It's hard to believe, but the little woman with the big voice that brought you the forever classic tune "Fast Car"? That was twenty years ago. Man, how time flies. Marking twenty years in the industry, Tracy Chapman's eighth and newest album Our Bright Future doesn't live up to classics like her self-titled masterpiece or even underrated works such as New Beginning or Telling Stories but it does have some bright features.

Unfortunately, all the bright moments are front loaded on the very beginning. Album opener "Sing For You" is a beautiful love song and following track "I Did It All" actually shows something from Chapman we don't see too often; a pretty dark and funny sense of humor. "Save Us All" though with Chapman's repeated insistence of "I know that Jesus loves me" is the best track here and truly one of hope, especially for people who may find themselves always doubting a higher power. The rest of the album is decent, but unfortunately nothing truly memorable ever surfaces after repeated listens. Our Bright Future is far from a classic but a few classic tracks from Chapman should keep her die hard fans sated until her next classic ride - most likely a few years from now.