Our Bright Future

Editors’ Notes Released 20 years after her 1988 debut, Tracy Chapman’s eighth album is as effortlessly elegant and sharply written as ever. And while her social consciousness is present and accounted for, here it's somewhat tempered in favor of her singularly personal tone of voice and a playful approach to instrumentation. The piano-led, jazz-inflected “I Did It All” riffs on the idea of modern celebrity, while the wistful title track weaves together subtle organ and lilting mandolin.