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Days of Open Hand is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was released on April 10, 1990, through A&M Records. The album was the follow-up to the successful Solitude Standing (1987). It was produced by Vega and Anton Sanko, who also co-wrote six of the album's eleven tracks. Recording took place across multiple studios throughout New York City from late 1989 to early 1990.
Days of Open Hand combines Vega's established folk rock style with more varied instrumentation such as the ney and dumbec and experimental arrangements. High-profile contributors to the album include Philip Glass, Shawn Colvin, and John Linnell of They Might Be Giants. The album saw greater use of synthesizers and samplers than Vega's previous studio albums; these included the digital Fairlight CMI and analog Voyetra-8.
Days of Open Hand did not match the success of its predecessor, stalling at number 50 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and failing to spawn a hit single. It was more successful on the UK Albums Chart, where it reached the top 10. Despite this, the album did surpass sales of a million copies and reviews were generally positive. Days of Open Hand was nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Recording and won the award for Best Recording Package at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards.
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