SUZANNE VEGA : AN EVENING OF NEW YORK SONGS AND STORIES

  1. Marlene On The Wall
  2. Luka
  3. 'So How Many People Are Here From Out Of Town?'
  4. New York Is A Woman
  5. 'This Next Song Takes Place On 59th Street...'
  6. Frank And Ava
  7. 'So I Myself Came To New York City When I Was 2½ Years Old'
  8. Gypsy
  9. Freeze Tag
  10. Pornographer's Dream
  11. 'This Next Song Is Called New York Is My Destination'
  12. New York Is My Destination
  13. 'The First Time I Saw Lou Reed...'
  14. Walk On The Wild Side
  15. Ludlow Street
  16. Cracking
  17. 'And Now We've Got A Song About Those Times...'
  18. Some Journey
  19. 'I'm Gonna Close With This Song...'
  20. Tom's Diner
  21. 'Would You Like Another One?'
  22. Anniversary
  23. Tombstone
  24. Thin Man

Label : Cooking Vinyl

Venue : Cafe Carlyle, New York City, New York, USA

Recording Date : March 5, 2019

Release Date : September 11, 2020

Length : 62:23

Review (AllMusic) : New York is a pretty big city, big enough that there's more than one type of prototypical New Yorker. When she released her debut album in 1985, Suzanne Vega seemed very much a New Yorker, a well-groomed but card-carrying Greenwich Village bohemian who emerged in the wake of anti-folk and the Fast Folk magazine crowd with an acoustic guitar and a stack of songs. While Vega's style has not changed radically with the passage of time, 2020's An Evening of New York Songs and Stories documents her presenting herself to a very different sort of Big Apple resident, the moneyed Manhattan sophisticate who has refined taste and the bankroll to indulge it. This album was recorded live during a series of shows at the Cafe Carlisle, a classy venue for classic cabaret and jazz artists with intimate seating, a hefty cover charge, and a gently but firmly enforced dress code. While bits of Vega's set run counter to a typical act playing the Carlisle -- if the audience wasn't expecting "Luka," the notion of a song about child abuse would be out of the question -- most is the work of a polished, expert performer who knows how to engage her audience while sounding cool and emotionally engaged at the same time. Vega has never been a flashy vocalist, but with the passage of time that's become an asset; she doesn't have a history of vocal gymnastics to live up to at the age of 60, and she's as authoritative as ever with this material, even more when she allows her maturity to add gravitas to her repertoire. And the low-key arrangements (no drums) are brilliantly executed by guitarist Gerry Leonard, bassist Jeff Allen, and especially Jamie Edwards, whose keyboards evoke piano, vibes, strings, and a number of other instruments that give the songs a rich, satisfying tone. And if Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" seems at once out of place and on the nose in this context, Vega's rendition makes it sound like something from New York's storied past, as much a part of the city's legacy as the supper club elegance typified by the Cafe Carlisle. Suzanne Vega was a talent to watch when she was playing Folk City in the West Village in the mid-'80s, and on An Evening of New York Songs and Stories in 2019, she reminds us she's more than lived up to her promise and remains a quietly charismatic performer with plenty of songs worth hearing.

Review (Mxdwn Music) : With such a long and storied career starting from her first releases in 1985, Suzanne Vega draws from her discography to create An Evening of New York Songs and Stories, a live album composed of some of Vega's most notable songs that have to do with the Big Apple itself. It's no secret that New York City is important to Vega, and that really shines through on this album. But what stands out even more than that is Vega's aptitude for weaving narratives, using her folk-inspired style to make each song a complete story in and of itself. Releasing a live album right now is a smart move. With a lot of concerts being canceled or at the very least restricted, albums like this one are one way to get a part of the live experience. And while many will probably say that there's no substitute for watching a show live, An Evening of New York Songs and Stories does a commendable job of hitting some of the high notes. There are several interludes from Vega where she introduces the next song and gives a little bit of its background. These are usually very short and they're casual, not intrusive, and they help the album flow a bit better. However, there are definitely some aspects of a live performance that don't translate over. There's no mystery as to whether Vega will do an encore when she says "this next one will be the last" and there are four tracks after it. The songs themselves are some of the best of the best of Vega's work, being pulled from a large span of time. From 1985's "Marlene on the Wall," which opens the performance, to 2012's "Ludlow Street" and to 2016's "New York is My Destination," almost the entirety of Vega's career is represented here. Each song's story draws the listener in, creating a personable and intimate atmosphere that's boosted by the well-produced audio and non-intrusive audience noises. Standouts include "Frank and Ava," which follows a tumultuous couple on 59th Street, "Freeze Tag," a somber tale of childhood and love and its end, and the aforementioned "New York is My Destination." This last one is notable because Vega initially wrote it for a play about Carson McCullers to embody her hopes and aspirations and ideas about New York City, and here on this album it serves as roughly the same thing - the idealized version of the city that so many dream of. But like New York City, this album is incredibly multifaceted. It shows the city's sides while showing Vega's own multitude of talented approaches to songs. "Ludlow Street" in particular stands out as opening with a darker, captivating sound that blends with Vega's dynamic voice. During the chorus, the song shifts into a more hopeful tone as the titular location is brought up as a kind of refuge. Vega uses not just her voice and words but also her instrumentals to paint this picture, to draw out the emotions she intends to convey. A similar darker tone shines through on "Some Journey," although this track is as a whole more sorrowful and reflective than in the moment like "Ludlow Street." However, "Some Journey" builds on its opening well, adding in musical flourishes and instruments to keep the flow. This aspect combines with the lyrics to portray Vega getting lost in fantasies of what could have been, drifting into her own thoughts and away from the reality of the situation until the built-up music falls away and Vega's vocals stand out stark against spartan chords as her actual experience dawns. A thrumming lower riff starts to kick in as she regains her determination, and hope breaks through the clouds in a fascinating instrumental section. And at the very end, everything stops dead and lands on one final resolution, a spelled-out chord that finishes off the piece with lingering admiration. This album successfully encapsulates the aspects that led to Vega's longevity in the industry, and brings a bit of the concert experience to the home in the process.