When Tracy Chapman broke through in 1988 with her first single, "Fast Car," her melancholy folk was like a breath of fresh air among the glam-rock acrobatics and plastic hip-hop that pushed radio stations through their days. Though her politically-driven lyrics earned Chapman the scorn of her contemporaries, it was clear that her music was touching people, obvious that the poet-turned-songstress Had Something To Say.

Three albums full of wry, bittersweet melodies have brought Chapman to where she stands now. Her new album -- the aptly titled "New Beginning" -- shares little with its predecessors. Where her former work was constantly surprising and unique, Chapman's latest collection of tales seems harvested from a garden where no risks grow, where no strange flowers bloom. And though she may be smiling, Chapman's new- found joy is cloying, suffocating, and ready-made for heavy rotation on VH-1.

"New Beginning" opens with a spiritual salute called "Heaven's Here On Earth" that insists people who "look to the stars in search of answers/Look for God and life on distant planets" are ignoring reality: our own planet is a great place to be. The title track furthers this utopian dream, beginning with the idea that the "whole world's broke and it ain't worth fixing." Chapman turns the cynical opening line around and asks her listeners to start their whole lives over, as she has done with her own.

There are a number of romantic tunes on this album, including the mismatched "Smoke and Ashes," the hopeful "At This Point in My Life," and a call to undying love in "The Promise." At least the melody in "The Promise" is memorable, nudging its way into the listener's heart with saccharine lines like "Remembering your touch/Your kiss/Your warm embrace." Even the first single, "Give Me One Reason," an uptempo blues piece, holds the promise of eternal love even when times are rough. Who let Whitney Huston in here?

"New Beginning" does include a couple of political moments -- precisely two, in fact. In "The Rape of the World," Chapman sings about, you guessed it, environmental degradation. Unfortunately, the song is so chock-full of cliches that it's hard to accept her earnest request that we respect the "Mother of us all/Place of our birth." "Cold Feet," one of the only inspired moments on the album, follows a young man who is constantly felled by his own fears. The surprise ending makes an ironic play on the song's title.

As always, Chapman's voice is a pleasure to listen to. Her sweet contralto trills and flows through "New Beginning" like an old friend, accompanied by her understated guitar playing. She includes a few unconventional instruments on the album, including haunting Australian didgeridu on "New Beginning." Scottish small-pipes add a spiritual touch to "Heaven's Here On Earth." In other songs, Chapman's six-string is dressed up with string arrangements or piano.

Chapman's new smile shines radiantly from the back of her new album, and well it should. It seems she's finally conquered the sadness which dominated her previous work, and she's produced an album which will probably be very successful. It's a shame, however, that her latest songs lack the creative spark which has for so long been her trademark, her shining badge. Let's hope she's just off to a false start, one that will eventually return Chapman to fertile ground -- happier, but with the same insight that made her previous music so enjoyable.

This article was originally published in Addicted to Noise.