Thursday, April 28, 2005

Suzanne Vega - 99.9 F

I still have the old cassette tape of 99.9 F, my first Suzanne Vega album. I remember finding the songs very odd and sometimes a bit scary. But what do you expect with song titles such as 'Blood Makes Noise', 'Blood Sings', and 'Fat Man & Dancing Girl'. The booklet included in the album had a circus theme, showing different posters, the lyrics as circus flyers, and even Suzanne posing as a performer.

The songs are good but not great. Most people will probably not appreciate the musical style of this one. It is hard to describe. Kind of like a mixture of folk music with a funky atmosphere. It also doesn't showcase Suzanne's singing voice as well as her other albums.

My favorite tracks are: '99.9 F' (great voice), 'Blood Makes Noise' (I think it's about a Cancer or AIDS patient, not sure), 'Bad Wisdom' (nice instruments), and 'If You Were in my Movie' (very unique lyrics, Suzanne switches between talking and singing in this one).

This album lacks identity, I hate to say it, but it sounds a bit uninspired. Maybe it will grow on me one of these days.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars * * *
For Suzanne Vega fans only.

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