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51 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Superb Evolution Of A Woman, July 26, 2005
When I first heard that Alanis Morissette planned on releasing an acoustic version of her most popular album "Jagged Little Pill," I was a bit nervous. I personally didn't see the point, and thought that a re-issue of the original album would have been better. However, would there have been any point in releasing it again? Doesn't everyone in the English-speaking world already own this album? My thoughts exactly. So this album came out yesterday in England and I bought my copy in a record store, took it home, and was pretty much blown away. I now realise how important it was for Alanis to re-record these songs exactly 10 years after she originally did.
Back in 1995, Miss Morissette was a dangerous and angst-ridden young vixen. Her guttural moans and screeching became her trademark on an album so emotional, powerful and full of pain. Ten years later, her voice has softened in reflection to her increasing happiness. The angst has been replaced with love. Love for life, love for her husband, and love for her dear friends. It's beautiful to see this transformation, because it's so natural and pure. I bought Jagged Little Pill in October 2002, not expecting much, and coming away realising that it is my favourite album of all time and that it always, always will be. The music isn't the most complex I've ever heard, the lyrics aren't the best, but good God, the sound of the album touches me in more ways than I ever thought possible.
In the three years that I've owned the original album, it has to be the most played record in my collection. I never tire of it, and that is the sound of a classic album in my eyes. People think it's overrated, but they obviously aren't touched like many by the music Alanis is singing. Is this album a masterpiece? In my eyes it definitely is. It sold a staggering 30 million copies worldwide throughout 1995 and 1996, and will continue selling to new generations, purely because of the mammoth reputation it has achieved. Now onto the acoustic version.
I'm not going to review each song in immense detail, because in the most part, the lyrics and structure hasn't changed. Original producer Glen Ballard is back on hand for this acoustic version, and he works his magic very well. The magic that both Glen and Alanis captured on the original album is recreated, although not fully, because I believe it never fully could be restored. The album opener "All I Really Want" is less screechy and is much softer with some really exotic string sections that are very Asian in their feel. "You Oughta Know" is the song that gained Alanis that fiery reputation ten years ago, and this version is much softer. The vocal is more vulnerable and the effects of a decade's worth of worldwide superstardom clearly has changed her. "Perfect" is one of my favourite remakes because it sounds a lot better than the original. It opens beautiful with a gentle piano and gorgeous vocals from Alanis that echo and undulate all around. Her range on this song is quite incredible. "Hand In My Pocket" was always one of my favourite songs, and whilst this acoustic version doesn't live up to the original, I am very fond of guitar and harmonica work. "Right Through You" was seen as one of the 'worst' songs on the original album, but I absolutely adored it. It really got the bloody pumping. It was such a hard rocker, and this version is much more subtle. Whereas the original was a sharp cubist piece, this is like a soft watercolour, if I use art as a metaphor. "Forgiven" was - for a brief period - my favourite song on the original album. This acoustic version is very good, but not as good in my opinion. Part of what made the original so good was that dramatic build-up to the third minute where Alanis belts out, "If I jump in this fountain, will I be FORGIVEN?!" This is absent on the acoustic version.
"You Learn" is one of those classic Nineties hit singles that everyone knows. This acoustic version isn't as good but I like the vocal tone in Alanis' voice. "Head Over Feet" is a brilliant remake of the original, because the guitar rhythm is much smoother and composed. It's not as heavy and much more delicate, like a glass that could break at any minute. "Mary Jane" was that classic ballad from the original album that you'd sing when you were feeling down and helpless. The acoustic version is still incredible, and Alanis' voice richer than on the original. Now 31 years old, her voice is much more versatile and has matured like her mind. "Ironic" is arguably Alanis' most popular song ever and has achieved legendary status. The acoustic version is very beautiful, and Alanis sings it in a style that many fans will have already heard before. The most apparent change is the alteration of the original lyrics to, "It's like meeting the man of my dreams and then meeting his beautiful husband." Here Alanis highlights her support of gay rights, and also the change in society in those ten years. "Not The Doctor" was always one of my favourite songs on the album, and this version is still amazing. The lyrics on this song are very poetic and always amaze me every time I listen. The album closes with that gorgeous song "Wake Up." The unusual sound to this song was always quite psychedelic to me. The acoustic version is more traditional but the vocal still holds up. When the song ends, there's a few minutes of silence, but then, oh, what's this?! The naked honesty of the hidden track "Your House" is replicated here. The acoustic version is amazing and makes this a song in its own right, joining the elite class of the dozen classics that made this album so special.
OVERALL GRADE: 10/10
I'm still waiting for Alanis to release her Greatest Hits album at some point this year or next year, because I believe it will be an incredible body of work that millions of people will buy once they are reminded just how good Miss Morissette is. Jagged Little Pill Acoustic is a great album and much better than I had expected, but it's not as good as the original. Many people might say they love Jagged Little Pill more than me, but somehow I don't think that's true! I might have bought it seven years later than most people, but I love every single lyric, vocal, and sound that passes through each second of that album. It is the most complete, ultimate female rock album I think that has ever been released. 'Acoustic' only serves as a reminder of this, and how one woman can evolve and mature over time.
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44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sincere Tribute To the Best Recording of the '90's, July 27, 2005
"Re-recording these songs ten years later has been such a great opportunity to honor them in a way I could not do 10 years ago," observes singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette in the liner notes to "Jagged Little Pill Acoustic," an album of sparse, low-key interpretations of the 13 songs that comprised "Jagged Little Pill," her 1995 debut album that thrust the then 21 year-old Canadian siren into the vanguard of the alternative music scene and mid-90's pop culture. The record went on to sell 30,000,000 copies worldwide; the highest-selling album ever by a female artist.
It is an interesting concept; a tribute album to one's one album, but the end result is better than one might think. "Acoustic" serves as a sharp reminder of what everyone loved about Morissette a decade ago when she first surfaced on worldwide radar, and with Glen Ballard again filling the role as the album's producer, the results sound true to the original.
Indeed, her "angry" vocal performances in songs such as "Right Through You" or "You Oughta Know," which gained her instant notoriety as her debut single, are considerably more restrained now. And while some may at first dismiss the idea of hearing these songs sung without their original ferocity, they are still worth the time.
"You Oughta Know" is the clearest indication that Morissette was able to change the direction of some of the material, as if to challenge the interpretation listeners immediately had to the song. To be sure, the original was carried along by raw anger, and appropriately so. Nevertheless, she has always maintained that she herself finds the song as being more sad than angry, and this time her vocals sound distinctly more vulnerable.
On other tracks, such as the classics "Hand In My Pocket," "Head Over Feet," "You Learn" and "Ironic," she sounds far more world-weary than the 21-year old sprite of yore, channeling healthy doses of humor and optimism, coming across far more relaxed and buoyant. The latter track has even been given a bit of update, as she finds irony not in meeting the "beautiful wife" of the man of her dreams, but instead his "beautiful husband." Perhaps more ironic is that only now does that line reflect true irony.
Some things have not changed significantly, however. Her frustration with the hypocrisy of the Catholic church still rings just as loudly as ever in "Forgiven," and "Not the Doctor," where she breaks free of a man who is overwhelmingly high-maintenance, rings more vital than ever from her confident delivery and aggressive production. Also, "Perfect," sung from the perspective of an overly expectant parent, rips the heart out just as the original did.
"I'll live through you/I'll make you what I never was/If you're the best/Then maybe so am I/Compared to him/Compared to her/I'm doin' this for your own damn good/You'll make up for what I blew/What's the problem/Why are you cryin'?"
Furthermore, the cathartic self-help of "Mary Jane" and "All I Really Want" sound refreshed and sincere, even in the hands of someone who has clearly moved on from such feelings of frustration and self-loathing. The head-on criticism of an ex-flame's unabashed apathy in "Wake Up," however, still sounds as urgent and retains the creepy undertone of the original, proving just how universal the message of the song is.
"You sit and you wait to receive/There's an obvious attraction/To the path of least resistance in your life/There's an obvious aversion no amount of my insistence/Could make you try tonight/Cause it's easy not to/So much easier not to/And what goes around never comes around to you."
Ultimately, "Acoustic" will only be appreciated by fans of Morissette and those who still cherish the glory that is the original "Jagged Little Pill." Nevertheless, it is a warm, inviting reworking that contains a great deal of its predecessor's magic, while also being appropriate to play during dinnertime and rush hour traffic.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect Companion to JLP, July 26, 2005
I purchased this cd over a month ago when it was a Starbuck's exclusive and it hasn't left my cd player yet. Ever since hearing that angry woman who was determined to have the world listen to her heart break in "You Oughta Know" back in 1995, I have been infatuated with Alanis. As I've followed her musical career and her social career, my respect for her has constantly grown. From her becoming an ordained minister, to her constant support of those who certain people in our current society think are less than people, to her large caring heart as she's helped those overseas, she is a rocker who stands for something.
But I digress. It's only perfect that 10 years to the day (the Starbuck's release date) that she reintroduces the world to not only a career starting moment but also the biggest selling moment for a female vocalist of her time. I don't think a female artist has broken her record breaking sales of Jagged Little Pill yet.
What we get here is a more stripped down version of every song from Jagged Little Pill. Much like she did on her very awesome Unplugged CD, the songs are broken down to a few instruments and her voice which has aged wonderfully. The result is a song where you can hear her biting pain or anger much more clearly and the songs aren't a victim of too much going on. It's a more intimate and eye-opening experience. For instance, when I now listen to "You Oughta Know," I still hear a bit of the anger, but the way the song now sounds and the tone of her voice, it's almost like a person looking back at that tumultuous time a little wiser and knowing more than she did at the time.
Speaking of relevance, the song "Head Over Feet" takes on a new meaning now that she is engaged to Mr. Van Wilder Ryan Reynolds. You can almost hear the giddiness that her new and very possibly (and hopefully) terrific relationship will bring her great joy.
There are a couple songs which I do prefer on the original album simply because of the intensity and musical moments. "Wake Up" comes immediately to mind. I loved the original, particularly toward the end as the myriad of Alanis voices are singing and building. Stripped down to just an acoustic setting, the song is still quite great. I just prefer the original's intensity a bit better. By far, the standout song for me is "Your House," the hidden song which has been given quite the beautiful accompaniment. This isn't the first time I've heard an accompaniment to her once a capella song, but it is by far the best. I like it so much I wish it weren't hidden but an extra track so I wouldn't have to wade through a minute or so of silence to get to it. Of course it's all down to the individual person's taste. I'm sure there will be songs fans will love more on this album and songs they loved in the original form. But, overall, the songs are a perfect companion to the original release.
A side note, I loved the slight change in "Ironic." The first time I heard it, I had to rewind to make sure I heard her right. Nice little social jab at a certain way things are right now.
If you loved Jagged Little Pill you will probably love most if not all of the songs on this album. It is quite excellent and shows Alanis' growth as a vocalist. Her voice of today singing melodies from ten years past is perfect. Thinking about how the songs have changed through the years, I can't help but approach them in a different light. Maybe that was what Alanis was aiming for. They are the same songs they were when Jagged Little Pill was released, but 10 years of love, anger, pain, and happiness can change a meaning, an album, a person.
A must buy.
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~ Alanis Morissette
~ Alanis Morissette
~ Alanis Morissette
~ Alanis Morissette
~ Alanis Morissette
by Alanis Morissette 
