Warner Bros. Tracy Chapman - Crossroads

After the enormous success of her eponymous debut album in 1988, enhanced by her appearance at a Nelson Mandela tribute concert that same year, it was never going to be easy for Tracy Chapman to deliver a similar bolt from the singer-songwriter blues a year later on this, her "tricky" second album. On Crossroads Chapman plays it cautiously from a musical point of view, offering a slightly fleshed-out version of the smouldering acoustics of her debut. But Chapman's subdued sound can't conceal the unabated anger of her lyrics. "Freedom Now", dedicated to Nelson Mandela, "Material World and "Subcity", a scalding diatribe against racism and urban poverty are reminiscent of Nina Simone in their quivering indignation. After this album, however, Tracy Chapman had made her point and seemed to lose interest in her career. --David Stubbs

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