A great starter kit + great live tracks
08/07/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For those that remember 'Luka' or Tom's Diner and always wanted a copy, but the thought of buying a whole album seemed a bit much, this is the ticket. If you heard 'Caramel' in The Truth about Cats and Dogs, here is a chance to hear more of that smooth voice. This is also a great chance for an old fan to catch up. Great gift CD, Best-of's are generally well received. This is prehaps the best way for a fan to introduce friends to Suzanne's work. It give a full spectrum: from the early days, to the era of deep introspection, to her work with Mitchell Froom, to her new era of revitalization.The chance to hear the new track Anniversary? Wow! A jam packed best-of (you couldn't squeeze even half a song more on the CD) and a live EP how great for the price!For the American fans shopping here, this is a great chance to hear the hidden jewel "Rosemary". Rosemary was recently voted as a top pick by her fans. Rosemary is perhaps the best combination of her lyric writing talent, music writing and performance, and vocal work. This would be money well spent."
I normally don't like "Greatest Hits" albums...
P. Burns | Los Angeles, CA | 09/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...but "Retrospective" is very well arranged and lsitenable. I have all of Suzanne's albums, and bought this one in order to get the 2nd disc of rare live songs. That disc alone makes the whole package worth it. ("Anniversary" is an amazing new acoustic song, which hopefully will be the centerpiece of a new studio album.) Suzanne Vega does have enought high quality live recordings to put out a great "Live Retrospective" album - hopefully she'll do so in the future! But this 2-disc studio retropective and live EP can suffice for now. Despite the distinct styles of her 6 studio albums, "Retrospective" plays very smoothly; there's no awkward, stylistic changes from track to track that distract you from enjoying Suzanne's beautiful song writing."
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1