Suzanne Vega live album coming in September

Suzanne Vega is set to release An Evening of New York Songs and Stories on Sept. 11 via Amanuensis/Cooking Vinyl. The album, which was recorded live at the Café Carlyle in New York City, features Vega’s most New York-centric repertoire in a celebration of her long personal and musical relationship with the city.

The first two singles, “Walk on the Wild Side” and “New York Is My Destination,” are available now—pre-save the album and access the advance singles HERE.

Earlier today, Vega performed a rare livestream set in honor of New York City’s essential healthcare workers. The performance was part of the “Music for the Soul” series created by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, NYC Health + Hospitals and AFM Local 802 to inspire the heroic medical community, connect isolated patients to the outside world and provide paid work for musicians.

Of the album Vega says, “It is always a pleasure to play at the Café Carlyle in New York City, where this album was recorded. It is a small exclusive club that has hosted legends from Eartha Kitt to Judy Collins, and is also known to be the place where Jackie Kennedy met Audrey Hepburn. I love it for its bohemian old-world glamour! I decided it would be fun to perform a New York-themed show there with songs inspired by New York City or for which New York provided the backdrop, including “Walk on the Wild Side” by my late, great friend, Lou Reed—a song I rarely heard him sing himself.”

On An Evening of New York Songs and Stories, Vega is backed by longtime guitarist and musical director Gerry Leonard, bassist Jeff Allen and keyboardist Jamie Edwards.

Recorded in early 2019, the album includes familiar songs like “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner” and deep cuts from her catalog like “Frank and Ava” and “Ludlow Street.” The mix of repertoire also features “New York Is My Destination” from Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers, Vega’s one-woman play about the Southern gothic novelist Carson McCullers. An Evening of New York Songs and Stories is produced by Leonard, mixed by Grammy Award-winning engineer Kevin Killen and mastered by Grammy Award winner Bob Ludwig.

Track listing:

1. Marlene on the Wall
2. Luka
3. New York is a Woman
4. Frank and Ava
5. Gypsy
6. Freeze Tag
7. Pornographer’s Dream
8. New York Is My Destination
9. Walk on the Wild Side
10. Ludlow Street
11. Cracking
12. Some Journey
13. Tom’s Diner
14. Anniversary
15. Tombstone
16. Thin Man