Liz Phair [Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics]

Liz Phair | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 24, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00009OOH9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (442 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,651 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #14 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Lo-Fi
  • #14 in Music > Alternative Rock > Singer-Songwriters
  • #21 in Music > Alternative Rock > American Alternative > General

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Eponymous albums are usually either debuts or the work of musicians trying to introduce themselves to a new audience. Count Liz Phair among the latter. It’s Phair's fourth studio album, but her first since 1998, and it's a long way from the arty, low-fi sound that marked her true full-length debut, 1993's Exile in Guyville. Phair has developed into a considerably more confident singer, while her songs and the production they receive here are as slick and radio-friendly as anything by, say, Avril Lavigne. That’s no surprise, since Lavigne's production team, the Matrix, produced many of the tracks here. (The rest are helmed by LA rock stalwarts Michael Penn and Pete Yorn producer R. Walt Vincent.) Sex is still Phair's primary subject, whether it’s comparing a lover to a comfortable pair of old underwear ("Favorite"), asking a much younger man to "Rock Me" all night long, or praising the beauty benefits of oral sex ("H.W.C."). The only time Phair lets the cheery facade crack a bit is on "Little Digger," on which Phair tries to explain to her young son why the man she's currently dating is not the boy's father. Who could've guessed that even the freest, best-protected sex could have such far-reaching, unintended consequences? --Keith Moerer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old-school Liz fan who loves this record, July 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Liz Phair (Audio CD)

I've been somewhat psycho about Liz since the week Exile in Guyville came out. I have no desire for her to release the same album over and over, so I welcome this new record for the excellent piece of pop/rock that it is. There are so, so many great vintage Liz songs here, like "It's Sweet," "Take A Look," "Little Digger" "Firewalker," "Love/Hate Transmission" and "My Bionic Eyes." Yeah yeah yeah, the Matrix songs aren't really a lot like old Liz, unless you're enough of a fan to know "Rocket Boy," or to realize that "Jealousy" and "Johnny Feelgood" are really the same kind of songs.

Indie rockers, just grow up and admit you love Styx, Cheap Trick and Journey, and allow yourself to love this record too. And don't let some cheap sexism and ageism make you proclaim that songs like "H.W.C." are stupid and embarrassing. If it had appeared on either of Liz's first two albums, it would be proclaimed a subversive masterpiece.

Don't be an indiesnob. If you like Liz Phair the album, just let yourself like it!

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars That's minus one star, by the way...., June 26, 2003

By 

Nigel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Liz Phair (Audio CD)

Rats, I've been defending Liz's decision to go mainstream and sex in a MTV-friendly way ever since I heard what she was up to. It's not like being 36 and still wanting to have a sexy image is the work of the antichrist or anything. The cover doesn't make me want to cry "sell out" although it doesn't do anything for me, except make me wonder why she wants us to look up her nostrils....

Trouble is, I eventually had to listen to the damn thing and it reeks. There's maybe about 3 minutes of the Liz Phair I used to love here (all but the chorus of "Rock Me" and the start of "Bionic Eyes"), the rest is just a nasal version of Avril Lavigne with worse tunes. It's a bloody tragedy -- it doesn't even work as an ironic joke, let alone an attempt to break new ground.

If you listen to "Rock Me" you'll hear enough of the old Liz to make you feel sad and angry about what she's turned herself or allowed herself to be turned into. But for the rest there's barely a hint that there's a human being behind the production and gadgets at all, let alone the woman who gave us <i>Exile in Guyville</i>.

So long, Liz.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Enjoyable, August 15, 2003

By 

Delirium (NY, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Liz Phair (Audio CD)

I've been a Liz Phair fan for a long time and I was scared of this album. Deathly afraid. But then I listened to it. And listened again. And sang along in spite of myself. Yeah, it's poppy. Yeah, it's infectious. Yeah, "Why Can't I" is more than reminiscent of Avril Levigne. So what? Perhaps it was time for the Indie Queen to shake it up. And she has. Musicians evolve, sometimes into something people don't like, sometimes into something merely a little different. Liz Phair has evolved, in my opinion, into something a little different. She's not the same woman she was when she recorded "Exile in Guyville". So "Liz Phair" isn't going to be the same album. I crank up "Extraordinary" on my car stereo and sing along to it's infectious tune. I listen to "Little Digger" and understand the difficulty of explaining divorce to a young kid. And what woman doesn't want to find a man who feels like "My Favorite Underwear"? Love indie Liz and wish she would never change? Don't buy this album, you won't be pleased. Love Liz and what she has to say? It's still there in "Liz Phair", just in a different package.