' (pronounced ''Ninety-Nine Point Nine Fahrenheit Degrees'') is the fourth album by American singer and songwriter

Suzanne Vega Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter of Folk music, folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans 40 years. In the mid-1980s and 1990s she released four singles that entered the Top 40 charts in the ...

. Released in 1992, the album marked a departure for Vega, as she embraced a more electronic, experimental sound. It peaked at No. 86 on ''Billboard'' magazine's album chart and was Vega's fourth Top 20 album in the UK. The single " Blood Makes Noise" reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Modern Rock chart. ' was the first of two of Vega's albums to be produced by

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 the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, including David LaFl ...

, whom she later married. The album was certified gold (500,000 copies sold) by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in October 1997. It was certified silver in the UK (60,000 copies sold) by the BPI in March 1993. Vega has referred to ''°'' as her favorite of her albums.

Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote: "By far Vega's most rewarding record, ''99.9 F degrees'' ... is the first album in which she breaks almost completely away from the conventions of the New York folk milieu that nurtured her." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' wrote that "many of the songs display a new interest in space and sound, using both in an almost sculptural fashion, creating a compelling amalgam that industrializes folk music."

Track listing

Personnel

* Suzanne Vega – vocals, acoustic guitar *

– keyboards, string arrangement on 12 *

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 artists and musicians including Al Green, American Music Club, Ani DiFranco, Apartment 26, Arctic Monke ...

– electric guitar on 3, 4, 6, 10 *

David Hidalgo David Kent Hidalgo (born October 6, 1954, in Los Angeles) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. Hidalgo frequently plays musical instruments such as accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requi ...

– electric guitar on 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11 * Bruce Thomas – bass guitar *

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

– drums, percussion Additional personnel * Richard Pleasance – electric guitar on 1, 3, 10 * Michael Visceglia – fretless bass guitar on 5 * Richard Thompson – guitar solo on 11 * Greg Smith – baritone saxophone on 8, 11 * Jerry Scheff – double bass on 6, 12 * Marc Shulman –

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', , from Greek , from Turkish ) is a musical instrument popular in West Asia (Syria, Iraq), Europe and Balkans (Greece, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey). It is a member of the long-necked lute fam ...

on 5 *

Sid Page Sid Page is an American violinist who has been active in many genres of music since the late 1960s. He has been a member of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks. From 1973 to 1974, he was a member of Sly and the Family Stone and appeared on their album ...

– 1st violin on 12 * Joel Derouin – 2nd violin on 12 * Maria Newman – viola on 12 * Larry Corbett – cello on 12 * Suzie Katayama – copyist on 12 Technical * Ronald K. Fierstein – executive producer * Tchad Blake – engineer, mixing * Len Peltier, Suzanne Vega – art direction

Charts

Singles

Certifications and sales

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:99.9f 1992 albums Albums produced by Mitchell Froom A&M Records albums Suzanne Vega albums