Suzanne Vega

An Evening Of New York Songs and Stories (Amanuensis/Cooking Vinyl) ★★★★☆

Poignantly released on September 11, some 19 years after New York’s darkest day, Suzanne Vega’s new album is an evocation of the city through her own songs and covers. I’m not sure what inspired the abstruse Marlene On The Wall, but the 61-year-old still sounds like the indie folk ingenue of 1985. As she sings Luka, you are reminded what a ground-breaking song it was back in 1987. Introducing Frank And Ava, she says it is about a row Sinatra and Gardiner had at their NY apartment. Irish guitartist Gerry Leonard, who played with David Bowie, makes telling contributions particularly on Tom’s Diner and the sublime Some Journey. Vega even delivers an unexpurgated version of Lou Reed’s Walk On The Wild Side. The album was recorded in the Café Carlyle where Woody Allen plays clarinet on Monday nights, missing 30 Oscar ceremonies in the process.