''Nine Objects of Desire'' is the fifth studio album by American musician

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 on September 10, 1996, through

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

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

(who also co-wrote three tracks). The recording sessions took place at The Magic Shop in New York City. Much like its predecessor, ''Nine Objects of Desire'' integrates experimental instrumentation and arrangements into Vega's signature sound. 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

are present on tracks such as "

Caramel Caramel ( or ) is a range of food ingredients made by heating sugars to high temperatures. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons or candy bars, as a topping for ice cream and custard, and as a colorant ...

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

on 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 & ...

on drums, and members of

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

'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), Bruce Thomas (bass guitar), and Pete Thomas (drums ...

. ''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. It spawned a UK top 40 hit in " No Cheap Thrill".

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 (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

. Lyrically, the album takes a more personal turn in comparison to Vega's other albums, forgoing character pieces and instead taking heavy inspiration from her 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 – June 5, 2023) was a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer and songwriter. She gained international attention in the mid-1960s following her recording of the song " The Girl f ...

. 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 as one of the great exponents of Brazilian ...

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

Track listing

Personnel

* Suzanne Vega – vocals (throughout), riff guitar (1, 7), acoustic guitar (4, 6–8, 10), electric guitar (4) *

– keyboards (throughout), Moog bass (6), horn arrangements (6), string arrangements (12) *

– guitar (3, 7, 10, 11), whistle sample (2), effects (5), mixing (throughout) * Steve Donnelly – guitar (1–3, 6–9, 11, 12) * Dave Douglas – trumpet (7, 9), muted trumpets (3, 6) *

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 moth ...

– clarinet (3, 7), bass clarinet (7) * Jane Scarpantoni – cello (7, 12) *

Mark Feldman Mark Feldman (born 1955 in Chicago) is an American jazz violinist. Biography Feldman worked in Chicago from 1973–1980, in Nashville, Tennessee from 1980–1986, in New York City and Western Europe from 1986. He has performed with John Zorn, ...

, Jane Scarpantoni, Matthew Pierce, Ted Falcon – string section (4) * Cecilia Sparacio – flutes (3, 5, 7, 9) *

Sebastian Steinberg Sebastian Steinberg (born February 20, 1959) is an American double bass, 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 200 ...

– bass (7), acoustic bass (4, 10–12) * Bruce Thomas – bass (1–3, 5, 7–9) *

Yuval Gabay Soul Coughing is 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. They developed a devout fanb ...

– drums (10) *

– drums (1, 3–7, 9–12), percussion (1, 3–5, 7, 9, 12) * Pete Thomas – drums (1–3, 7–9, 12), drum loop (5), percussion (1, 3, 6–9, 12)

Charts

References

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