Nine Objects of Desire Suzanne Vega
	1. Birth-day (love made real) 2. Headshots 3. Caramel 4. Stockings 5. Casual Match 6. Thin Man 7. No Cheap Thrill 8. World Before Columbus 9. Lolita 10. Honeymoon Suite 11. Tombstone 12. My Favorite Plum

In the pre-release hype for this album, there was much ado made over the fact the Suzanne Vega had left the waif behind. Let's face it, she was 37 years old, married, mother of a 2 year old (which automatically ages you another 12 years -- trust me, I've had one of those wonderful little monsters running around the house myself), and her first album was over 10 years old. And the interviews -- I was half expecting this album to sound like the latest stuff from Celine Dion or Toni Braxton. But I shouldn't have worried -- Suzanne still has the voice of the waif -- it's just that the waif has grown up a little.

A brief description of the songs on the album could go like this...

• Birth-day: the waif gets a little kinky
• Headshots: the waif is fascinated with the photo of another waif
• Caramel: the waif sings of desire
• Stockings: the waif meets a very interesting woman
• Casual Match: the waif does aerobics with Smokey the Bear
• Thin Man: the waif tells of a mysterious stranger
• No Cheap Thrill: the waif is as good at the game as anyone
• World Before Columbus: the waif sings of loss
• Lolita: the waif sings of THE WAIF
• Honeymoon Suite: the waif tells of strange occurances during her honeymoon
• Tombstone: the waif sings of permanance
• My Favorite Plum: the waif sings again of desire

I know, that's a bit simplistic, but it is fairly accurate. You want details -- especially on the kinky part, right? First chorus goes, "Step through all that's left to feel / I wait to meet my love made real." The next chorus is "Strip and find a place to kneel / I wait to meet my love made real." The last chorus is "Strap me down from wrist to heel / I wait to meet my love made real." The only thing left would be "Beat me, Whip me, Take away my Oldsmobile / I wait to meet my love made real." Needless to say, this is a bit of a change from previous lyrics -- and when delivered in her waifish voice makes for an interesting song. Caramel was featured in the movie "The Truth About Cats and Dogs", and along with Tombstone and Thin Man, feature different musical style than what you're used to hearing from Suzanne. This is undoubtedly a result of her producer (and husband) Mitchell Froom, and it is very impressive. Styles range from the old Suzanne style, to a bit of the Industrial that populated her last album (Casual Match) to a bit of Jazzy Swing.

Ok, so maybe this wasn't an album I was anxiously waiting for (like the next release in the Beatles Anthology series), but it is certainly one that I'm glad I got. I listened to it so much, I nearly wore it out.

p.s. The image is from the official Suzanne Vega Site, go visit there.