Album Review by EDF
Before there was an Avril Lavigne or even The Matrix production team, there was Liz Phair. For those who are not familiar with her, Liz released the sort of up front and honest songs that Alanis Morissette would eventually produce. Since Phair’s debut 1993 album, her fans have been grumbling that she has gone from indie rock chick to commercial sell-out. This album is bound to confirm their suspicions as half of the album has been produced with Avril’s Matrix production team.
On the surface, there is nothing wrong with the songs on this album and could easily sit beside any other track played on mainstream radio. Now that’s where the problem lies. Where Phair has built up a reputation of writing imaginative shock lyrics, it seems that she has either lost her edge or told to tone down her songs if she is to gain that elusive airtime. It’s a shame because if she succeeds in gaining exposure, I congratulate her, but in doing so she will have sacrificed her individual identity.
With a lot of female artists going for that rock chick sound, it is no wonder that Avril Lavigne’s COMPLICATED is the reason for Phair recruiting The Matrix and their influence is extremely noticeable on tracks such as WHY CAN’T I.
On other tracks, the lyrics are so corny; they are obviously aimed at listeners half her age. There is something uncomfortably funny about said lyrics on tracks such as, ROCK ME, being the worst offender here. To highlight the point, most of the tracks are just so over-produced they strangle whatever chance the songs ever had to develop. This is one of those albums that will be played half a dozen times and then forgotten about.
