Songs in Red and Gray is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega . It was released on September 25, 2001 by A&M Records .
On Songs in Red and Gray , Vega returns to her signature acoustic folk-pop sound, shedding the experiments she had done in the 1990s with her husband, record producer Mitchell Froom .[ 2] New producer Rupert Hine shows some traces of his past work with '80s new wave bands by employing electronic beats,[ 6] but mostly allows Vega's voice and guitar to dominate in a manner reminiscent of her debut album and its 1987 follow-up, Solitude Standing .[ 2] [ 6]
Most of the songs, like "Widow's Walk" and "If I Were a Weapon", deal with the dissolution of Vega's marriage with Froom.[ 2] [ 6] [ 7] Her "calm, hushed, clear singing"[ 2] belies the album's "mood of heartbroken defiance".[ 6] The lyrics are "the most personally revealing songs she has written" in her career.[ 7]
All tracks are written by Suzanne Vega except "St. Clare" written by Jack Hardy
Songs in Red and Gray track listingTitel 1. "Penitent" 4:16 2. "Widow's Walk" 3:33 3. "(I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May" 3:47 4. "It Makes Me Wonder" 4:00 5. "Soap and Water" 3:03 6. "Songs in Red and Gray" 4:18 7. "Last Year's Troubles" 3:35 8. "Priscilla" 4:14 9. "If I Were a Weapon" 2:45 10. "Harbor Song" 4:18 11. "Machine Ballerina" 2:57 12. "Solitaire" 2:10 13. "St. Clare" 2:30 Total length: 45:31
Bonus track (Japanese edition) Titel 14. "Golden" 3:53 Total length: 49:24
Suzanne Vega – vocals, acoustic guitar
Gerry Leonard – electric and acoustic guitars, dulcimer, mandolin, zither
Rupert Hine – keyboards, bass guitar, percussion, drum programming
Mike Visceglia – bass guitar
Nik Pugh – drum programming, synth lead
Jay Bellerose – drums
Matt Johnson – drums
Doug Yowell – drums, percussion
Pamela Sue Man – backing vocals, harmony vocals
Elizabeth Taubman – harmony vocals
Stephen W Tayler – recording and mixing engineer
^ "Classic Album Review: Suzanne Vega: Songs in Red and Gray" . Tinnitist. Retrieved 5 November 2023 .
^ a b c d e f Songs in Red and Gray at AllMusic
^ a b c d e "Songs In Red And Gray by Suzanne Vega" . AllMusic . Retrieved 3 June 2016 .
^ "Entertainment Weekly review" . Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-21 .{{cite web }}
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^ "Robert Christgau: CG: suzanne vega" . Retrieved 3 June 2016 .
^ a b c d Phipps, Keith (25 September 2001). "Suzanne Vega: Songs In Red And Gray" . Avclub.com . The A.V. Club . Retrieved 28 June 2016 .
^ a b Katz, Larry (September 23, 2001). "Revelations – Suzanne Vega's personal turmoil fuels intimate 'Red and Gray' " . The Boston Herald . Boston, MA. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2016 – via HighBeam Research .
^ "Response from ARIA re: ARIA chart history for Suzanne Vega, received October 31, 2017" . Imgur.com. Retrieved October 31, 2017 . N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. This history only contains data from the commencement of the ARIA-produced chart in mid-1988.
^ "Lescharts.com – Suzanne Vega – Songs in Red and Gray" . Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
^ "Officialcharts.de – Suzanne Vega – Songs in Red and Gray" . GfK Entertainment Charts . Retrieved June 8, 2014.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Suzanne Vega – Songs in Red and Gray" . Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart" . OLiS . Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . Retrieved June 8, 2014.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Suzanne Vega – Songs in Red and Gray" . Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
^ "Official Charts > Suzanne Vega (albums tab)" . The Official Charts Company . Retrieved October 30, 2015 .
^ "Suzanne Vega Chart History (Billboard 200)" . Billboard . Retrieved June 8, 2014.