Tracy Chapman: Telling Stories

Tracy Chapman's rocky career began at its creative peak: Her brilliant self-titled 1988 debut won well-deserved awards and critical accolades, sold millions, and established her as one of the finest singers and songwriters to emerge in ages. But from there, she's experienced a sophomore slump (1990's underrated Crossroads, which might have been a classic had her lyrics not succumbed to Perils Of Fame Syndrome), a lousy third album (Matters Of The Heart), and a surprising comeback with 1996's appropriately titled New Beginning and the biggest hit of her career, the breezy, bluesy "Give Me One Reason." On the new, too-long-awaited Telling Stories, Chapman reverts a bit to the flaws that undermined her early-'90s output, falling back on platitudes about self-reliance and the evils of materialism when personal revelations or memorable hooks would have been preferable. The title track (and single) is the closest thing to a great pop song here, while "Less Than Strangers" mines comfortable if familiar terrain, but neither comes close to her best moments, from the harrowing and true "Fast Car" to the irresistibly pop-savvy "Give Me One Reason." Chapman seems to coast through Telling Stories, a minor disappointment from someone who routinely threatens to develop into a major artist.