ISSUE #34 MMUSICMAG.COM SPOTLIGHT olz H George SUZANNE VEGA The eclectic folkie samples hip-hop and explores her spiritual side IN THE SEVEN YEARS SINCE SUZANNE “I’ve been a fan of thrift shops my whole life. Vega released Beauty and Crime—her I was thinking about how to get an oil lamp last studio album of original material—she into the song. I was thinking, ‘Where would released four collections of her songs in a person find an oil lamp? Ah! Thrift shop!’ reworked forms as the Close-Up series. For Then I thought, ‘I’m just going to throw him her latest album, Tales From the Realm of in there.’ It was a gamble, but I thought if I the Queen of Pentacles, she changed her thought it was funny, other people would too.” tack. “The focus of the new album is wider Though there are humorous elements than the Close-Up series,” says Vega. “We to Vega’s lyrics, much of Queen of Pentacles tried to get as much production as we could, was inspired by more serious reflections. Issue #33 considering the limited budget.” “All of it has to do with the spiritual side of M MUSIC & MUSICIANS The new focus on economy, inspired by life,” she says. “I’m getting older, so more releasing the album on her own Amanuensis people I know are passing on. A natural part MAGAZINE Productions, also helped Vega branch out in of getting older is you start to wonder where terms of production technique. Though her we’re all going. That’s why I write the songs, work has been sampled many times, Vega because I don’t understand it, but sometimes experimented with sampling for the first time it helps me to describe or express it.” on “Don’t Uncork What You Can’t Contain,” The manner she chooses to express by taking the Arabic-influenced strings from herself changes from album to album. “The rapper 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop.” last album was less metaphoric than my “I’ve always liked Scott Storch’s other albums,” says Vega, 54. “Probably the productions, and he tends to favor those most confessional album was Songs in Red strings,” she says. “Rather than hiring Scott and Gray. I found that very uncomfortable. Storch, which costs $90,000 a track, Gerry This album, I was happy going back to the Leonard—who wanted the producer’s job— world of “The Queen and the Soldier” or decided to sample it.” “Luka.” That was what felt comfortable to Vega’s appreciation of hip-hop on the me. But who knows what that means in the song includes a name-drop of Macklemore. “I future? Each album has its own flavor.” really loved that ‘Thrift Shop’ track,” she says. –Amanda Farah 20 M mag 34.indd 20 5/6/14 9:26 PM.