www.rollingstone.com

** stars
Tracy Chapman has never been a mirth merchant, but her sixth album, Let It Rain, is a bum trip even by her somber standards. The gospel inflections and hand claps of "You're the One" and "Say Hallelujah" at least hold out the possibility of redemption, as the music momentarily lifts from its austere acoustic haze. But Chapman's primary subject is pain: "Another Sun" hungers for death over a creeping bass line; the tremulous shadow play of "In the Dark" hints at self-abuse; and "Hard Wired" envisions a future in which evil corporate forces leave us "stripped naked on the television, humiliated in front of millions." The singer sounds like she can barely pick herself up off the floor, mumbling her way through "Happy" and sleepwalking through an instrumental. In "I Am Yours," her voice trembling, she can't surrender unconditionally, even to a lover. It's a harrowing trip, and while clearly heartfelt, one is left with the impression that Let It Rain isn't so much meant to be enjoyed as pitied.
GRED KOT
(RS 909 – November 14, 2002)


www.eonline.com

B+

Our Review:
On her sixth album, Tracy Chapman moves far beyond earnest acoustic folk and comes up with something soulful and rich. Coproducer John Parish (Sparklehorse, PJ Harvey) gets behind the wheel of this not-so-fast car, bringing his trademark swampy murk and noirish ambiance without diluting Chapman's powerful sense of melody. So much so, she actually comes off almost gospelly at times. The results are compelling and restrained, with hand claps, creaking organ and thudding bass drums joining Chapman's melancholy pipes. A cool storm.