Her intensely personal lyrics grabbed the headlines, but the bravest departure here is the way Morissette's unique vocals stand naked in the mix--a technique that drives home the painful honesty of tracks like "Right Through You," "Forgiven," and "All I Really Want."Sheryl Crow or an earthier Tori Amos are fair analogies, but Morissette is a genuine original with a rare ability to make listeners care, think, and question.--Jeff Bateman ... Read more

Asin: B000002MY3
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Canada    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Post-Grunge    7. Rock   

When Alanis Morissette visited Mother India in 1997, she gained new composure and, in a state of numinous bliss, wrote 17 songs for Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, each suffused with the search for enlightenment and self-knowledge. To the likely dismay of many fans, Morissette now rages at herself. But this long-awaited follow-up to 1995's record-smashing Jagged Little Pill is far from a disappointment. Imbued with dark, swirling psychedelic licks borrowed from Jimmy Page's song book, the disc is paradoxically both more enigmatic and revealing than Pill. And while Junkie shows that Morissette is no less stingy about revealing herself to her fans--her staccato stream-of-consciousness style is again employed to surrender her secrets and foibles a little too easily in these tales of abuse, lost love, and self-flagellation--Junkie also makes one wonder what this musical sphinx holds back. In "Baba" she takes on competitive spirituality, sneering at the fashionable grasp for enlightenment. "Would Not Come" returns to a similar theme--taking us on a tour of her diary. "Would Not Come" and "Your House" offer the only hints of sexual innuendo. The only revenge she wreaks on an errant lover is in the percussive "Are You Still Mad," this time dishing up a much subtler payback than on "You Oughta Know." The record's standouts, meanwhile, are "Thank U" and the hip-poppy "So Pure." One complaint (and there is only one): Morissette's rapid-fire wordplay is at times engulfed by ponderous instrumentation. The worldbeat rhythms and elaborate guitar play add fresh twists to the album, but they also sometimes bury her message. --Jaan Uhelszki ... Read more

Asin: B00000DGUG
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Canada    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Post-Grunge    7. Rock    8. Singer/Songwriter   

With all the attention Alanis Morissette's career has garnered, it's startling to think that on the release of her third studio CD she has yet to see her 28th birthday. Under Rug Swept finds Morissette in the producer's role, a position she seems more comfortable with at this stage than songwriter. The opener, "21 Things I Want in a Lover," finds Morissette ticking off her likes and dislikes before an attention-grabbing explosion of crunching guitar chords and a scratchy hip-hop beat. Swept's emotional flow is navigated by Morissette's vocal queues: her lower register accompanies confrontation and self-proclamation ("Narcissus"), the higher intimates vulnerability and reflection ("Utopia"). Every tone is enlivened by well-blended electronic and acoustic elements. The snag is that, as with her previous two albums, Under Rug Swept is marred by unabridged stream-of-consciousness lyrics. Her awkward syntax and distorted phrasing disorients music that's melodious and compelling. She remains acutely self-obsessed, delivering rants aimed at men who are fatally flawed and, naturally, irresistibly devastating. For now, her greatest strength as a musician lies in her ear for a powerful melody. Lyrically, she'd be better off keeping her contorted prose In Closet Locked. --Beth Massa ... Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Asin: B00005TPKC
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Singer/Songwriter   

Nevermind that Alanis Morissette's career spans back to her early teens and she has four prior CDs to her credit. It's just too early to go unplugged. Performances like this are better done in the privacy of one's acoustically appointed bathroom. An expressive, emotionally naked singer, Morissette bares a little too much on this outing. Recorded at New York's Brooklyn Academy of Music and produced solely by Morissette, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the carefully wrought songs and slices of her inner life, but there's little to be said about her shrill, thin delivery. Included is the never-before-released "No Pressure Over Cappuccino," which shedebuted on her Jagged Little Pill tour, and two songs left off last year's Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie: "Princes Familiar" and "These Are the Thoughts." They were dumped for good reason. The only redeeming moment is her out-of-breath rendering of the coy "Head Over Feet." --Jaan Uhelszki ... Read more

Features

• Live

Asin: B00002MZ12
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Post-Grunge    6. Rock    7. Singer/Songwriter   

This isn't quite a live album, greatest hits, or rarities package, although it contains plenty of material that falls under all three columns. Rather, Feast on Scraps is a generous serving of everything Alanis. Its centerpiece is a CD featuring eight previously unreleased songs that were recorded during the Under Rug Swept sessions, plus an acoustic take on the hit "Hands Clean." Among the highlights here are a nasty Jagged Little Pill throwback called "Sister Blister" and a warmly seductive folk number approximating Joni Mitchell called "Offer." Then there is the DVD, brimming with superb live performances of sleek, dark pop hits such as "You Oughta Know," "Head Over Feet," and "Thank U." The set is rounded out with some delightfully candid behind-the-scenes footage (watch Alanis break down in tears during the writing of "Surrendering") that will make her fans gasp in delight. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Asin: B000077VRV
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Singer/Songwriter   

This soundtrack to City of Angels has a mighty tall order to fill. The film is a remake of Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire, and the German director is known for his effective use of music. But where Wenders can call on his friends such as R.E.M. and Elvis Costello to contribute songs, City of Angels feels more like a marketing device. No less than half the selections are by Warner Bros. artists, including some new music by Alanis Morissette, her first since Jagged Little Pill. That song, "Uninvited," is the album's highlight, a restrained modal ballad in the mode of Zeppelin's "Kashmir." The rest alternates between other female stars such as Paula Cole and Sarah McLachlan and bluesy selections from Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, and Eric Clapton. --Steven Mirkin ... Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Asin: B0000062VP
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Film Music    4. Original Score    5. Pop    6. Soundtracks    7. Soundtracks & Film Scores