The second installment of
Suzanne Vega
's four-part thematically arranged intimate re-recordings of her catalog is
People & Places
, a concept that allows for the inclusion of her two biggest hits,
"Luka"
and
"Tom's Diner."
Both are here, given austere arrangements that are emblematic of the entirety of the album. Much of this is spare enough to suggest that the album contains nothing but
Vega
and her guitar, but these are not solo re-recordings -- they're tastefully colored with strings, electric guitars, and light percussion, subtly changing the feel of some songs but not the intent. Apart from selections from the densely produced
99.9 F°
, there are no great reinterpretations of
's work and even those three don't feel drastically different, just unadorned, fitting the "
Close-Up
" concept quite well. Curiously, the entire
project sidesteps nostalgia, and not just because
finds space to include a new song,
"The Man Who Played God,"
co-written with the late
Mark Linkous
Danger Mouse
, here. She may be revisiting her past but she's not attempting to re-create it, and this clear-eyed, unsentimental attitude goes a long way toward making these records work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine