A slice from Vega's Life

(c) 2007 Puja Goyal

Suzanne Vega brings New York in her latest album Beauty & Crime. Vega is better known for her hit song "Luka" released in 1987; which earned her three Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year. With this she brought in a new breed of female musicians like Tracy Chapman, Shawn Colvin, and Indigo Girls as well as the Lilith Fair phenomenon who were not afraid to experiment.

Luka was a surprise hit for Vega; it was written from the perspective of an abused boy. "It's a story about a lot of pain and it still moves me," says Vega. "I still get mail about it, people telling me stories of abuse. It's not a hit about love or something benign so that makes it a little difficult to play at times but it has so much meaning for so many people. If I'm only remembered for that song then that's a good thing."

Her a-cappella Tom's Diner was remixed by U.K. electronic dance duo DNA. Tom's Diner went gold; it was a bigger hit than Luka. Solitude standing a song about domestic abuse hit big in 1987.

"I just wanted to write poetic, complicated, emotional, urban songs. I made the music I wanted to make and expressed myself to the fullest," said Vega in an interview. She has remained true to her word. Beauty & Crime contains a trademark acoustic folk-pop essence with an urban touch.

The Manhattan native, Vega, uses New York as a backdrop for her eleven songs. Beauty… her first new studio album in six years; is a compilation of intensely personal lyrics, and short story-like narratives. It speaks of haunting images of the past coinciding with the fast life of the present and old images embodying a fresh perspective.

The songs that open and close Beauty & Crime, as well as Ludlow Street and Angel's Doorway, are written in remembrance of her late brother Tim and as such are deeply personal. Ludlow Street is a darker, more contemplative tune, about "the layers of time that one can sense in a single spot".

Anniversary, which concludes Beauty & Crime, is more inspirational though: "Make time for all your possibilities," Vega sings in a hushed voice in the end. "They live on every street." On New York is A Woman, she sees NY through the eyes of a man she met, who recounted to her his first amazed visit to the city: "I know a lot of people feel the same way as he did, they're knocked out flat by the seediness of it, the bigness of it, the beauty and the glamour and how gritty it can be," says Vega in an interview.

Vega brings into life the urban heroines of classic NY in Edith Wharton's Figurines. She captures the image of her nine year old daughter in a gentle, elegantly arranged song, As You Are Now; and reflects on the irresistible relationship between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner in Frank & Ava.

Beauty & Crime, is not only a slice of NY but also a slice from Vega's life; as she takes us on a journey of poetry, stories and images.