This eponymous debut album released in 1988 firmly secured Tracy Chapman's part in the revival of the singer songwriter tradition. The album takes the sounds of traditional folk and adds a modern twist with Chapman's politically charged lyrics. The album features the UK top twenty single 'Fast Car' as well as the popular 'Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution'.

Jan 2010

This eponymous debut album released in 1988 firmly secured Tracy Chapman's part in the revival of the singer songwriter tradition. The album takes the sounds of traditional folk and adds a modern twist with Chapman's politically charged lyrics. The album features the UK top twenty single 'Fast Car' as well as the popular 'Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution'.

• Rolling Stone (10/31/02, p.136) - Ranked # 28 in Rolling Stone's "Women in Rock: The 50 Essential Albums" - "...[This album] brought some charge back to activist folk rock..."
  Rolling Stone (11/89) - 4 Stars - Excellent - Ranked # 10 in Rolling Stone's "100 Best Albums Of The 80s" survey.

Personnel: Tracy Chapman (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, percussion); Jack Holder (guitar, dobro, electric sitar, hammered dulcimer, Hammond organ); Ed Black (guitar); David LaFlamme (electric violin); Steve Kaplan, Bob Marlette (keyboards); Larry Klein (bass); Denny Fongheiser (drums, percussion); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion).
Recorded at Powertrax, Hollywood, California.
Tracy Chapman exploded out of the Boston folk scene in the late eighties, carrying the acoustic guitar-playing singer/songwriter mantle to a more political and socially conscious level than had recently been achieved. Her deep alto and throttled vocal delivery, combined with attentively scrutinized social scenarios presented in a simple, accessible manner, rocketed Tracy to the top of the charts and into the Grammy record books. Instrumentally crisp and minimal, TRACY CHAPMAN is a compelling statement from the no-holds-barred black singer/songwriter, stealing the focus away from the popular folk mafia.
Chapman expresses a heretofore unmined black, feminist, disenfranchised point of view--from the helpless-but-hopeful underclass of the smash hit "Fast Car," to the defiant politicos of "Talkin' `Bout A Revolution." In regards to other issues, Tracy responds to Suzanne Vega's "Luka" with her own a capella song about domestic violence, "Behind The Wall"; and the percussive "Mountains O' Things" is about material wealth. But TRACY CHAPMAN is not all social politics; there are several rapturously tender love songs included as well.
There are many strong influences to be heard in Tracy's voice, particularly Joan Armatrading (on "Baby Can I Hold You") and Odetta. Infused with those powerful roots, Chapman dramatically changed the commercial stakes of folk music by blending a catchy, acoustic backdrop to her social rhetoric, and delivering her manifestos in a unique, commanding voice that seemed like a beacon in a sea of mediocrity.

Tracy Chapman made quite a stir with her first album in 1988. With her soulful, Joan Armatrading-like voice and poignant songs full of artfully rendered social realism, she represented a strong new voice in the singer-songwriter realm. That album's hit "Fast Car" became her signature song. Though Chapman never equalled her debut's success, she's continued putting out thoughtful, emotionally honest records over the years, and her commercial profile got a boost with the surprise bluesy hit "Give Me One Reason" in 1996.