Customer Reviews

Liz Phair

5 star:		(175)
4 star:		(110)
3 star:		(37)
2 star:		(45)
1 star:		(75)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

Other reviews have mostly covered this cd pretty well: it's not at all like her Exile in Guyville, it's got's much more of a polished pop sound, which might or might not be what you're looking for.

But no one seems to be mentioning that this cd lets you access a web site where you can download a free EP by Liz, "comeandgetit". The EP has five songs, about 14 minutes of music, and for me, it is the best thing about buying this cd. Any review that fails to mention the EP has glaring omissions, in my opinion.

I think the Guyville cd is a much, much better recording than this new cd, but I do still like the new cd -- I find myself playing it in the car on my commute to work every day. So I have no complaints about buying the cd. But I wouldn't have given such a high rating if it weren't for the EP.

Fans of Guyville will probably like everything on the free 5-song EP better than any of the songs on this CD. The EP doesn't have that overly-polished, Avril Lavigne sound.

Caveat: The 5-song EP seems to be licensed/copy-protected/whatever, so I have no way of burning it to a CD. Also, it's one big file, instead of being five separate tracks, which is a bit of a pain. But who knows, maybe those things can be fixed if they update the web site. For now, I just listen to the EP at my computer.

I understand how this album may have been a disappointment to people who have been fans of Liz since Guyville. Her sound has changed a bit since then. But the silver lining has to be seen - that without the commercial aspect of this album, I, and thousands of others would have never known who Liz Phair was, and would not have had the chance to experience her magnificent previous albums.
That being said, I still think this album is a masterpiece. It may be pop, but its GOOD pop. It has a mix of the fun, just-because songs like "Rock Me", or "Extraordinary", as well as the the more classic sounding Liz songs, like "Firewalker"(she wrote this song years before the album came out). "Why Can't I", probably her best selling single to date, still hasn't lost its listening appeal to me for some reason. Liz is just so unique and pleasant to listen to. I love every song. You won't hear this material from other mainstream artists, especially songs like "Favorite", "H.W.C." and "My Bionic Eyes", where she's not afraid to get a little dirty, and I love it.
For people who have only heard this album of Liz so far, I encourage you to listen to her first few albums as well: Exile in Guyville, Whip-Smart, and Whitechocolatespaceegg, the last of which seems to start the groundwork for what this album was going to sound like.
This will always be one of my all-time favorite albums, because it is the best pop/rock around, and it will always be remembered as my first taste of Liz, which I've craved more and more of ever since.

Ever feel like you're living in a Monty Python movie? Remember the scene in "The Life of Brian" where Brian tells the masses outside his window that they must learn to think for themselves, and the crowd replies in unison, "Yes, we must learn to think for ourselves!"? That's what it seems like when I read the same story, over and over again, about the "sell-out" this CD is. You people need to learn to think for yourselves!

Have we reached a point of lo-fi snobbery that nothing is good that wasn't recorded on a Teac 4-track cassette deck in somebody's basement? Is tape hiss, saturation, and accidental distortion a sign of higher art?

Ever wonder what the world was like when Bob Dylan strapped on the electric guitar for the first time at that folk festival? I guarentee you it was EXACTLY like this. Liz Phair is an artist trying to grow, and in that growth has put everything into play, assuming nothing. The CD that came out of this process is a pop/rock music triumph. Think Pat Benetar's "Crimes of Passion" or the Pretenders' first album.

There are NO bad songs on this CD. You dont' even get to my favorite cut, "My Bionic Eyes", until track 12! (This should have been the single, folks!). It is an incredibly solid collection of melodic, hooky, intelligent songs that just keeps blasting away at you. "Extraordinary", "Red Light Fever", "Why Can't I?", "It's sweet", and "Rock me", the first five tracks, are ALL potential hit songs. When's the last time you listened to a CD with so much depth? And it's just getting started. Other gems like "Favorite", "Love/hate" with its infectious cadence, and the gripping "Friend of mine" follow up, filling out a set of songs that will leave you humming melodies and looking forward to replays for weeks.

"H.W.C.", which is basically the "throw-back to a previous Liz Phair era" song, does seem a bit out of place amongst the more grown-up lyrics that surround it, and ends up feeling more like parody than cool. "Little Digger", a very emotional ballad about a child dealing with constantly changing father figures also is a departure of style stuck in the middle of the CD, causing a bit of a rock and roll speed bump. I think this would have made a much better closer than "Good Love Never Dies", which is the only thing that even remotely resembles filler on this effort.

That NO ONE is buying or hearing this CD is a travesty. Honestly, if when an artist releases something as great as this we do nothing but complain about it because its not like the last thing an artist did, then we deserve whatever pre-processed garbage we get from the music industry.

Here's hoping that Liz Phair finds a way to escape what's becoming her "Elvis Costello" syndrome of producing great records that just can't seem to break through, but everyone considers to be classics 20 years from now. I'll appreciate this one now, thank you.

You know, I could criticize Liz Phair for selling out like so many other people have done over this album, but I'm not going to do that. Liz has obviously decided that she's more interested in pursuing pop stardom than maintaining so called "indie cred". And you know what? I'm okay with that. Really. And I'm okay with people saying they like this album. Does liking Alanis Morrissette or Sheryl Crow or Britney or Avril Lavigne make one a bad person? No, of course it doesn't. It's a personal taste, that's all. And I don't feel justified in criticizing others' personal tastes.
Having said that, I hated this album as much as I adore Exile in Guyville. Exile was raw and full of heart. This album is not. I don't see it as any kind of musical evolution. I find the lyrics insipid and the music shellacked with overproduction. Again, my opinion. And it makes me sad, in a way. I also find tremendous irony in the fact that Liz apparently feels she now has to ape all the artists she opened the door for in the first place in order to succeed. Nevertheless, I wish her all the success she can handle. And I still can put on Exile in Guyville anytime and remember what was.
By the way, no one who is critical of this album is saying that Liz should make the same album over and over. The argument that she has changed as a person and her music reflects this change is not a logical one. She made a conscious decision to try to be more commercial. This fact cannot be denied, and though I have no problem with that I find the results terribly disappointing and lacking in integrity. There are plenty of ways she could have branched out as an artist, as others have mentioned. But she chose to sound like everyone else. I think that's too bad.

To all the people who are distraught over this album: seriously, what is wrong with you? Not only is it ridiculous to reject an artist simply because their style has evolved, it eludes me how anyone could think that "Liz Phair" is an all-out terrible album. This record - which a lot of people seem to be calling "pop" - does an excellent job of incorporating many different styles of music. You've got pop songs, rock songs, and even a couple ballads. The diversity of "Liz Phair" is impressive in itself, but what makes this album really successful is Liz Phair's slightly-perfected vocals and characteristically witty and poignant lyrics. On songs like "Take A Look," "Little Digger," and "It's Sweet," Liz Phair's talent - both vocal and literary - really shines. Even the song "HWC," which seems to be the most critically maligned track on the album, retains the wit, humor, and even grace that fans have grown to expect from Liz Phair, who has a knack for making any situation - even the most intimate and, well, messy - seem amusing, important, and utterly natural.

Some fans and critics bemoan the fact that, since the release of "Exile in Guyville," Liz Phair has moved further and further away from her indie-priestess roots. I strongly believe, however, that these are the same fans and critics who would criticize Liz Phair if she only put out albums that mimiced the alt-rock sound established on "Guyville." The easiest thing Liz Phair could have done was stick rigidly to that sound and receive great press for the rest of her career. I admire the fact that she was willing to take a risk with "Liz Phair." And regardless of how the naysayers feel, I think that risk was well worth it.

I have given this album a good 6 months or so, having owned it digitally since before it was released. And I am disappointed, to say the least. Admittedly I have a ridiculous emotional attachment to Ms. Phair's earlier work, but this is ridiculous. I fully support an artist's wish to do different work and sell more records, but if I wanted to listen to Sheryl Crow I would buy her albums. This is nothing new. We have seen all this before. I can't appreciate the hints at intelligent songwriting due to the nauseating production, i.e. "Little Digger." "HWC" is equivalent to "Girls Gone Wild" at best, no sexual revolution here. The harmonica just makes it worse. And laughable.

I can only hope this is a marketing ploy and the next Liz Phair album will showcase the lyrics and rock'n'roll spirit that many of us are used to.

I suspect that there will be an outrageous backlash against Liz for "selling out" on this album. My answer to those "loyalists" is that Liz's wanting to be a bona-fide star after a decade in the business is her choice to make - not yours. After all, why should less-talenting jokes like Avril Lavigne get paid millions and grace magazine covers while actual songwriters like Liz get relegated to indie status? In my opinion, WhiteChocolateSpaceEgg was a masterpiece - far better than Exile or Whip-Smart. So if you didn't like SpaceEgg, you won't be buying this one anyway. My problem with 'Liz Phair' isn't the production, it's with the many bland choruses. There are some terrific verses in these songs, and some great sounding music, but some of the choruses can be downright hokey. A great example is "Rock Me," in which a promising song is destroyed by an uninspired chorus. What would a Liz Phair CD be without an overtly sexual tune and "H.W.C." delivers in fine fashion. The real hidden gem here is "Little Digger," which will bring tears to your eyes if you have a heart in your chest. For sheer summer candy, I'll take "Why Can't I" over anything on the radio right now. And pay attention to the lyrics, because it's classic Liz through and through. Maybe the sound has changed, but so has she, and so have all of us. This album will grow on you, and it's pretty consistent from start to finish. Overall, this is a slightly above-average album, but it's certainly not bad. Sure, the glossy production renders even the lesser songs radio-friendly, but this is Liz's shot at stardom and as a long-time fan, here's hoping she gets it.