With some albums, to fully enjoy them takes some extra knowledge that you have to acquire outside of the tracks and liner notes themselves. For example, Eric Clapton's "Layla" is a beautiful song, but it becomes something more when you learn that Clapton wrote it as a love song to his best friend's wife. Similarly, Fleetwood Mac's album Rumours contains all sorts of hidden messages sent by the three songwriters of the group to their respective exes: Buckingham to Nicks, "packing up, shacking up's all you want to do" from "Go Your Own Way" and Nicks to Buckingham, "players only love you when they're playing" from "Dreams." Some are obvious--Roger Water's paeon to his father in Pink Floyd's The Final Cut--while others take a kind of fanaticism to decipher (the ongoing battle between John Fogarty and his ex-manager in songs like "Zanz Kant Danz").

Between Suzanne Vega's last studio offering, 1996's Nine Objects of Desire, and this release, several things occurred in her life that provided the germ for the songs and the tone of Songs in Red and Gray. Both her two previous albums had been produced by her husband, Mitchell Froom (they had married in 1994, between the two albums he produced), but the new album is produced with Rupert Hine. Vega also separated from Froom in 1998, retaining custody of their daughter, Ruby Froom.

The change in producers is the first thing you notice as you start listening to Songs in Red and Gray, which sounds much more like Vega's first couple of albums in their intimacy and the relationship between Vega's soft vocal and the accompiament. While it's not a total return--most of the songs sport more than the sparse guitar and soft synthesizer work that is the focus of songs like "Marlene on the Wall" or "Knight Moves" (both from her eponymous first album)--there's nothing like the industrial clanging or heavily sampled guitar that Froom brought to "Blood Makes Noise" (from 99.9F) and "No Cheap Thrill" (from Nine Objects of Desire). Froom's production was complicated and took a lot of risks, some of which worked, but often was at odds with the kind of folk tradition of Vega's compositions and lyrics. Some of this risk is still present in Hine's production, but it is much more muted, such as the syncopated backbeat in "Solitaire" and the calliope sound that bridges the lyrics of "Machine Ballerina."

Once you start listening to the lyrics, however, you start to get glimpses of the aftermath of Froom and Vega's partnership that is not part of her sound but that of her life. The results is often startingly confessional, masked only by the smoothness of her delivery and the softness of her tone, which makes even what could be the harshest criticism somewhat reflective and apologetic. We shouldn't be too surprised--I find it hard to imagine Vega ripping someone to shreds a la Elvis Costello.

Consider these lines from "If I Were a Weapon":

if you were a weapon

or even this from "Machine Ballerina":

Am I an afternoon's pastime?

What leavens these kinds of accusations are the parts where Vega reveals her complicity in the breakup, from acknowledging that the fault wasn't necessarily in Froom that makes up the strongest song on this album, "Soap and Water." In it, she sings to her daughter, "Daddy's a dark riddle/Mama's a handful of thorns/you are my little kite/caught up again in the household storms." This ability to reflect on how the change might be affecting her child is one of Vega's strengths, to remove herself from the scene while also being a participant. Like a good novelist, she strives to discover not only the motivation of her narrator, but also the other characters in her passion play.

This is not an album that is instantly rewarding, as nothing here has the instant hook of "Luka" or "Tom's Diner." On repeated listens, however, it insinuates itself inside your psyche until you start to admire not only the phrasing but also the gentle way it is presented to you.

Few albums have touched me and knocked my socks off at the same time as this one has. This is by far her best songwriting since Suzanne Vega and Solitude Standing. I have enjoyed all of her albums, but these songs have a rawness, intimacy and intensity that I have rarely ever seen. On top of that, the musical arrangements framing the lyrics are perfect - not over done, not underdone. You can "feel" the emotion before she starts singing. I am not a professional critic, but I would say this is a flawless album. Pure Suzanne in the lyrics and her songwriting has reached a maturity and level of excellence that all of her fans have been watching her work towards.

Suzanne Vega continues to grow as an artist, and I can't think of one of her recordings that wasn't better than the last. "Songs in Red and Gray" is no exception as she comes into a mature middle age. Although I would not take the editorial review here as a guide, the reviewer is right that Ms. Vega has always controlled her voice perfectly and used words with extraordinary precision. What is different now is that her poetry - and no, it will not win a Pulitzer prize, but her verse certainly stands out in the world of pop music - has moved from painting a cool tapestry of New York images 20 years ago to painting a rich world of love and joy and loss today.

For anyone who has experienced the pain of a disintegrating marriage, the fierce tone and intense imagery of "Widow's Walk", "Soap and Water", and "If I Were a Weapon" (reminiscent of "If You Were In My Movie", but with substance) will be intensely evocative, and are the most obvious gems here. This is not just a "divorce album", though. "Penitent" is a deeply moving song of spirituality that could not have been written by a younger Ms. Vega, and touches me to the core. There isn't a song here that isn't strong, though as always there are some I don't understand, however dazzling their images. "Maggie May" doesn't seem to allude to the old Rod Stewart song; his Maggie May left the protagonist, whereas this one is left. It isn't one of my favorites here, but seems to be one of Vega's based on its inclusion in her Retrospective CD and set lists. I do better with her more straightforward material. "Priscilla" is a beautiful childhood story, "Last Year's Troubles" a nice bit of social commentary, and "Solitaire" may be a light song but it captures perfectly the mood of being mesmerized by a late-night game.

Some of the criticisms below may matter more to you than to me. For those who want a pristine guitar and voice sound akin to Ms. Vega's eponymous recording of 20 years ago, wait for a live recording I suppose. Her preference over her last 5 CD's is obviously to use more instrumentation. For those who preferred the 99.9Fº sound, that is obviously gone. But if you are open to a tasteful recording, as always for her, for meticulously-crafted and powerful imagery, as always for her, and for lyrics that rise to a whole new level of maturity and meaning, "Songs in Red and Gray" is a must-have. At this point, Suzanne Vega has a true oeuvre, and this is its culmination. There may be better still to come, but if she were to stop singing today one could not be less than wholly satisfied with what she has produced here.

Suzanne Vega is one of these rare few artists who can sing about a murder and an afternoom's coffeee brake , both sounding totally calm and in peace with herself .Five years after Nine Objects Of Desire comes her new release Songs In Red And Grey which focuses most on her divorce with ex-husband and producer M.Froom . As a result the lyrics are more personal than ever .

Vega looks at you directly in the eye and talks to you about healing " the cut we call husband and wife " . " Although i grieve and i believe i feel it truly / but i knew that ship was empty by the time it hit the rocks " she confesses on the first single of the album " Widow's walk " . Then on " Soap and Water " she sounds so vulnerable when reffering to her own daughter ( " Daddy's a dark riddle / Mama's a headful of bees / you are my little kite / carried away in the waynard breeze " ) . In spite of the fragile situations she choses to sing about , she sounds once more self-confident and full of dignity .

Initialy many complained about the relatively rich production of this album in comparison with Vega's past offerings were the naked , discreet beauty of the guitar was left alone to play the lead role in the songs . Even if there's a truth in that point of view , with the exception of the ( overfilled with loops ) " Solitaire " which sounds like a 99.9F leftover , the rest of the tracklist still shines . Listening to " Songs In Red..." is like reading a letter from an old friend who's telling you all about her latest news . It's so human you can almost feel you can write back...

Suzanne Vega's initial albums established her as a pop star with folk sensibilities, an interesting stage persona, and a frightfully earnest person willing to risk a bit of pretension in pursuit of a good lyrical image. Fans find her graceful, understated and intelligent. Some detractors find her work a bit precious and the lyrics a bit faux "poetic". I've always been in the fan camp. Her retention of Mitchell Froom as her producer on the 99.9 Degrees album marked a departure from the less raucous melodies and production values of her earlier work, as her songs acquired an edgy set of production values. At its best, this new presentation mode helped her break out of the boxes which the restrained production values of her earlier work could create. At its least effective, some of her songs sounded as though they had been put through a mixing board in an MFA project for a studio engineering degree. Artistic adventure sometimes is followed by personal adventure, and Mr. Froom and Ms. Vega ultimately married. We now pick up the plot one divorce and one child later. Songs in Red and Gray is the inevitable breakup album that one might expect a somewhat introspective artist such as Ms. Vega to produce. Contrary to expectations, though, Songs in Red and Gray is consistently strong, notwithstanding its focus on the aftermath of a failed relationship. Rupert Hine seemed to me an odd choice to produce her album, although I greatly respect what he has done for many other artists. Given his popmeister tendencies, I was concerned that Ms. Vega, under Mr. Hine's guidance, would either try to sound like a "hit machine" or that she would be swathed in a twee "folkie" sound altogether too safe. My concerns were entirely unfounded. The mix here puts the acoustic guitar and the voice back in the forefront, and largely eschews the sonic tricks used in the Froom productions to try to add a bit more "relevance" to Ms. Vega's works. The result is a wholly satisfying effort, neither quaint nor poppy. The melodies here are very good, and there is no strain of the artist trying too hard to be radio-relevant. Post-divorce albums are a mainstay of modern pop, and in the past have succeeded both artistically and commercially (indeed, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, one of those rare commercial succeses which is wholly aesthetically satisfying, is in this camp).

Although Ms. Vega's lyrics are bitter in parts, overall this is not a "rant piece" about failed relationships, but a wistful look at failed relationships and their unintended consequences.

She pulls up just a centimeter short of putting any "How Do You Sleep?" songs in, and this album is the least "elusive" set of lyrics she has ever recorded. I must confess I would not miss a future lyrical evolution away from the "headful of bees" her divorce themed songs cover here, but I don't begrudge her speaking about what matters to her. One is tempted to say "this is the old Suzanne Vega", but in reality this album does what she used to do well in her first two albums, but then goes on to evolve into something better. Suzanne Vega's first album of her forties suggests she will be with us in a very good way for many years to come. The divorce theme seems to be a trend these days (my understanding is that also lyric-oriented but quite distinct Liz Phair is embarking on a similar album soon), but this one stands on its own nonetheless. This is a clear buy.