*** TRACY CHAPMAN, “Matters of the Heart”, <i> Elektra</i>

It’s a safe bet the third album by one of the country’s most compelling songwriters--like her second--won’t draw anywhere near the attention her acclaimed debut did back in 1988. But while her sophomore effort, “Crossroads,” floundered because it was not nearly as inspiringly crafted as “Tracy Chapman,” “Matters of the Heart” is destined to meet a subdued reception mainly because the media long ago abandoned female folksingers as today’s trend.

Nothing on “Matters” is as joltingly brilliant as “Fast Car” or “For My Lover,” but the entire package is far more deftly arranged and stylishly presented than Chapman’s debut. Living Colour’s Vernon Reid and Heartbreaker Mike Campbell subtly guide a phalanx of stellar musicians to shape Chapman’s tales of the oppressed without weighing them down.

Chapman herself sounds much the same: She’s still a reticent singer, forgoing obvious inflections to let her lyrics provoke the desired response. Sometimes, that aim is a change of heart. More often, despite the album’s title, she’s out to change your mind. Usually she succeeds.

New albums are rated on a scale of one asterisk (poor) to four (excellent).