She's that rare breed of an enduring Artist whose music is more relevant than ever in a somewhat jaded world.