Everyday is a Winding Road

With Let It Rain, Tracy Chapman has found an almost perfect platform for her potent voice. She and coproducer John Parish have opted for a muted approach where guitars and tambourines stir among simple, unadorned rhythms. The singer's once boldly strummed acoustic guitar is here replaced by a more constant tidal flow, with handclaps, gospel-tinged choruses, and an open-barreled bass drum marking time. Chapman even goes trip-hopping on "In the Dark, " a strangely shadowy highpoint featuring her artfully quavering vocal melody. The jumpy interludes on "Hard Wired" and the chamber interlude of "Over in Love" (which is reminiscent of the gorgeous interstitial tunes on Hem's debut) add color.

Tracks:
1. Let It Rain
2. Another Sun
3. You're The One
4. In The Dark
5. Almost
6. Hard Wired
7. Say Hallelujah
8. Broken
9. Happy
10. Goodbye
11. Over In Love (Instrumental)
12. I Am Yours