TRAMP

Sharon Van Etten's 2012 TRAMP is sad, but it's not depressing. Many of the songs here are filled with melancholy, but there's also something hopeful about them (particularly in "All I Can.") The album is a good blend of atmospheric, bluesy guitar-driven rock and autobiographical "heart-on-my-sleeve" lyrics. After listening to this album a few times, I felt like I knew SVE. TRAMP is full of passion, and it shows. The album begins with one of its best feet forward ("Warsaw,") but the latter half of the album does not feel quite as strong as the first.This album wasn't made to listen to in the background; doing so will give the listener the false idea that all of these tracks sound alike. Many of the songs do have similar moods, but they are packed with detail and intricate instrumentation. There's not a note that doesn't feel deserved or planned. These songs are driven by mood, and unfortunately, I think that this album might have a hard time finding a larger crowd. That's not to say that the album isn't accessible; it just isn't full of hooks or melodies that would draw in the casual top 40 crowd.Fans of  Wye Oak , PJ Harvey , St. Vincent , or  Mark Lanegan  will find a lot to like in this bluesy, guitar-driven album. Recommended highlights for sampling: "Warsaw," "Serpents," "All I Can," and "Magic Chords."

"I loosen my grip from my palmPut it on your knee"...There was your breath on the back of my neck...The only one I had felt in years."-Composite of lines from 'Give Out.'In the story, I always cheer for Sharon Van Etten. Ms. Van Etten has been telling me a story for years now, and it's emotionally gripping! Her three LP's thus far ARE theater. So, in a cheap ploy to garner patience from all the Ms. Van Etton fans reading this, I just want to establish that she is the character in the story that I have come to care for deeply. Boy, how I need her to find closure, peace of mind, rebirth!Ms. Van Etten, with a new and evolving home and love, seems to be "pulling ahead" in her journey. Yes, the story IS moving forward. Still, everything isn't fully resolved. A salvo or two remain to be fired and, dare I say, she's is not entirely convinced that the wheels are back on her wagon to stay. Gee, that all sounds like the backgrounded and foreboding tension of the second act to me! You know, when everything finally settles down and bliss springs eternal but then... Oh, crap!A few selfish reactions of mine to the LP. Track 2 (a happy song though laced with self-doubt qualifiers) and 3 (decidedly not a happy song -but one that hints at forgiveness and reconciliation) are both feloniously catchy and, like so many others have pointed out, contain many of the most memorable and provocative one-liners on the LP. Tracks 4 (more "issues"?) and 5 (super happy song) are total charmers. Track 6 is a country-laced-ethereal-road-trip-in-time-and-place and is a remarkable achievement. This song is so sonically, lyrically and affectively fascinating that I'm always, well, pissed that it ends! Track 7 displays Ms. Van Etten's penchant and talent for escalating a song to the heights of an anthem. Track 9 is a beat-mix-swing-gospel extravaganza and is as cool as it is jazz smooth. The last two songs don't share much in common with the rest of this work. This is partly explained by the abstract treatment of their subject matter Vs. the more every-day-down-to earth elaborations that typically preoccupy her lyrics. These songs strike me as narrowly focus yet open-ended studies and ones that strive for mood over clarity. They work for me.What makes Ms. Van Etten the exceptional artist that so many people are concluding that she is? She has an undeniably pleasant voice, but it is more insidiously affecting than charismatic. As a guitar player, she never settles for the perfunctory, and she understands the value of patience but, then again, there is nothing "signature" about it. Stating the obvious, she is an accomplished lyricist -lithe, smart, evocative, fully invested- but ultimately that does not make her special either. Her greatest strength is her unwavering consistence along every imaginable dimension that matters. What makes her unique is her gifts as a composer to animate her songs into living, thirsting representations. Yes, that was a bunch of words spent going nowhere, and I am sorry. What I am trying to say is that my first and continuing reaction to 'Tramp' that it is timeless which, in turn, is just my way of saying this LP means a great deal to me.

Great product

Quality and fast delivery.

This is one of my favorite records of 2012 if not my favorite. Sharon sings heartbreaking and heartfelt songs that are intensely gripping and beautiful. Her penchant for melody is striking not to mention the potency of her lyrics. I simply cannot get over the power of her voice. It's cathartic listening to her sing. I'd recommend this record to anyone.

I'd been noticing this album in my "suggested" list from Amazon Cloud Player for a while, but only decided to listen to Sharon's music on YouTube recently... and I'm glad I did!If you're wondering, try "Serpents" and "All I Can". (this track has an awesome buildup till the very end). Those tracks should give you a good idea what her music's is like.

This is really great. Not just "another singer-songwriter," SVE has mastered the minor-key, melancholic song that is straigtforward and free of melodrama. The arrangements are usually pretty spare and restrained -- a guitar, drum, maybe an organ/electic piano. The focus is very much on the songs (which are generally very strong) and not on the production. SVE has a strong, rich voice -- she makes me think of someone like Beth Orton. The highlights are probably "All We Can," and "Ask" which start slow and builds gradually to a crescendo that reminds me very much of Roy Orbison. A very strong album overall.

A singer-songwriter that writes stunning poetic lyrics, that fit her voice perfectly. Her music and arrangements are also stunning.She may not be for everyone, that's understandable, but her audience are true fans.

New Jersey born, Alt/Rock singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten, with "Tramp", presents her third full length release.It's an album that veers from the gutsy to the gentle and understated, with Sharon's smouldering vocals pouring out a raft of emotions, full of passion and regret over past broken relationships.

great songs and great singer

Another on-spec purchase after seeing her perform on Jools Holland's UK show. Intospective lyrics - fine with me. Good musicianship - equally fine by me. Good voice - yep, and better than on her "Epic" album which I subsequently bought. Can I get the songs out of my head - no. I am told that there are many many good singer songwriters out there and maybe she is not the best, whatever that means; all I know is that I love to listen to all of this album and look forward to hearing her future works.

i came across this in the end of year lists and bought it after comparing reviews , , , , , and im so glad i did,so very happy,worth all the misses,to hit something like this.read the reviews,click,buy,enjoy.

"At a first hearing the songs don't seem to match up to the last album.Then after listening to them a few times more a few songs stay in your mind and you start to really like them.Then you find out this album is just as good as the last one or even better."This was a review not about SvE but about the then latest Steely Dan album many years ago.Although her music is not the same, these words kept coming to my mind.