Carefully perfected stories
Yael Menahem
Oregon Daily Emerald
“Telling Stories” is a perfectly
fitting title to the latest release
from one of music’s best story
tellers, Tracy Chapman. Chap
man, who usually focuses on so
cial issues in her songs, makes no
exception in this release.
The title track immediately
captures the audience with Chap
man’s distinctive sound that in
cludes a haunting musical
arrangement. Although it’s dis
tinctly her, Chapman manages to
keep her fresh through rich lyrics
and familiar guitar.
In the fourth track, “It’s OK,”
Chapman tries “to keep the walls
from falling down” with beauti
fully written guitar riffs and an
abrupt ending that leaves listen
ers wanting more. The song is fol
lowed by “Wedding Song,”
which takes a new turn with a
more up-tempo sound.
The album’s strongest song is
the 10th track, “The Only One,”
with Emmylou Harris joining
Chapman on background vocals.
The ballad-like song — with its
subtle folk and country sound —
could’ve made for the perfect
ending for the CD with both these
talented singers’ soothing voices
leading listeners through the
song.
Chapman sings about love, life
and touches on the progress of
black people in America in
“Nothing Yet” when she
poignantly sings “from 40 acres to
a 40 ounce.” With such hard-hit
ting lyrics, her audience knows to
expect only the best from this
singer who can attack social is
Courtesy CD covers
The Cure’s Robert Smith says ‘Bloodflowers’ is the band’s most perfect CD ever. Tracy
Chapman, who plays the Hult Center on April 22, has a pretty strong effort herself
with ‘Telling Stories.’
sues as well as the pain of love.
“Telling Stories” is one of those
CDs you can listen to repeatedly
and appreciate every time.
Yael Menahem
Oregon Daily Emerald
Where did The Cure go in the
1990s?
Even though the band released
several CDs, among them 1992’s
“Wish” album, which featured
“Friday I’m in Love” and the fa
vorite “Letter to Elise,” the
group’s latest release, “Blood
flowers,” will likely leave its best
mark yet.
The band’s inescapable melan
choly sound is still present
throughout the nine-track CD, but
its sounds are soothing as well.
Most of the songs feature one
and-a-half minute beautifully
strung introductions that enrich
them in ways that makes “Blood
flowers” truly a Cure CD
The title track “Out of this
World” begins with an acoustic
guitar, haunting background
sounds and the Cure’s signature
keyboards as Robert Smith’s voice
surfaces. At times the vocals
sound painful for Smith to pro
duce, but he is able to rise from
his torturous lyrics to leave an im
pact on the audience.
“Where the Birds Always
Sing,” the third track, is one of the
strongest songs on the album.
Even though Smith sings of a fair
and unfair world, the piano, elec
tric guitars and his vocals blend
together perfectly.
The seventh track, “The Loud
est Sound,” is another mellow
track that features a touch of elec
tronica, making listeners feel like
they’re on a different planet.
After 20 years and 13 studio re
leases, not many bands can top
their previous hits. But the Cure
does so successfully in “Blood
flowers”; even Smith, in a press
release, says this is the most per
fect Cure album ever.
Read Jake Oilman's
Computer &
Technology column
every Monday, Wednesday & Friday
only at www.dailyemerald.com
Recycle • Remle • Recycle • Recycle
Buy an ice cold can of
Coca-Cola classic
from specially marked
on-campus vending
machines and you
could win an exclusive
Universal Music CD.
Offer ends
March 31, 2000.
Look for more Universal
Studios experiences
this summer!