Back in the day, Suzanne Vega was a folk artist who sang about battered wives, abused children, and other modern folk music subjects. The difference between Vega and most other modern folk artists is that she could pull it off with sincerity, keeping cornball lyrics to an absolute minumum.

In late 1992, she released 99.9F, an album which would dramatically change her sound and image. The record was an incredible soundscape of tinny samples, clangy percussion, and weird instruments, and everyone I knew was knocked out by it.

A couple of weeks ago, I received her follow-up album, Nine Objects of Desire, in the mailbox, probably expecting too much from it. It sounds something like 99.9F, but not like I expected. The tinny samples have been replaced by digital keyboard effects. The clangy percussion has changed to an actual rhythm section and the occasional drum loop. The weird instruments have become traditional instruments. The music is excellent, the lyrics are pretty good. There's just one thing that bothers me: Every song on this record is played in a minor key. There's not an upbeat song here to give the record depth. It's hard to listen to because it all sounds so similar.

There are some winners here, though, that make the record a worthwhile purchase. Those being the bossa-nova/funk fusion of "Stockings," the murky groove of "Headshots," and the downright beautiful "World Before Columbus."

Honestly, I can't say a bad thing about any of these songs, but I wish there were a little more variety. Maybe next time. In the meantime, Nine Objects of Desire is still a keeper.

-Ryan Schreiber