Suzanne Vega

In a Mountain Stage set originally recorded in December 2007, Vega and her band perform selections from her latest CD, Beauty & Crime. She also performs a couple of the songs that brought her to the forefront of pop music in the late 1980s: the unlikely hits "Luka" and "Tom's Diner."

Vega's pop-music career spans more than two decades. Her first album in six years, Beauty & Crime, showcases an acoustic sound that's nicely matched to personal lyrics and stories about her native New York. Hear an interview and in-studio performance.

Vega's pop-music career spans more than two decades. Her first album in six years, Beauty & Crime, showcases an acoustic sound that's nicely matched to personal lyrics and stories about her native New York. Hear an interview and in-studio performance.

Built around her crisp acoustic guitar and clear-eyed, observant delivery, "Ludlow Street" — one of the standout tracks on Suzanne Vega's new, New York-themed Beauty & Crime — brings to mind the graceful flow of her early work.

Built around her crisp acoustic guitar and clear-eyed, observant delivery, "Ludlow Street" — one of the standout tracks on Suzanne Vega's new, New York-themed Beauty & Crime — brings to mind the graceful flow of her early work.