Days of Open Hand

Vega's previous studio album Solitude Standing was a major success worldwide, spawning the hit song "Luka" and placing within the top 10 of the album charts in twelve countries (alongside a number 11 peak in the US). The album also contained "Tom's Diner" which would achieve further success after being remixed by DNA in 1990.

With the followup studio album, Vega went in a more experimental direction, featuring elements of various genres and many high-profile collaborators. Songs such as "Institution Green" and "Fifty-Fifty Chance" place heavy emphasis on atmosphere; the latter features string arrangements done by Philip Glass. Six of the album's eleven songs feature music written by Sanko while all lyrics were written solely by Vega.

Days of Open Hand did not achieve the sales of its predecessor upon release, but was still successful in many territories. While the album stalled at number 50 in the US,{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/suzanne-vega/chart-history/hsi/ |magazine=Billboard |title=Suzanne Vega Chart History |access-date=12 March 2023}} it was a top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at number 7.{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/22859/suzanne-vega/ |website=Official Charts Company |title=Suzanne Vega Chart History |access-date=12 March 2023}} Additionally, it reached the top 20 in five other countries throughout Europe. "Book of Dreams", the album's first single, peaked at number 66 in the UK and number 8 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. However, the album's second and third singles, "Tired of Sleeping" and "Men in a War" failed to see any chart success.

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r21097|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review]

| rev2 = Robert Christgau

| rev2score = B−{{cite web|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=suzanne%20vega|title=Robert Christgau: CG: suzanne vega|publisher=|accessdate=3 June 2016}}

| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev3score = B−{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1990/04/20/days-open-hand/|title=Days of Open Hand - EW.com|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=|access-date=3 June 2016|archive-date=23 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623192928/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,317188,00.html|url-status=live}}

| rev4 = New Musical Express

| rev4score = 7/10{{cite magazine |last=Quantick |first=David |date=21 April 1990 |title=Long Play: Palm Treat |magazine=New Musical Express |page=33}}

| rev5 = Q

| rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1094629&style=music|title=Suzanne Vega - Days Of Open Hand CD Album|publisher=|accessdate=3 June 2016}}

| rev6 = Record Mirror

| rev6score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine |last=George |first=Iestyn |title=Albums |magazine=Record Mirror |date=21 April 1990 |page=18 |issn=0144-5804}}

| rev7 = Rolling Stone

| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/103993/review/5943515/daysofopenhand |title=Days Of Open Hand : Suzanne Vega : Review : Rolling Stone |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=23 November 2007 |accessdate=3 June 2016 |url-status=unfit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123203715/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/103993/review/5943515/daysofopenhand |archivedate=November 23, 2007 }}

| rev8 = The Vancouver Sun

| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}Riches, Hester (7 June 1990). "Passionate lyrics from a whispery voice". The Vancouver Sun.

| rev9 = The Windsor Star

| rev9score = B+Shaw, Ted (28 April 1990). "Record Review". The Windsor Star.

}}

Days of Open Hand received generally positive reviews from critics. In a review for Rolling Stone, Paul Evans awarded the album four out of five stars, stating it consists of "her hardest and loveliest music yet". He went on to refer to the trio of "Men in a War", "Institution Green" and "Fifty-Fity Chance" as a "suite of songs astonishing for their cleareyed gaze at pain", comparing Vega to poets Emily Dickinson, Sylvia Plath and Stevie Smith. In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Alex Henderson commended the album's "subtlety", praising her vocals for being "expressive" without "need[ing] to shout or preach to get her points across".

{{Track listing

| all_lyrics = Suzanne Vega.

| total_length = 45:51

| title1 = Tired of Sleeping

| music1 = Vega

| length1 = 4:22

| title2 = Men in a War

| music2 = Vega

| length2 = 4:47

| title3 = Rusted Pipe

| length3 = 4:16

| music3 = Anton Sanko

| title4 = Book of Dreams

| music4 = Sanko

| length4 = 3:22

| title5 = Institution Green

| length5 = 6:15

| music5 = Sanko

| title6 = Those Whole Girls (Run in Grace)

| music6 = Vega

| length6 = 3:09

| title7 = Room off the Street

| length7 = 3:00

| music7 = Sanko

| title8 = Big Space

| length8 = 3:46

| music8 = Sanko

| title9 = Predictions

| music9 = Vega

| length9 = 4:59

| title10 = Fifty-Fifty Chance

| music10 = Vega

| length10 = 2:36

| title11 = Pilgrimage

| music11 = Sanko

| length11 = 5:10

}}

• Suzanne Vega – vocals, acoustic guitar {{small|(1, 2, 4, 6, 9)}} backing vocals {{small|(1, 2, 4, 7, 11)}}, Fairlight synthesizer {{small|(3, 8)}}
• Anton Sanko – guitar, Hammond C3 organ, tiple, Sequential V.s., Dx711, Voyetra-8, Fairlight synthesizers, Akai S-1000 sampler, programming, string arrangement {{small|(5)}}
• Shawn Colvin – backing vocals {{small|(2–4)}}
• Marc Shulman – E-bow {{small|(5, 9)}}, electric guitar {{small|(1–5, 9, 11)}}, tiple guitar {{small|(1, 6, 8, 11)}}, 12-string electric guitar {{small|(4)}}, bouzouki {{small|(8)}}
• Michael Visceglia – five-string bass {{small|(1–4, 6)}}, fretless bass {{small|(5, 9, 11)}}
• Erik Sanko – fretless bass {{small|(7)}}
• Percy Jones – fretless bass {{small|(9)}}
• John Linnell – accordion {{small|(1)}}
• Richard Horowitz – ney {{small|(7)}}
• Hearn Gadbois – dumbek
• Michael Blair – marimba {{small|(3)}}, metal percussion {{small|(2, 3)}}, tambourine {{small|(2, 3)}} percussion {{small|(5)}}, shaker {{small|(7, 11)}}, hand drum {{small|(11)}}
• Glen Velez – drums
• Frank Vilardi – drums {{small|(1–5, 11)}}, percussion {{small|(1–5, 11)}}, rims and brushes {{small|(5)}}, Akai S-1000 sampler {{small|(6)}}, percussion {{small|(8)}}, shaker {{small|(8)}}, snare and tom tom drums {{small|(9)}}, blastics {{small|(11)}}
• Philip Glass – string arrangement {{small|(10)}}{{cite web|title=Days of Open Hand - Suzanne Vega {{!}} Credits {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/days-of-open-hand-mw0000206630/credits|website=AllMusic|accessdate=17 October 2017}}
• Maria Kitsopoulos – cello {{small|(5)}}
• Fred Zlotkin – cello {{small|(10)}}
• Sandra Park – first violin {{small|(5)}}
• Barry Finclair – violin solo {{small|(10)}}
• Hae Young Ham – violin {{small|(5)}}
• Timothy Baker – violin {{small|(10)}}
• Rebecca Young – viola {{small|(5)}}
• Alfred Brown – viola {{small|(10)}}

Production

• Bob Ludwig – mastering
• Hugh Padgham – mixing
• Pat McCarthy – engineer
• Pat Dillett – assistant engineer
• Geoff Keehn – engineer
• Jeff Lippay – assistant engineer
• Jon Goldberger – assistant engineer
• Kurt Munkasci – string engineer

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{{certification Table Entry|region=Worldwide|nocert=true|salesamount=1,000,000|salesref=}}

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{{Reflist}}

• [https://archive.today/20130222125035/http://albumpages.vega.net/dayoftheopenhand The Album Pages fansite: Days of Open Hand link]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070225100508/http://discography.vega.net/indexa.html Suzanne Vega Discography: solo albums page link]
• {{discogs master|31659}}

{{Suzanne Vega}}

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Category:Suzanne Vega albums

Category:1990 albums

Category:A&M Records albums