Suzanne Vega - Tom's Diner (A&M)

Hmm, not sure if it's a good idea to promote an artist by putting out acapella songs about cafes on 112th Street and Broadway in Britain just yet. If you like Vega, and I do in measured doses, then you'll be able to pretend to enjoy this without dying of terminal embarrassment but otherwise it defines twee in naked single format. While we're on the subject of new folk, and we're not, Jennifer Warnes' version of Leonard Cohen's 'First We Take Manhattan' (reviewed last week) is tremendous, as Mike Gatting would say. By comparison this is like doing the quick crossword in the Evening Standard. Not very stimulating. (Max Bell, No 1, July 18, 1987)

T: I can't believe she's released this, I mean it's such an odd choice.
A: Yeah, I agree, I like Suzanne Vega but this one doesn't do her a lot of favours.
J: What is she playing at? Halfway through I thought nothing was going to happen - and I was right!
(All About Eve, Record Mirror, July 18, 1987)

Suzanne Vega - Small Blue Thing (A&M)

Simple yet effective; if only all records were made this way. This is a hauntingly beautiful ballad, sung in an almost lullaby-like whisper. Evocative, serene and oozing a pleasing warmth, this is many things to many people. A luxurious dip into the exquisite. A self-indulgent wallow in tenderness. A perfectly polished gem. A plea from the heart. No record collection should be without. (Anna Martin, No 1, January 18, 1986)

Notes: The B-Side is "The Queen And The Soldier", another highlight from her first album. And if you really, really want to know what the small blue thing was....it's a door knob. I learned this and much more during Suzanne's great interview with the guys at Sodajerker.