Beauty & Crime
by Suzanne Vega
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 1 out of 20

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  1. jonasj.
    Jul 28, 2007
    10
    Great work by a great artist.
  2. JJ
    Aug 2, 2007
    10
    This album has sleeper hit written all over it. One of the best new albums of the year so far and without a doubt her most solidly written and accessible works yet.
  3. joem.
    Aug 1, 2007
    10
    pretty good
  4. miker.
    Aug 6, 2007
    10
    achieves artistry in 35 min
  5. ChrisC
    Oct 4, 2007
    9
    This album is a big example of why the critical community needs to stop ignoring genres that aren't rock, electronic, 'indie', or rap. There's some damn good folk and country out there too.
  6. WillV
    Aug 2, 2007
    9
    I was not expecting much, but having been a fan for awhile I took a chance and am glad I did. The songs are tight, compact and deliver. This maybe Ms. Vega's finest moment as an overall album, even if the highlights don't match the best songs on the other albums.
  7. DouglasD.
    Aug 1, 2007
    9
    I agree: almost every song is a gem. Adorable voice, adorable album.
  8. PadraigJ.
    Aug 8, 2007
    8
    I didn't know I could enjoy music like this anymore. A morally chastizing female singer/songwriter- tsk-tsking over our love of pornography, plastic surgery, and most unpleasantly that position so many musicial New Yorkers take that their beloved city is being ruined by suburbanites. Yet its nice and ...real? Not overly synthesizer produced with scores of violins, bird squaks, and I didn't know I could enjoy music like this anymore. A morally chastizing female singer/songwriter- tsk-tsking over our love of pornography, plastic surgery, and most unpleasantly that position so many musicial New Yorkers take that their beloved city is being ruined by suburbanites. Yet its nice and ...real? Not overly synthesizer produced with scores of violins, bird squaks, and samplings you can kind of pretend you're an adult and in some swanky New York cocktail lounge. She's got such a sexy subtle voice. "Pornagrapher's Dream" hasn't left my head for two days.… Expand
  9. mikes.
    Jul 26, 2007
    7
    This is a good indie album (which are hard to come by these days.) Killer cover art and good lyrics and overall a solid listen with depth for repeated listenings.
  10. Ricko
    Oct 30, 2014
    7
    "Beauty and Crime" is a cohesive piece of work with all the songs contributing to the whole, with a general theme seeming to be based on New York life. The songs are typical Vega - strong songwriting, great lyrics, simple melodies, smooth vocals. Each track gets to its point promptly and in a straightforward manner. "Beauty and Crime" is over before you know it and this makes it easy to"Beauty and Crime" is a cohesive piece of work with all the songs contributing to the whole, with a general theme seeming to be based on New York life. The songs are typical Vega - strong songwriting, great lyrics, simple melodies, smooth vocals. Each track gets to its point promptly and in a straightforward manner. "Beauty and Crime" is over before you know it and this makes it easy to miss the craft put into making such a simple and straightforward sounding record. While the songwriting is good, "Beauty and Crime" works best as an album with all the songs working well together rather than on an individual level. It's hard to say whether anything on here would make an updated "Best of " compilation. There is no standout track or hit single but at this stage in Vega's career, her fans don't need this and will find everything they are looking for here. Lean, tight songs that hit the spot.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Best Album of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. AllMusic
    90
    Beauty & Crime is, without reservation, the defining creative moment of Suzanne Vega's career thus far.
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  2. Billboard
    80
    It's trim rather than hurried, does not waste a note and, because of that, may be the best of Vega's seven studio albums.
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  3. musicOMH.com
    80
    While the lovely melodies and Vega's hushed vocals make it perfectly good background music, to achieve the full effect you have to listen to those lyrics--she's one of the finest lyricists of recent times.
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