Can it be? Has it really been more than two decades years since Tracy Chapman first made radio safe again for socially conscious, acoustic-based singer-songwriters?

Indeed, twenty-one years have passed since the release of Chapman’s self-titled debut album and its hit first single, “Fast Car.” That song became a ubiquitous presence on pop radio, rising to the #6 position on the singles charts and propelling the album to multi-platinum sales and Grammy-winning status: Chapman and the album snagged four statues at the ’89 Grammy Awards, including one for Best New Artist.

And in the process, the record’s success really did reopen radio-airplay doors that had been closed to singer-songwriters — especially those wielding acoustic guitars — seemingly since the ‘70s. At the time, late-‘80s radio was marching to the tune whistled by MTV, which was regrettably full of hair-metal, slick synth-rock and other trendy genres.

Additionally, when Chapman — who comes to the Michigan Theater next Tuesday, Aug. 11 — proved that a lone female strumming a Martin could sell records and fill concert halls, it also planted the seeds for what, a few years later, would become known as the “Lilith era.” That was the sometimes tongue-in-cheek phrase — inspired by the all-female Lilith Fair festivals — used to describe the trend in the '90s toward female artists who drew big audiences by singing sensitive songs: Sarah McLachlan, Jewel, the Indigo Girls, etc.

So, even though Chapman’s subsequent albums never reached the commercial heights achieved by her debut, she remains a vital figure in the last 20 years of pop music. And, she’s kept plugging away, releasing a series of solid, well-crafted folk-pop records — and has continued to write songs marked by smart, literate, probing lyrics.

The latest of those, “Our Bright Future,” was released last year — the 20th anniversary of her debut. It was the first disc in three years from an artist who has become somewhat methodical in terms of her recording career. That is, she doesn’t rush the process — since the early '90s, she has generally gone three or four years between albums.

“Our Bright Future” is another round of tasteful, mature folk-pop, with some soul-music undertones. Bombast has never been her thing, obviously, and this record abounds with subtle pleasures: poignant insights, open-hearted confessionals and deft turns of phrase, backed by compact, small-band arrangements.

Chapman, who grew up in a blue-collar Cleveland neighborhood, has also earned praise for being a well-informed citizen of the world, one who has a passion for social and political issues — and a sensitivity to those who have been deprived of their rights or dignity. And she’s never been shy about expressing her social and political views in her songs.

For example, in “The First Person on Earth,” Chapman paints a scary, lonely scenario, as the singer is seemingly abandoned while frightening waters rise all around her. “That was inspired in part by Hurricane Katrina,” says Chapman in an interview on her web site. “Everyone saw what was happening in New Orleans — people were left to fend for themselves in a time of great need and crisis.”

There are also serious songs about the power and dangers of love, but one tune is a bit of a romp, the playful “I Did it All,” which is set to a cocktail-jazz arrangement, and is a send-up of sorts. In the song, Chapman lampoons celebrity culture and sings from the point of view of a boozy not-quite-star trying to convince her companion that her lifestyle is more outrageous than it actually is.

Meanwhile, “Something to See” pensively and idealistically imagines a world without war, even as the narrator laments the wars that have waged around the world in recent years, including the two that the U.S. is still embroiled in. Initially, Chapman figured the song would be uptempo and anthemic, but the final arrangement is something more modulated.

“We were [doing one take of the song], and it just felt right,” she says in the interview. “Whatever I had in my head was still there, but I realized we had made a version of the song that….expressed the sentiment and the lyrics more fully. In its current form, she said, “it reminds me of the Staple Singers. I always loved the Staples, the sound and feel of their records; they really drew you in and engaged you.

“I realized it was the right way to go, musically…..It’s kind of a quiet plea, or a prayer.”

Which is to say, something that Chapman fans have always looked to her for.

Kevin Ransom is a free-lance writer who covers music for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at KevinRansom10@aol.com.

PREVIEW Tracy Chapman Who: Veteran, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter. What: Smart, literate, probing songs, set to well-crafted, folk-pop arrangements. Where: Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. When: Tuesday, Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m. How much: $39.50, $65. Details: 743-763-TKTS; 734-668-8397 or The Michigan Theater web site.

Tracy Chapman photos by James Minchin, courtesy of Atlantic Records