''Nine Objects of Desire'' is the fifth studio album by American musician Suzanne Vega, released on September 10, 1996 through

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

. As with her previous album (1992), it was produced by her then-husband

Mitchell Froom Mitchell Froom (born June 29, 1953) is an American musician and record producer. He was a member of the bands Gamma and Latin Playboys, and is currently the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, including R ...

(who also co-wrote three tracks). Much like its predecessor, ''Nine Objects of Desire'' integrates experimental instrumentation and arrangements into Vega's signature sound. Additionally, elements of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

are present on tracks such as "Caramel" and "Tombstone". High-profile contributors to the album include

Tchad Blake Tchad Blake (born 1955) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixer and musician. A native of Baytown, Texas, he has worked with numerous artists and musicians, including Al Green, American Music Club, Ani DiFranco, Apartment 26, Arc ...

on guitar,

Jerry Marotta Jerome David Marotta (born February 6, 1956, in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American drummer who resides in Woodstock, New York. He is the younger brother of Rick Marotta, who is also a drummer and composer. Career Marotta was a member of the bands ...

on drums, and members of Elvis Costello's backing band

the Attractions The Attractions were an English backing band for the English new wave musician Elvis Costello between 1977 and 1986, and again from 1994 to 1996. They consisted of Steve Nieve (keyboards and ukulele), Bruce Thomas (bass guitar), and Pete Tho ...

. ''Nine Objects of Desire'' peaked at number 92 in the US, continuing a downward trend in Vega's album sales throughout the 1990s. However, it received positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised the songwriting and production, and spawned a UK top 40 hit in "

No Cheap Thrill "No Cheap Thrill" is a song by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, which was released in 1996 as the second single from her fifth studio album, '' Nine Objects of Desire'' (1996). It was written by Vega and produced by Mitchell Froom. "No Ch ...

Music and lyrics

''Nine Objects of Desire'' features experimental production and arrangements, though to a lesser extent than its predecessor. Driven by what Vega described as "sensual" rhythms, the album incorporates elements of bossa nova and

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

. Lyrically, the album takes a more personal turn in comparison to Vega's other albums, forgoing character pieces and instead taking heavy inspiration from Vega's personal life. "Birth-day (Love Made Real)" refers to the birth of Vega's daughter Ruby. " Caramel" was heavily influenced by bossa nova, particularly the music of

Astrud Gilberto Astrud Gilberto (; born Astrud Evangelina Weinert, March 29, 1940) is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She gained international attention in the 1960s following her recording of the song "The Girl from Ipanema". Biography Astrud Gilbe ...

. The lyrics were inspired by a passing crush on a friend, and was arranged to have an "

Antônio Carlos Jobim Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (25 January 1927 – 8 December 1994), also known as Tom Jobim (), was a Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and singer. Considered one of the great exponents of Brazilian mu ...

feel". Vega has stated it is one of the songs she is most proud of.

Track listing

Personnel

* Suzanne Vega – vocals, guitar *

– keyboards, Moog bass, string & horn arrangements *

– guitar, whistle, effects, mixing * Steve Donnelly – guitar * Dave Douglas – trumpet *

Don Byron Donald Byron (born November 8, 1958) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. He primarily plays clarinet but has also played bass clarinet and saxophone in a variety of genres that includes free jazz and klezmer. Biography His mother w ...

– clarinet *

Jane Scarpantoni Jane Scarpantoni (born 1960)https://www.myheritage.com/names/jane_scarpantoni is a classically trained American cello player who has played on a number of alternative rock albums. She was a member of Hoboken, New Jersey's Tiny Lights in the mid-1 ...

– cello * Mark Feldman – strings *

Sebastian Steinberg Sebastian Steinberg (born February 20, 1959) is an American bass player, best known for his work in the band Soul Coughing. Biography Steinberg played with Soul Coughing throughout the band's entire history, from 1992 to 2000. In 2001, Steinberg ...

– bass *

Bruce Thomas Bruce Thomas (born 14 August 1948 in Stockton-on-Tees, England) is an English rock bass guitarist, best known as bassist for the Attractions; the band formed in 1977 to back Elvis Costello in concert and on record. In addition to his work ...

– bass *

Yuval Gabay Soul Coughing was an American alternative rock band composed of vocalist/guitarist Mike Doughty (also known as M. Doughty), keyboardist/sampler Mark Degli Antoni, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and drummer Yuval Gabay. Soul Coughing developed a ...

– drums *

– drums, percussion * Pete Thomas – drums, drum loop, percussion

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1996 albums Suzanne Vega albums Albums produced by Mitchell Froom A&M Records albums