Vintage Suzanne Vega still runs smooth

01.30.10
Suzanne Vega
The New York Post

By Dan Quilante

Don't tell my wife or Suzanne Vega's husband, but the long-extinguished crush I had on her, after first hearing her sing in the 1980s, is back.

I, and most of America, felt deep affection for Vega back then. Thursday's Allen Room gig, part of Lincoln Center's "American Songbook" series, rekindled our unrequited love.

At this one-night stand, Vega lived up to her rep as one of our most important singer/songwriters with intelligent, crafty lyrics hitched to music that's not only memorable but also hummable. Although she's now 50, from the concert opener, "Marlene on the Wall," to her famous "Luka," played late, she was still able to conjure her original guitar-folk waif persona.

Vega is a class act, personable and nearly perfect musically. She was never satisfied with allowing songs to make their own points; each tune was also given an introduction during which she told the audience the back story.

For instance, on the song "Gypsy," which she performed solo, Vega recalled writing it when she was an 18-year-old counselor at a girls camp. The song was a gift to a counselor at the boys camp across the lake. Knowing that, the audience could hear the innocence in the lyrics with more clarity.

Vega was mostly accompanied by bass and electric guitar, and on a few songs a string quartet fattened the sound. For such a small -- and drummerless -- band, the variety of styles was impressive.

The performance's musical depth roamed from folk to a sexy, sultry samba in the tune "Caramel," then to the hard-edge electric blues of "Tombstone," and later to an experimental rocker, "Blood Makes Noise," frantic with controlled chaos.

Despite the varied styles, much of Vega's music has a distinct New York vibe. That's no big surprise -- this is her hometown -- yet that feeling for location and the Allen Room's famous floor-to-ceiling windowed backdrop overlooking Columbus Circle nicely illustrated the street-corner poetry in her lyrics.

Vega's latest album, "Close-Up, Vol. 1: Love Songs," will be released Feb. 9.