Beauty & Crime: Suzanne Vega: Amazon.co.uk: Music

Frequently Bought Together

+

+

Price For All Three: �16.84

Show availability and shipping details

This item: Beauty & Crime ~ Suzanne Vega
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
Nine Objects Of Desire ~ Suzanne Vega
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
Eligible for FREE UK delivery on orders over �5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
99.9f ~ Suzanne Vega
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
Eligible for FREE UK delivery on orders over �5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Nine Objects Of Desire

~ Suzanne Vega

5.0 out of 5 stars (5) �2.98

Solitude Standing

~ Suzanne Vega

4.5 out of 5 stars (4) �6.18

99.9f

~ Suzanne Vega

4.3 out of 5 stars (9) �2.98

Suzanne Vega

~ Suzanne Vega

4.4 out of 5 stars (7) �2.98

Retrospective - The Best Of Suzanne Vega

~ Suzanne Vega

5.0 out of 5 stars (13) �7.77

› Explore similar items

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

(What's this?)

Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)

suzanne vega

masterpiece

Customer Reviews

19 Reviews

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why the disappointment?, 21 Jun 2007

By	J. Reynolds "jonnyboymach4" (London) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Depsite often being accused of "experimenting", and changing direction etc. Suzanne Vega in reality has actually been stylisticly consistent throughout her long career.

Her deceptively simple songs, guitar plucking and voice can seem to fit into many different kinds of landscapes and genres (folk, latino, pop/rock etc. As such, she has always been very vulnerable to the talents and imagination of her producers. Her "techno-fok" period with producer/husband Mitchell Froom in the 90s was seen as a hugs leap, when in fact Froom was just shedding an unusual light on Suzanne.

Beauty and Crime is not really a huge departure for her. The structure of her songs, her guitar playing, it's all very consistent with her early work. It's certainly better than her last offering - the mawkish "divorce" album "Songs in Red and Gray".

It's the production that occasionally lets her down. However the songs I feel are some of her best. "Aniversary" is simply beautiful.

I would recommend this album completely. It would not have the production edge of previous work, but ultimately Suzanne has always been about her, her voice and her guitar - and for me this proves she is still in the game.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Plaintive, nostalgic album coloured by the spirit of New York, 19 Jun 2007

By	cathy earnshaw (Berlin, Germany) - See all my reviews

Suzanne Vega's seventh album is intended as a loving testimony to her hometown, New York. Urban and cultural references thicken the atmosphere: The record opens with a tale of a New York Graffiti artist on West End Avenue and rambles through Ludlow Street, where Vega's deceased brother used to live, to the 27th floor of a skyscraper. Bettie Page and Edith Wharton appear, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner passionately fight and Olivia Goldsmith (a writer on natural beauty) lies under anesthesia on an operating table. References to 9/11 abound ("smoke and ash still rising to the sky" in New York as a Woman and there is "the dust and the dirt and destruction" of Angel's Doorway). However, crime isn't allowed to crush the atmosphere of love and nostalgia here.

Although her music has long lacked the bite and edge of the 1985 album that made her famous, favouring instead the unfailingly polite style that she has developed since, her voice is as warm as ever. Shafts of her songwriting brilliance shine through: Ludlow Street is "painted in nicotine"; "words / like darling and angel and dear / crowd my mouth / in a path to your ear" on Bound; and Edith Wharton's Figurines talks of "finances and fears / her face and what it's worth to her / in the passing of the years".

In spite of Vega saying she pushed herself out of her comfort zone in the making of the record (she does sing higher than usual), her sound does remain a touch too run-of-the-mill. The twin dangers of Suzanne Vega's music - excessive solipsism and an overly safe production style - can still be heard here. In the middle, where the New York concept is abandoned in favour of tracks which teeter on the tightrope of personal sentimentality (As You Are Now, addressed to her teenage daughter), or which throb with out-of-place beat programming (Unbound), the album does sag a little. In interviews Vega has said that she intended to make a modern classic with 'Beauty & Crime'. This album falls short of that, but her faithful following and fans of coffee-shop literateness won't be disappointed.

Best tracks: 'Edith Wharton's Figurines', 'New York is a Woman', 'Anniversary', 'Ludlow Street'

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vega is back, 19 Jun 2007

By	Zeynep Ozdes (Ankara, Turkey) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After a long wait Suzanne Vega is back with her new album "Beauty&Crime" and without hesitation I can say that it was worth waiting for. This time Vega is sharing her city, New York, with us. And although we can say that the main theme of the album is NYC (something very specific) the lyrics are personal and universal at the same time. The highlights of the album (imho) are Ludlow Street (one of the best Vega songs ever in my opinion), Pornographer's Dream, Unbound, New York is a Woman and Anniversary. The only drawback of the record is it's shortness but as we all know quality is a lot more important than quantity.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 19 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Too tasteful and mature for its own good
I don't really like singer-songwriters. I especially don't like female singer-songwriters with their hippy-dippy lyrics (Joni Mitchell and Tori Amos are musical torture). Read more

Published 1 month ago by Pete

5.0 out of 5 stars really is something else...
I have listened to a lot of Suzanne Vegas hits and they are great and this latest album is just great. The sound of it leaves you wanting to listen again and again. Read more

Published 15 months ago by Caroline Ovens

5.0 out of 5 stars Vega at her best!!!
This album is modern, nostalgic, thought provoking and enchanting. For me this was one of the top 3 c.d's of 2007. Read more

Published 17 months ago by Mr. N. R. Partridge

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
I have all her official and unofficial ones too. And yes, this is one of her strongest.

Published 20 months ago by H. Popeck

5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXCELLENT COME BACK
Just few words, to say that is a real stunning come back from this talented songwriter.
Great melodies and arrangements. Read more

Published 22 months ago by Andrea Sbisa'

5.0 out of 5 stars The best so far?
Trying to objectively assess any record a matter of weeks after its release is difficult, particularly when it's from such a complex artist as Suzanne Vega - as her previous... Read more

Published 23 months ago by nicjaytee

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beautiful Crime Of Being Underrated (4.5 Stars)
Much like fellow singers such as Aimee Mann,Heather Nova and Natalie Merchant, singers who I feel get left on the shelf who really possess stellar work. Read more

Published 24 months ago by Phill

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and criminal at times
This album neither breaks new ground nor harkens completely back to the "classic" Vega sound of Solitude Standing, and I think that this might have contributed to the slightly... Read more

Published 24 months ago by pseudopanax

4.0 out of 5 stars Rewarding Listening!
It's been about six years since Suzanne Vega released her last (underrrated) album "Songs in Red and Grey". Now she has recorded and released 11 fine new songs. Read more

Published 24 months ago by Morten Vindberg

4.0 out of 5 stars A partial return to form
While Suzanne Vega's songs have always demonstrated a strong narrative and have shown her to be a gifted observer and lyricist, how they have sounded has changed considerably over... Read more

Published on 25 Jun 2007 by Rumbahbah

› See all 19 customer reviews...

Listmania!

Albums to change your mind......: A list by "mike_guildford"
Currently on heavy rotation in my CD player.: A list by diggs
BEST albums of the MILLENIUM so far!: A list by Finn

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Music > Adult Contemporary > Pop Rock
Music > Adult Contemporary > Singer-songwriters
Music > Pop

Look for similar items by subject

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Fun for Everyone

Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

More From Suzanne Vega

Suzanne Vega ~ Suzanne Vega

Though not the songs that would put her on the pop music map--that... Read more
£2.98

Up to 53% off Braun Series Shavers

Braun Series 3 390cc Clean & Renew System Rechargeable Foil Electric Shaver

Get in touch with your smooth side with Braun Series shavers, now with Gillette blade technology.

›Discover Braun Series at Amazon.co.uk

Treat Someone

With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

	66% buy the item featured on this page: Beauty & Crime 3.9 out of 5 stars (19) �10.88
	11% buy Nine Objects Of Desire 5.0 out of 5 stars (5) �2.98
	9% buy Suzanne Vega 4.4 out of 5 stars (7) �2.98
	8% buy Retrospective - The Best Of Suzanne Vega 5.0 out of 5 stars (13) �7.77


Amazon Home

International Sites: United States \| Germany \| France \| Japan \| Canada \| China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon \| Fulfilment by Amazon \| Join Associates \| Join Advantage

Customer Service \| Help \| View Basket \| Your Account

About Amazon.co.uk \| Careers at Amazon

Beauty & Crime

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product details

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

Customer Reviews

Customer Discussions

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Listmania!

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

More From Suzanne Vega

Up to 53% off Braun Series Shavers

Treat Someone

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History