Chapman’s bare vocals and guitar are too dim

‘ ‘ ‘ Our Bright Future is a disappointment from a talented artist whose own future, if it… ‘ ‘ ‘ Our Bright Future is a disappointment from a talented artist whose own future, if it continues in the direction of this album, is more likely to be dim and solitary than bright. ‘ ‘ ‘ From the outset: when one turns on some music, it’s rarely a good sign when confusion over the gender of the singer overshadows one’s impression of the music itself. ‘ ‘ ‘ This has frequently been the case with singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. A four time Grammy Award winner with multiple platinum albums, Chapman’s unique voice worked to her advantage on such memorable singles as ‘Fast Car’ and ‘Talkin’ bout a Revolution,’ but does not always do so. ‘ ‘ ‘ Her eighth studio album, Our Bright Future, strays stylistically from these successes, opting for an even more stripped down acoustic approach. Several tracks start with an acoustic countdown, which interrupts and distracts from the flow of the songs. The melodies function as soothing background noise but fail to enthrall or stand on their own. ‘ ‘ ‘ The gentle guitar accompaniment ebbs and flows prominantly on various tracks, a style that serves well to highlight strong lyrics.’ Paired with such disappointingly weak lyrics and lackluster vocal performances as Chapman offers on this album, however, it collapses. ‘ ‘ ‘ Perplexing word choices such as ‘Say I’m the bitch / Who was a bastard / Who did it all for the love and the laughter’ in ‘I Did It All’ and ‘Forget the chorus / You’re the bridge / The words and the music / To every day I’ve lived’ in ‘Sing for You’ are at turns overly simplistic and incomprehensible, but consistently unsatisfying. ‘ ‘ ‘ The title track laments something to the effect of today’s children being ‘Led on led on / To take the path / Where our bright future / Is in our past,’ though what exactly that might mean or why it is particularly undesirable is unclear. ‘ ‘ ‘ Foggy wording can be forgivable when a song possesses other redeeming attributes such as an alluring rhythm or intriguing vocals. This album lacks these redeeming attributes as well, and the poor lyricism stands out as a glaring flaw, especially disappointing from a songwriter who has proven herself capable of far better. ‘ ‘ ‘ The album suffers from a lack of unity, with songs touching on the beginnings of relationships (‘A Theory’) as well as the ends (‘Thinking of You’) and all manner of in-between stages. ‘ ‘ ‘ While thematic consistency is by no means a necessary element in all successful albums, the breadth and variety of Chapman’s compositions creates the dismal effect of a collage of feigned emotions, rather than writing coming from genuine feelings.