Tracy Chapman has found religion. I don't know if it's an organized religion or even a religion in the traditional sense, but she's found some spiritual quality that clearly inspires this new CD.

In some ways, it's completely new, but in other ways it's classic Tracy, filled with sexual and spiritual ambiguity that leaves the listener speculating but never really knowing.

Tracy Chapman albums should usually come with an advisory label. "WARNING: Do Not Open This CD If Depressed." But this CD is different. The voice may be the same, but the tone seems more hopeful, almost prayerful, as in the first song when she asks for "hope that help is coming."

In "Another Sun," Chapman seems almost resigned to her fate in "the world beyond." She suggests her comfort comes not from people but from a greater power.

In "You're the One," Chapman has found the right one, no matter what anyone else says. She thinks the person (is it a male or female or does it matter?) is just "misunderstood" while everyone else thinks otherwise.

"In the Dark" has a beautiful celestial essence to it, as though Chapman is praying instead of singing, which is a fitting quality for a song that seems to take its genesis from the spiritual realm. In the Bible, Jesus says that "whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light." Similarly, a familiar church passage says, "what you do in the dark will be seen in the light." Chapman's haunting lyrics and music make you wonder exactly what are those "things some do in the dark." For some reason, I don't think she's talking about sex. Perhaps she's talking about a deeper question of moral integrity.

"Almost" only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and Tracy Chapman's songs. Her song "Almost" introduces yet another riddle into this collection of music. She says, "I almost got what I want/Almost found what I lost." But what exactly is it that she almost got? It's a song that can be played over and over again discovering its layers.

"Hard Wired" is classic Tracy Chapman, creating a science fiction story of a plan to steal our thoughts and desires with technology. "We've got a box to put in your brain/Hard wired for downloading/All the secrets and the mysteries/You've been selfishly withholding." But the genius of this song is not just the lyrics but the musical pacing, as Chapman slows down and speeds up back and forth to advance the theme.

The followup song, "Say Hallelujah" is a tambourine-thumping resurrection song. "The body is gone," she sings, "he wouldn't want us to cry." She never mentions Jesus but it sounds almost like a religious song. Similarly, the song "Broken" is a reminder to live in the present but seems to speak of a peacefulness that "will set you free."

The CD slows down at the end. First, in "Happy," Chapman again sings to a lover of undisclosed gender, but this time "everyone agrees" that the lover is the one. In "Goodbye," Chapman sings quietly about a parting of the ways, but with whom we do not know.

The final song on the CD, "I Am Yours" clarifies everything and nothing. "I am yours if you are mine," she sings. Coming at the end of this CD, Chapman could just as easily be singing to a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a friend, a relative or God. We don't know for sure.

Over the years, Tracy Chapman has been one of my favorite artists. But I have to admit I've been an unfaithful fan. I still listen to her music, but I haven't bought one of her CDs since I was in school 10 years ago. Now I'm back.

I remember the hilarious "Living Color" spoof on Chapman sitting in her apartment, looking out the window for inspiration, and then strumming her guitar to the tune of "I Write A Fast Song." This CD is not like that. It is not a series of songs collected from everyday life.

If you like Tracy Chapman, you will like Let It Rain. If you don't like Tracy Chapman, you're still gonna get Tracy Chapman's voice but you're going to get a whole new theme from this CD. This is an excellent CD if you're willing to give it a chance.

© Copyright 2002 by Keith Boykin.