TRACKLISTING
01. Let It Rain (3:40)
02. Another Sun (3:11)
03. You’re The One (3:06)
04. In The Dark (5:02)
05. Almost (3:52)
06. Hard Wired (3:36)
07. Say Hallelujah (2:11)
08. Broken (4:25)
09. Happy (3:58)
10. Goodbye (2:31)
11. I Am Yours (3:33)
12. Over In Love* (2:49)
LET IT RAIN RELEASE DATES
- Switzerland: Oct 11, 2002
- UK, Germany & Norway: Oct 14, 2002
- USA, France, Canada: Oct 15, 2002
- Italy: Oct 18. 2002
- Spain: Oct 21, 2002
Order Let It Rain from Amazon.com
LISTEN TO LET IT RAIN ONLINE
A special edition of Let It Rain (double CD) released in France on February 11, 2003 (February 07 in Italy). The original album is packaged with a bonus CD of 5 live songs recorded on November 02, 2002 in Berlin at the Traenenpalast for the French/German TV show Music Planet 2night on Arte. This special edition is packaged in a special cover with the European tour dates printed on the back. It was only available from February 04 to April 22, 2003.
TRACKLISTING OF THE BONUS CD FROM THE TOUR EDITION
01 You’re The One
02. Give Me One Reason
03. Talkin ‘ Bout A Revolution
04. I Am Yours
05. Get Up Stand Up
Release date (only in Europe): February 05 2003 (Italy) & February 11, 2003 (France).
LET IT RAIN SINGLES
LET IT RAIN CREDITS
- LET IT RAIN – ACCORDION Patrick Warren | ACOUSTIC GUITAR Tracy Chapman| BASS Andy Stoller | CLARINET Tracy Chapman | DRUMS Joey Waronker | ELECTRIC GUITAR Joe Gore | KEYBOARD Joe Gore | PEAL STEEL Greg Leisz | PIANO Patrick Warren
- ANOTHER SUN – ACOUSTIC LAP STEEL Greg Leisz | BACKING VOCALS Jeanie Tracy, Rhonda Brice, Tracy Chapman | BASS Tracy Chapman | DRUMS Joey Waronker | ELECTRIC BANJO Tracy Chapman | ELECTRIC GUITAR Joe Gore | ORGAN Patrick Warren
- YOU’RE THE ONE – ACOUSTIC GUITAR Tracy Chapman| BACKING VOCALS Jeanie Tracy, Rhonda Brice, Tracy Chapman | BASS Andy Stoller | DRUMS (CAJON) Joey Waronker | ELECTRIC GUITAR Greg Leisz, Steve Hunter | HANDS CLAPS Joey Waronker, Tracy Chapman | ORGAN Patrick Warren | TAMBOURINE Joey Waronker
- IN THE DARK – ACOUSTIC LAP STEEL Greg Leisz | BACKING VOCALS Tracy Chapman | DRUMS Joey Waronker | ELECTRIC MANDOGUITAR Greg Leisz | PERCUSSION Joey Waronker | PIANO Joe Gore | TACK PIANO Patrick Warren | UPRIGHT BASS Larry Taylor
- ALMOST – ACOUSTIC GUITAR Tracy Chapman| BASS Andy Stoller | DRUMS Joey Waronker | KEYBOARD Joe Gore | LAP STEEL Joe Gore | PIANO Patrick Warren
- HARD WIRED – ACCORDION Patrick Warren | ACOUSTIC GUITAR Tracy Chapman| BELLS Patrick Warren | DOBRO Greg Leisz | PEDAL STEEL Greg Leisz | PIANO Patrick Warren | TACK PIANO Patrick Warren
- SAY HALLELUJAH – ACOUSTIC GUITAR Tracy Chapman| BACKING VOCALS Jeanie Tracy, Rhonda Brice, Tracy Chapman | DRUMS Joey Waronker | HANDS CLAPS Joey Waronker, Tracy Chapman | TAMBOURINE Joey Waronker | UKULELE Joe Gore | UPRIGHT BASS Larry Taylor
- BROKEN – ACOUSTIC GUITAR Joe Gore | ACOUSTIC GUITAR Tracy Chapman| BACKING VOCALS, Tracy Chapman | BASS John Parish | BAZOUKI Joe Gore | DRUMS Joey Waronker | ELECTRIC GUITAR Joe Gore | ORGAN Patrick Warren | SHAKER Joey Waronker | VIBRAPHONE Michael Webster
- HAPPY – ACOUSTIC GUITAR Tracy Chapman| BACKING VOCALS, Tracy Chapman | BARITONE GUITAR Greg Leisz | BASS Andy Stoller | DRUMS Joey Waronker | KEYBOARDS Patrick Warren, Loe Gore | SHAKER Joey Waronker
- GOODBYE – ACOUSTIC GUITAR Tracy Chapman| CELLO Matt Brubeck | DRUMS Joey Waronker | ELECTRIC GUITAR Tracy Chapman | GOURDOLIN Joe Gore | OBOE Bill Bennet | PERCUSSION John Parish | UPRIGHT BASS Larry Taylor | VIOLA Linda Ghidossi-DeLuca | VIOLIN Carla Kihistedt, Jeremy Cohen | STRINGS AND OBOE ARRANGED BY Michael Webster
- I AM YOURS – ACOUSTIC GUITAR Joe Gore | ACOUSTIC GUITAR Tracy Chapman| BACKING VOCALS, Tracy Chapman | BASS John Parish | DRUMS Joey Waronker | TAMBOURINE Joey Waronker
- OVER IN LOVE – ACOUSTIC GUITAR Tracy Chapman| ACOUSTIC GUITAR 2 John Parish | CELLO Matt Brubeck | PIANO Michael Webster | VIBRAPHONE Michael Webster | ACOUSTIC GUITAR 2, CELLO, VIBRAPHONE ARRANGED BY Michael Webster
PRODUCED BY John Parish and Tracy Chapman | RECORDED AND MIXED AT The Plant Studios, Sausalito, California | ENGINNEERING AND MIXING BY Paul du Gré | ASSISTANT ENGINEER Jared Miller | MASTERED BY John Cuniberti at the Plant Masterding, Sausalito, California | ALL SONGS PUBLISHED BY Purple Rabbit Music (ASCAP)
DESIGN ART AND DIRECTION Planet Propaganda | PHOTOGRAPHY COVER Jim Herrington | PHOTOGRAPHY INLAY Jay Blakesberg
MUCH APPRECIATION TO Sylvia Rhone
DESIGN OF THE LET IT RAIN CD COVER / BOOKLET
Planet Propaganda Designs New Tracy Chapman CD “Let It Rain” – 6/12/2002
MADISON, Wis. — Planet Propaganda was selected by singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman and Elektra Records to design the packaging for the new CD Let It Rain which launches nationwide on October 14th. The Madison-based communication company is no stranger to CD package designs having received a Grammy nomination for Madison jazz artist Ben Sidran’s CD “The Concert for Garcia Lorca” in 2001.
To get a feel for the music and direction of Chapman’s cover, Planet Principal / Creative Director Kevin Wade flew out to San Francisco to spend time with the musical artist in the studio. The new CD has a textural quality born from her methodical dedication to the songwriting process and collaboration of artists from gospel singers to a keyboardist with an eclectic collection of vintage keyboards.
Wade and Milwaukee photographer Jim Herrington returned to San Francisco a second time for a photo shoot set in a former police station in the city’s Mission District. The resulting CD design features a very personal, singular composition of Chapman which reflects her shy but intense nature.
SHORT ALBUM REVIEWS
- Associated Press: Singer-songwriter Chapman chills – By Kim Curtis, Oct 15, 2002
When Tracy Chapman burst onto the scene in 1988, her stunning debut, featuring “Fast Car” and “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution,” was an intelligent, pared-down folk oasis in a sea of synthesized dance music.
Chapman established herself as an angry young protest singer, but now, at 38, it’s clear she’s in love, and politics seems to have taken a back seat.
Her sixth and latest release, Let It Rain, is full of soft, romantic ballads such as “In the Dark,” “Almost” and “You’re the One.” They’re all classic Chapman – brooding lyrics, rich vocals and understated melodies.
“Another Sun” is one of her best songs in years, with its funky bass line (performed by Chapman) and a bit of banjo (also played by Chapman) and steel guitar tossed in.
“Hard Wired” is the only track that even touches on political themes: “We’ve got a box to put in your brain/ Hard wired for downloading/ All the secrets and mysteries/ You’ve been selfishly withholding”.
- The Guardian [UK]: Tracy Chapman: Let It Rain – By Betty Clarke, Oct 18, 2002
Having sought universal change in the 1980s, Tracy Chapman has started to explore her personal inadequacies. The soft-centred sloganeering is replaced by lovelorn whispers, the youthful confidence mellowing to shy introspection. Wisely, she has chosen John Parish – PJ Harvey’s producer – to bring an edgy sheen to these acoustic songs; he makes the most of Chapman’s warm voice and slow-dripping emotion.
“Another Sun”, full of gorgeous gospel harmonies, is a sultry acceptance of death, while “You’re the One” bristles with affection and nagging voices of dissent. Strangest of all is “In the Dark”, a nun-like tussle with self-denial. “Forbid the kiss/And leave us innocent/Of the things some do in the dark,” she sings, her voice trembling with repressed desire. With spirituality and sadness joining forces in each carefully observed lyric, Chapman no longer needs a political conscience to be credible.
- The Independent [UK]: Tracy Chapman: Let it Rain – By Andy Gill, Oct 18, 2002
Though the first flush of her career is well behind her, a substantial level of interest in Tracy Chapman endures. The retrospective compilation Collection was one of last year’s surprise successes, shifting more than 350,000 copies in the UK, an achievement that the accomplished Let It Rain deserves to emulate. Her sixth album, it’s co-produced by John Parish, whose subtle arrangements provide shading and emphasis for Chapman’s songs without crowding them, leaving centre-stage free for her distinctive voice. Surrounding her acoustic guitar with faint touches of roots-music instruments such as banjo, dobro, steel guitar and accordion, along with occasional strings and vibes, the settings work with the material, led by it rather than forcing it in inappropriate directions. As ever with Chapman, it’s the lyrics that are most striking, whether she’s dealing with desire and sexual curiosity (“You’re the One”, “Happy”, “In the Dark”), death (“Another Sun”, “Say Hallelujah”) or, in “Broken”, the cultural dominance of photography: “A framed and frozen moment/ So far from perfection/ Not truth or transcendence/ Will set you free.” The strongest political sentiment is probably contained in “Hard Wired”, a song about the humiliations of reality TV, and the way that medium seeks to manipulate “all the secrets and the mysteries you’ve been selfishly withholding“, turning them into “sit-com dialogue and advertising slogans“. But she’s just as effective in analysing the smaller-scale humiliations of being dumped in “Goodbye”, noting how “It’s all in the one word/ You hope will make you young again/ Goodbye.”
- BBC.co.uk: Tracy Chapman: Let it Rain
Fifteen years on from “Talkin’Bout A Revolution” Tracy Chapman returns with her sixth album – and nothing’s changed.
“You’re The One” comprises twelve beautifully written, beautifully crafted, intelligent songs.
Tracy began singing in coffee houses and the streets surrounding Harvard Square whilst attending Tufts University, where she read Anthropology.
Her first album, Tracy Chapman, made her a star. It still makes appearances on album charts worldwide.
All the tracks are written by Tracy Chapman, co-produced by Tracy Chapman – You’ll find her name under credits for playing acoustic guitar, clarinet, backing vocals, bass, hand claps, electric guitar – What doesn’t she do? (Answer: Her name’s not against the accordion credit.)
The singer-songwriter that produced “Fast Car”, “Baby Can I Hold You” and “Talkin’ Bout Revolution” hasn’t lost any of her talent – but maybe some of her accessibility.
Cue the title track —> “Let in Rain”. Rain. Never a crowd pleaser.
Track two. Chorus. ‘If I never see another sun, If I never see another sun…’ a song about leaving this world. Hmm.
There’s hope. Track three : “You’re The One” – even if others ‘say you’re bitter, think you’re mean, uncouth, untamed and unrestrained.‘
Life isn’t simple in Tracy Chapman’s songs – but then life isn’t simple.
It’s refreshing to have an artist who’s music is very much her own, not the market fashion.
Music and songwriting with depth and feeling.
Tracy’s rich voice, her chanting, enchanting.
Even reading the words of her songs is like reading from a poetry book.
Pour yourself a measure, turn the lights down low, sit back… and listen.
5/5
