Solitude Standing

Personnel includes: Suzanne Vega (vocals, guitar); Mitch Easter, Marc Shulman (electric guitar); Michael Visceglia (bass); Shawn Colvin (background vocals). Recorded at Bearsville Sound Studios, Bearsville, New York; RPM Sound Studios, New York, New York; A&M Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California; Clinton Recording Studios, New York, New York; Celestial Sound Studio, New York, New York; Carnegie Hill Studios, New York, New York. For the follow-up to her groundbreaking debut album, Vega made a wise move by incorporating her band further into the arrangement process. Thus, instead of delving deeper into her own introspective muse, she reaches outward to pursue a musical vision markedly expanded from the friendly folk-rock of the previous album. The dark, brooding influence of Leonard Cohen is felt more strongly here, as songs like the title track and "Night Vision" take the listener into a dark, moody world where unsettling emotions are described with moody, poetic flair. SOLITUDE STANDING also featured Vega's breakthrough hit "Luka," a startlingly original, masterfully written first-person account of a young boy whose denial is the only way to deal with his parents' physical abuse. The song rightfully established Vega as an artist of the first order, and won her legions of international fans.