Personnel: Tracy Chapman (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Jack Holder (guitar, banjo); Neil Young (guitar, piano); G.E. Smith, Danny Kortchmar (guitar); Scarlet Rivera, Charlie Bisharat (violin); Jim Lacefield (cello); Snookie Young (trumpet); Frank Marocco (accordion); Marc Cohn, Jack Holder, John X. Volaitis (piano); Bob Marlette, William Smith, Steve Lindley (keyboards); Larry Klein, Tim Landers (bass); Denny Fongheiser, Russ Kunkel (drums); Paulinho Da Costa, Bobbye Hall (percussion); Carol Dennis, Elisecia Wright, Peggie Blu, Roz Seay, Sheila Minard (background vocals).
Producers: David Kershenbaum, Tracy Chapman.
Recorded at Powertrax Studio, Hollywood, California.
On her second album, Tracy Chapman goes the traditional singer-songwriter route--think Carly Simon, James Taylor, etc.--by largely writing about the effects on her life of the unexpected success of her first album. The title track, standard blues imagery aside, is as self-analytical and autobiographical as any one of Joni Mitchell's early '70s albums. Other songs, like "Material World," address the same concerns in more subtle fashion.
Elsewhere, Chapman looks at freedom and oppression in such songs as the Nelson Mandela tribute "Freedom Now" and "All That You Have is Your Soul." Chapman and producer David Kershenbaum add subtle touches like horns, slide guitar (courtesy of Neil Young), and accordion, opening up the guitar-and-voice canvas of her self-titled debut and fleshing out the strongly melodic songs without overpowering them.
