0295. Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega

First off: this isn't the album with Tom's Diner. But keep reading.
This debut actually sold platinum and is well deserving of it as Suzanne Vega (eponymous title) shows a folksinger that knows what she's doing. As an English lit. major in college her lyrics are of course referencing both classic literature and film, with topics properly obfuscated when they need to be.

The music's also expertly performed, but many parts of the album would have benefited by not including the synthesizer. Even though it's turned down in the background for the most part it's still a bit annoying when it pops up here and there. The most obvious is the single Marlene On The Wall, which, in spite of being a good song has a taint of the dreaded and dated eighties-sound. But as the "worst" track on the album it's still far better than most that I've listened to on this listing.

I'd like to especially mention Undertow and Knight Moves as tracks to listen to, they're prime examples of good songwriting with hooks that can settle for days.