Our Bright Future
by Tracy Chapman
  • Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Nov 11, 2008
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12

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  1. DerekD
    Nov 23, 2011
    5
    I like Tracy Chapman. Her voice is unique, soulful and filled with power without the need for vocal gymnastics or excess volume. Her early albums reflected the innocence of young love, poverty and other very real themes, which makes this bland, lifeless album even more of a disappointment. Its shuffling, flat production does it no favors, and many of the songs sound more or less identical.I like Tracy Chapman. Her voice is unique, soulful and filled with power without the need for vocal gymnastics or excess volume. Her early albums reflected the innocence of young love, poverty and other very real themes, which makes this bland, lifeless album even more of a disappointment. Its shuffling, flat production does it no favors, and many of the songs sound more or less identical. Even one mid-tempo song would have been a welcome sonic break, but no such luck: most of the disc consists of slow, piano and/or guitar wrapped missives about life and love that ring of formula and worse: boredom. The songs aren't horrible really, it should be said, just that many of them lack the passion that made Chapman so unique to begin with.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Billboard
    80
    Twenty years after her self-titled debut, Tracy Chapman remains true to her musical calling: soul-rich folk melodies around a voice of honesty and nuance that nails ambivalence like no other.
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  2. Boston Globe
    80
    What has marked Tracy Chapman's work over the course of her two-decade career is her emotional intensity and clarity of vision, and both are in evidence on this fine new disc, her first in three years.
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  3. Hot Press
    80
    Chapman creates yet another soulful, personal album that adds to her repertoire of timeless tunes with a few mentions of Jesus and Barack Obama.
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