Review: Tracy Chapman (Album) -- by Tracy Chapman
It recently came to my attention through news articles that Luke Combs' infamous cover of Tracy Chapman song "Fast Car" outperformed its predecessor. According to NPR, the country music star's rendition topped number 4 this past week, higher than the precursor's top performance at number 6. Hearing this news, I decided it was time to take a look back at the original album that this hit-single came from. Immediately I found myself connecting with Chapman on a spiritual level. For me, this was an opportunity to revisit one of the most important folk artists of her generation.
Her album is not shy about addressing the primary concerns. "Talkin' About a Revolution" is a bold declaration of the struggles that many working Americans were (and are) still experiencing. As always, any well-written piece has multiple meanings. "Talkin' About a Revolution" -- in my own understanding-- refers broadly to working-class Americans but comes from the perspective of one who is a Black woman. The lyrics sing about coming to the realization that every day the prosperity is being stolen away for the sake of boosting the surplus of those who are in a higher status. Political policies-- backed by both of America's major political parties-- are taking their toll on America's poor and working classes. Chapman sings about the every day experiences of the people and how they must rally together if they want to see significant changes. Her song is a pushback against the dehumanization that happens in America.
"Fast Car" is the monumental folk sensation that draws attention to the plights of an American woman who comes from a humble, small town and how she quits school and picks up a job to support herself and her family. When she encounters a stranger with a car-- she takes the opportunity to flee to the city and start afresh. Again though, she is met with adversity as she struggles to make ends meet working a low-wage job and is living in a shelter with the man alongside whom she fled the countryside. As she is starting to do better for herself though, she realizes that the man she now has her own family with is failing to be supportive of her or their family's future. The somber reality is a reflection of the policies that were set in place which were taking their toll on those living paycheck to paycheck. It is also a reflection on how difficult it can be to escape poverty regardless of whether you live in the countryside or the city.
Chapman's other songs are powerful and really show the depth and scope of her voice and her experience. Much of this is rooted in her own personal experience growing up in Akron, Ohio. Several of her songs look at how the policies and procedures impacted lower-income communities, and how they continuously pit America's White and upper-classes with the Black upper and lower-classes. It is a reflection of the tense racial dynamics in the United States and how the struggles of the Civil Rights Era were far from over. She reflects on how many police officers fail the communities they police when they are needed, on how the American Dream is being stolen away by those who have more than enough, and how ordinary people still persist even despite all the odds stacked against them.
Perhaps one of my favorite lines from this album goes:
Her album is an excellent example of the personal and the political being intertwined. The rights and liberties of the people and the communities they build are always up for debate as long as we continue to put the desires of affluent over them. Tracy Chapman's work connects with a wide variety of audiences. While she was growing up in Akron, Ohio...she inspired the likes of Luke Combs-- a White country singer from North Carolina. While the two of them are seemingly so far apart in terms of their experience...that music can shed a light on not only what we share but also what makes us human. Black people -- Black women no less-- are human. Poor people are human. Urban and country folk are more alike than they are not. This is especially important given that despite what we may believe-- there is still plenty of work revolving how America treats its citizens. As someone who found his "fast car" and took a "one way ticket to anywhere" I can resonate strongly with Chapman's journey even despite my differences.
You can listen to the album here.
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