Trax: Singing about 9/11

Even if the name Suzanne Vega means nothing to you, there is no doubt you will have heard her famous song Luka.

This haunting track, written from the point of view of a child suffering physical abuse, is still played on the radio all the time, 20 years after it was first released.

Despite its difficult subject matter, it is a radio-friendly, catchy song that exemplifies Vega's gift for marrying literate and meaningful lyrics to hummable melodies.

Vega is back

After a long fallow period - it is six years since she last released a studio album, 2001's Songs in Red and Gray - Vega has now returned with Beauty and Crime.

Even on first listen it is clear that Vega has lost none of her songwriting talents, although unsurprisingly there is nothing quite as instantly melodic as Luka.

And her voice is as hauntingly beautiful as ever as she sings about themes ranging from the death of loved ones to September 11.

The themes

In Ludlow Street she talks of going back to the road in New York after which the song is named, only this time without her brother, who died several years ago.

"I find each stoop and doorway's incomplete without you there," she sings.

Like Ludlow Street, several of the other tracks focus on Vega's home city, among them New York Is a Woman, which talks of the devastation of September 11, of "smoke and ash still rising to the sky".

Zephyr and I also references 9/11, mentioning the "Fireman's Monument" where the "fatherless teenagers" go.

But for all its discussion of the twin towers attack and its aftermath, this is not a downbeat album in any way.

There is a slightly risqué element to parts of the record, and a bittersweet nostalgia to songs such as Frank and Ava, which refers to Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner.

Short but musical

Much of the record has a fairly sparse production sound, although mixed in with the tracks on which Vega has little more than her acoustic guitar for company are more upbeat numbers.

On the closing song, Anniversary, there is a beautiful choral accompaniment.

This is a short album by modern standards - its 11 songs together reach less than 35 minutes - but it is thoughtfully written, beautifully played and has an emotional resonance that makes it stick in your mind long after you have switched off the CD player.

Hotseat

Touring Australia

Former Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes is planning his first tour in his native Australia in three years.

Hayes, 35, who released his comeback single On The Verge of Something Wonderful in July, will be promoting his new double album This Delicate Thing We've Made during his live shows this October.

With former Savage Garden partner Daniel Jones, Hayes sold about 20 million albums before his group split in 2001.
His previous hits as a solo artist include Insatiable, Crush (1980 Me), I Miss You and Popular.

Avril lavigne in court

A 1970s band has claimed that singer Avril Lavigne copied one of their songs - and they are taking legal action. Tommy Dunbar and James Gangwer from band The Rubinoos say Lavigne's track Girlfriend is too similar to their composition I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend. On video website YouTube, pranksters have posted Lavigne's video as the accompaniment to the audio track of I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.