Tracy Chapman - Matters of the Heart

Less bold and angry than her previous work, Chapman paces Matters of the Heart over an acoustic course that touches equally on personal vignettes and social commentary. With her fluid, rapid-fire delivery, Chapman takes aim at society and lands several direct hits devoid of self-righteousness: songs about the downtrodden ("Bang Bang Bang"), feminism ("Woman's Work"), and freedom ("I Used to Be a Sailor"). The album's centerpiece is "If These Are the Things," a subtle, passionate masterpiece about coming to grips with innocence lost. A couple of songs suffer from too much sweetening in the studio, diluting the impact of Chapman's potent lyrics. The extraneous bells and whistles dressing up "Dreaming on a World" provide the most obvious example of a trend Chapman would do well to avoid in the future. ~ Roch Parisien, All Music Guide

Name Credits Alex Acuña Percussion Bob Clearmountain Mixing Bob Glaub Bass Bob Ludwig Mastering Bradshaw Leigh Engineer Chad Blinman Assistant Engineer Chad Munsey Assistant Engineer Charles Judge Keyboards David Bianco Engineer Ed Korengo Assistant Engineer Femi Jiya Engineer, Mixing Greg Goldman Assistant Engineer Herb Ritts Photography Jimmy Iovine Producer Joe Pirrera Assistant Engineer Larry Klein Bass Larry Williams Keyboards Manu Katche Drums Mark "Spike" Stent Engineer Michael Fisher Percussion Mike Campbell Guitar (Electric), Bouzouki, Mandolin Mino Cinelu Percussion Nellee Hooper Engineer, Percussion Niko Bolas Engineer Omar Hakim Drums Randy Jackson Bass Rick Plank Assistant Engineer Roy Bittan Accordion, Keyboards Steve Thornton Percussion Susie Tallman Coordination Thom Panunzio Engineer Tony Levin Bass Tracy Chapman Art Direction, Producer, Guitar (Acoustic) Vernon Reid Guitar (Electric) Waddy Wachtel Guitar (Electric)